re: My Workbench Build

Thank you all.
I have been considering building a proper bench for a long time. I finally just bit the bullet and went for it. It started with no plans besides the ideas in my head that I have gleemed from looking at other’s benches.

Monty,
The reason for the split bench is mainly for clamping reasons. If you build a wide bench (this one is thirty two inches wide total) and try to clamp anything small with bar clamps to the top, it presents a problem. With the split in the middle though, you can run clamps down through it and clamp in the middle if you need.
I also have an alternate reason though. I am the world’s worst about knocking things off my bench, or allowing things like chisels to roll off. I plan on making tool tills that fit down into the middle void to hold tools for a variety of project. For example, I’ll have one for bench chisels, one for carving chisels, one for router bits, etc.
As for the cambering issues, I’ve had that issue in the past and have a solution that has worked for me for some time. I’m sure you noticed the block that is screwed to the outer jaw with the dog holes in the top of it? I use an eighth inch thick strip of wood to intentionally camber it out at the top when I screwed it to the jaw. The thickness came from experimentation with this particular vice. Others may be different. That eight inch camber on the top makes the vice clamp evenly if you really clamp down hard on it. Meanwhile, it forces the top of the jaw to make contact first if you only wish to gently clamp something in the top part of the jaws.