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Double Bass First Workbench

N

Nathan Parker

Oct 10, 2008
698
14
Seattle, WA
#1
I'm going to start delving into some bass work, but first, I needs me a workbench. The question would be should I build one or buy one. I was thinking of this little guy:

European Workbench

But I don't know if that be long enough. Also, don't know if it needs the vises and bench-dogs. Do you professional luthiers use those items? I was thinking of just building one of Jake's bass clamps, but my workspace will be small, and I don't know if it's a suitable "replacement" for a good bench.

Any thoughts?
 
#2
That's a nice woodworking bench, and I am sure it will serve you well if you are working on a bridge, etc... however it won't hold a bass by itself.

You are better off with one of Jake's clamps for actual bass holding, or you need a carpeted surface with a cradle for the neck. I built a cradle that screws into the top of my bench if I need to take it off I could.

I built my own "workbench" with a wood vise and some holes for bench dogs, but honestly I don't use them that much. I figured if I can't build a workbench that functions for what I need, then I shouldn't be touching a bass!

The best thing to do is measure your space and try to visit some luthiers to measure their set up. See if you can fit the stuff in your space. Also keep in mind any power tools, etc... that you will be using. If you have a smaller space make everything as portable as possible. Also, map out your electrical outlets and lighting.

Hope that helps,
Brian
 
#3
All woodworkers lust after a beautiful bench. I know I did, and still do. About a decade ago, I finally made a nice bench and I really do like it. I use the vises and the dogs often -- they are the very tool for the job. Would I make it slightly different the second time around? Absolutely -- isn't that the way it always is with building stuff?

HOWEVER, I note that there are armies of woodworkers out there, past and current, who build outstanding stuff and who have never even touched a "real" woodworkers bench. Without getting into a lengthy screed about the topic, let me just point out the other end of the workbench spectrum. What about something like a WorkMate -- or *two* WorkMates -- and a number of specialized (but ultimately disposable) work surfaces? It's not as pleasing aesthetically, but it absolutely can be made to work practically. Heck, you don't even need the WorkMates -- good sawhorses and clever clamping/attaching ideas will produce just as good a result.

Benches need to be flat, they should not flex and they need to hold work securely. There are tons of ways to fill those needs. I've seen African and Indian woodworkers do outstanding work with rope and their own body weight. Would I rather have a $10k Swiss masterpiece? Yeah, sure. Do I *need* the masterpiece? Different story.
 
#4
This is the workbench I made last year. It is a beast!

I built a double bass before I built this bench, but before I built my bass, I glued 3 sheets of MDF together to produce a flat, rigid work area. At the time I had that sitting on a couple of cardboard boxes. When I was done with the bass, I used that MDF sandwich to form the top of the bench (I sandwiched that between more plywood). I ordered the tail vise hardware from woodcraft. Pretty much a Chinese piece of crap with misaligned holes, but after some work, I made it usable.

I absolutely love having this bench now. It makes everything easier, and it's the heaviest bench I've seen.

George

IMG_20110213_151011.jpg
 
#5
Y'know, Nathan, I checked out that link after I posted (I know, I know -- shoot first, apologize later.) I gotta say, that's a lot of bench for the price. Just the two vises and the solid beech top on their own get you not too far removed from $400 -- you could barely build the same bench for that kinda dough. All in all seems like a pretty good deal.
 
#6
Oh yeah: for hand-planing (and heavy scraping, too, I guess), the heavier the bench the better. Even with a good sharp blade, with hand-planing you're often producing enough force to lift a pair of bench legs off the ground. Ergo: the heavier, the better.

Nice bench, George! Looks like the USS Workbench. If mine wasn't covered right now in so much crap from my last project, I'd take a pic and post it.
 
#7
If you don't need anything fancy, but you want it strong, check out project #5 (Heavy Duty Table) in this PDF:
Invalid Link Removed

You can dimension it anyway you like, and you could put a thicker top on it.

I don't remember the cost, but it was four 2x4s, a sheet of plywood, and the connectors. Get everything at Home Depot or equivalent.
 
#8
You do need a workbench and a good vice for planing and sawing. Bolt it to the wall for solidity. A patternmakers vice is nice to have too.

But I think a typical woodworkers bench is too high for most bass work; ideally you want a bench only a little larger than the bass body itself that you can walk right around, a little lower than waist height, with some kind of rubber padding on it. Most of the bass work I do is done on smallish mobile benches about 4' x 2' with heavy duty lockable castors so I can move them out of the way. I store wood and tools and sandbags and stuff underneath; this makes them heavy - good for inertia. To hold a bass I simply put a couple of padded stands (idea I got from John Sprague I think) onto the benchtop that the bass's shoulders rest on.

If you build a small mobile bench, and need solidity for planing etc, push it over to the wall and plane towards the wall.

