Beginner Chicken & Egg problem – First projects without a workbench?
- This topic has 15 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 3 months ago by .
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Projects / Beginner Chicken & Egg problem – First projects without a workbench?
I can see doing a couple of projects before building the bench. Not a problem, and it gets one past the chicken or egg stage.
You do need a work surface on which you can clamp your stock. Also, you should fashion a planning stop – which could be a couple of flathead wood screws with their heads proud of the surface. All the suggestions you’ve received for a work surface are great. And you can probably think of a few more if you put on your thinking cap.
Paul is a big advocate of vises – they fit how he works. That said, and no disrespect towards Paul, there are a number of advocates for working without vises. And Paul would be the first to say work with what you have.
I found the spatula to be a delightful distraction from my bench building. I used a saw, 1/2″ & 3/4″ chisels, a chisel hammer, a rasp and a spokeshave for mine. So the tool chest was minimal.
My benchtop has been in use for several months now (on saw horses). It only has a small vise on the end for now. So I can’t do everything Paul’s way in the vice. It hasn’t been a problem even though there have been points where it would have been faster or easier to emulate Paul.
The point is that you just need to move forward and figure out how to make it work. That’s part of the adventure and part of the reason you’ll be proud of what you accomplish.
Good luck
Rick G