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I really need to start keeping a list of all the things I use my sawbenches for. Sure, I saw stuff on them. And I stand on them while go-go dancing in the shop to amuse visitors. Those things are obvious. What’s not so obvious is how often they get me out of weird jams with my handplanes.
On Monday as I was planing down the face frame of this dry sink, the sawbench was the obvious choice to lend a hand. I wedged it between my bench and the dry sink, and voila. The job was done.
I also plane down table aprons in the same fashion with a sawbench (this particular sawbench was made by craftsman John Wilson; all mine seem to end up in the shops of friends). Frequently, I’ll assemble cabinets or glue up panels on them as well.
If you’ve come up with other good uses for the shop appliance, post them here. Your suggestion might convince another woodworker that they should build a pair.
– Christopher Schwarz
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Chris, while being "forced" to watch seven brides for seven brothers I noticed that during the barn raising/fighting scene sitting in the background at one point is a saw bench almost identical to yours. I built one based on your plans myself and use it all the time which is probably the reason I spotted it. I guess your influence stretches into the past as well as the future :o)
Take care
Alan
Ireland/Dublin
The most recent discovery was that the saw bench is the perfect height for placing furniture on for the painting or finishing thereof.
When I needed to get inside the dictionary stand I recently made for my wife, I could place it on its back on the saw bench and it was at a perfect height to reach into with little of the normal stooping and bending that’a required to paint the bottom of the inside shelves and other hard-to-reach spots.
What’s the name of that TV show again?
Is it "Dancing with the Schwarz"?
Funny stuff!
Chris,
I *will* (and must) build one of these. It will come in handy when the workbench has other parts of a project on it.
By the way, I was certain your go-go skills would find their way onto the Internet… 🙂
Al
Hey, Chris, I just started teaching woodworking to a 10 year old. My first challenge: how do I set something up so this vertically challenged person can plane an edge of a board? Enter the saw bench. It worked great, I clamped the board on edge using a Jorgensen, then provided some extra weight via my left foot, and he was off to the races. We also used it to rip a board by hand, great fun!
Corey