saw bench v0

Sawing long boards can be a real pain. You can clamp them to random surfaces, or if you have a good vise and they fit, you can cut them at a diagonal. If your bench isn't heavy enough, or your vise the wrong kind entirely, you're going to have a bad time.

Rex Krueger had posted a video about his saw bench, a traditional piece of shop furniture exactly for ripping boards down. I grabbed his plans and some 2x4s and gave it a go. It went pretty well. The saw bench is a stop on almost every project, and I love using it. Being above the work, holding it in place with your body, makes it easy to follow the line. I get straighter cuts off the saw bench than I do anywhere else.

I have bad knees, so I got a pair of DeWalt knee pads - and only use the left one, as I'm left handed and that's the knee I use to hold the work. I also find a work glove helps, especially when ripping more than a handful of boards.

This was my first real panel glue-up, and I wouldn't say it went great.

I was actually down one board on the top so I took some spare 2x4s I have and made my first half-lap joint. It, also, was not great - but it has held up after months of usage.

Planing the board was somewhat difficult just due to its size and the relative lightness of the workbench. Lots of walking and having to reset the bench.

Planing end grain stinks in general, but in this particular vise, it just wouldn't stay in place. It got done, but it wasn't fun.

Building the leg assemblies, and sticking it all together went mostly ok. I definitely did not get the angles identical, but it was Good Enough, and hasn't fallen apart yet.

I used a Wood Owl bit to drill the hand hold; it blew out the back a bit. I didn't know it at the time, but what I really wanted was a Forstner bit.

The bench is still in use, and it's great. I need another one at the same height to act as outfeed, but I don't really have the space for it.