On the other hand, I recently saw this picture of Barrie Kolstein setting a sound post on Phil Palombi's Lafaro/Prescott copy (I think). Scroll just resting on the bench and the lower bout resting on a padded saw horse about knee high!. And that was it!

I don't think Phil will mind me linking to the pic:

Link Removed

Just look at the height of that bridge!!

I love pictures of other people's workshops ...
 
#9
If you are going to get into serious hand tool (planing, sawing, chopping, scraping) wood working then go for this bench. You can also get by making a cheap bench with a mdf top and a base from 2x4's. Investing in good vises is essential - this is a nice one that I have Buy WoodRiver Universal Vise at Woodcraft. I've made two solid maple workbenches with pattern maker vices, I sold one and the other is in storage. I work in my basement using a workbench made from mdf and 2x4's as well as saw horses and a workmate. I can still plane and saw wood by hand - the bench squirms around (i hold it with my knee).
 
#10
I made mine from the bottom of a shipping crate that we had a big scanner delivered in at work. They were just throwing it out. It's made of 2x8s and I made the legs out of 2x4s screwed together. I didn't make it specifically for guitar work but it's heavy duty and I had the 2x4s so it was free.
 
#12
Here's a picture of a good sized bass bench. this one's from Maureen Pandos' shop.

cnfinal.jpg


A lot of people use carpet as padding. I prefer thin rubber foam "skins" a bit like the yoga mats mentioned above. Wipable!

I like to have a flat surface around and under the bass, to put tools and jars and such on while I'm working. And I like to be able to flip the bass over and on its side in a jiffy.

A bench can be really simple. Here's the pic of the stands that John Sprague posted years ago. You can clamp them in position if you needs to. I use the same idea; mine are wide enough to be able to fit the bass on its side between the wings. And I have three different heights I can use. When i'm finished I have an all purpose bench i can use for other things.

attachment.jpg
 
#13
Damon Rondeau said:
Oh yeah: for hand-planing (and heavy scraping, too, I guess), the heavier the bench the better. Even with a good sharp blade, with hand-planing you're often producing enough force to lift a pair of bench legs off the ground. Ergo: the heavier, the better.

Nice bench, George! Looks like the USS Workbench. If mine wasn't covered right now in so much crap from my last project, I'd take a pic and post it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Damon. My neighbor thought I was crazy when he saw the 5-ply sandwich top (10cm thickness). But that thing will not move when planing, and that's what I wanted. The frame is made from construction grade plywood - an idea I got from ShopNotes magazine. Storage cabinet and drawers underneath, and all the parts reinforce each other.

This was actually the 3rd bench I made for my workshop. The first one was made from 2x4's and 2x6's, and at this point I just feel sorry to throw it out. It moves around too much, so I only use it for light duty work and to hold my sander, band saw, and metal working vise.

My 2nd workbench is 100% plywood, extremely solid, but it's mostly taken up by my lathe. Same ShopNotes design.

George
 
#14
I appreciate all the responses. There are obviously many things to consider and think about. I'll keep my eye on craigslist. I've found some dandy things in the past, so hopefully I will again. If that doesn't work out, I may try my hand at this beastie:

Rock-Solid Plywood Bench - Fine Woodworking Article

Seems on the large size, but I gotta start somewhere. And, I'd get to practice my clamping skills.

And Michael, your shop looks great. That was a really nice video, very inspiring to watch. Our grandfathers seem to have much in common.
 
#15
Interesting -- my bench is also based on a ShopNotes design. They come up with some good stuff sometimes. It's a pretty early one, I think -- I just Googled for an image but didn't find the right one. Very traditional design for the most part, but it has a couple of shop-made vises and a "disposable" top in which the top-most quarter inch is actually hardboard. Base is doug fir, everything else is oak.

I'm finished my stairway project -- this weekend I'll clean up the bench and take a few pics.
 
#16
Nathan, if you've got access to the Fine Woodworking article library, cruise around and look for some of the benches (both general and tool-specific) that John White has designed. He can do some pretty cool stuff with plywood. There's a very popular general workbench he's designed that's called something like "new design" workbench -- some new concepts, very modular and very practical.

Matthew's given some very practical bass-specific advice here. I like my woodworking workbench, but it's not quite the thing for general bass work. "The right tool for the job" and all that...
 
#17
Matthew is a real dandy. I've been following his thread on the other bass forum, and it has been one of the things that inspired me to pursue this discipline. I appreciate all of your advice, Mr. Tucker. At this point, I'll just have to wait for the universe to give me a sign.
 
#18
A nice workbench is the gateway drug for a lifetime of fine projects. As much as I enjoy the simplicity of the shorter models that are the size of a bass body, whenever I've used one the neck and scroll are always sticking out way too far and it makes me nervous with customers walking around bumping into them, so now my bass benches are always full length to provide more protection all around.

j.
 

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