Southern Yellow Pine
Building a Holtzapffel Inspired Workbench - Part 1 
Ever since we published plans for the Holtzapffel Cabinetmaker’s Workbench in Issue 8 of Woodworking Magazine, readers have requested information on how to build the bench so it could be easily knocked down and moved.
The version I built and published plans for in Issue 8 used old-world bench-building principles where the legs were tenoned into the top and the base parts were permanently drawbored. But when Kelly Mehler and I taught a class in constructing the bench last month, we decided to modify the plans to make the whole thing break down for easy transport. The students hailed from all over the country (Missouri, Alaska, Michigan), and so a portable version was necessary.
By the way, if you missed my daily blog posts about this class, you can find them over at the Popular Woodworking editor’s blog by clicking below.
Day 1: Sticks
Day 2: Glue
Day 3: Grit
Day 4: Gruntwork
Day 5: Grease
Day 6: Guessing
Day 7: Gone
This weekend my blisters from the class began to fade, and so I cleaned up the construction drawing and cutting list a bit , you can download them for free below.
Here’s how the knockdown construction works in a nutshell: The workbench’s base is made up of two end assemblies, which are permanently glued and drawbored, plus two long stretchers.
Compared to the original design, the only changes to the end assemblies are that the legs don’t have tenons on the top and you need to add a 3″-wide top stretcher to each end assembly. These top stretchers will help you attach the base to the benchtop.
The base’s long stretchers are significantly different. The long stretchers have short tenons and are attached to the end assemblies with 1/2″ x 8″-long hex-head cap screws, washers and nuts. All in all, the base’s joinery works a lot like a traditional bed.
The assembled joint that shows the cap screws in place and the plywood template.
The disassembled joint that shows the short tenon on the long stretcher.
To install the cap screws, drill 5/8″-diameter holes through the legs. Then rout out slots for the nuts and washers in the long stretchers using a plywood pattern, a 1/2″ spiral bit and a guide bushing (see the photo for what this looks like). With the slots routed, install the cap screws, washers and nuts. Snug everything up with a socket set and box wrench.
With the base assembled, attach the workbench’s top to the base with 3/8″ x 5″-long lag screws through the top stretchers in the end assemblies. We used four lag screws per bench. The screws at the front of the bench were in 3/8″-diameter holes. The screws at the rear of the bench were in 1/2″-diameter holes, which allows for wood movement.
Everything else about this bench is identical to the plans found in Issue 8.
Holtzapffel_KD_Bench.pdf (52.91 KB)
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If Roubo and Holtzapffel Designed Workbenches
Reader Wendell Wilkerson is designing a workbench and has combined elements of the Roubo-style Workbench from Issue 4 and the Holtzapffel Workbench from Issue 8. I think it looks a lot like the Dominy workbench at Winterthur (if you took off the iron end vise). He has a couple good questions, which are below, but I also wanted to share his Google SketchUp drawing above and give you a link to a SketchUp drawing of the Holtzapffel. Plus, Wendell has graciously agreed to post his SketchUp drawing of the bench shown above:
roubzapffel.zip (691.62 KB)
Question: I always knew procrastination would pay off someday. I never got around to building the Roubo bench. If I had, I would’ve have been upset after seeing the Holtzapffel bench. I was always drawn to benches with twin-screw front vises, and the Holtzapffel bench finally clinched it for me. I ordered my wooden bench screws pretty much as soon as you posted Stephen Fee’s e-mail on WoodCentral. Luckily for you, I used my tool allowance to buy them so WivesAgainstSchwarz won’t be getting involved, this time!
Anyway I put together a Google SketchUp model of what I want to build. I am planning to use Southern yellow pine (SYP) for the whole bench so I married the Holtzapffel top and vises to the Roubo base. Assuming I get 1-1/4″-thick boards of the SYP construction lumber, the Roubo base dimensions looked easier to put together. I will freely admit that I wimped out and decided to add upper end stretchers to the base so I can screw the top to the base rather than mortise it. In putting the model together, I came up with some questions:
Question 1: My main concern is the vise I plan to use for the end vise. I have a 7″ Record vise that I bought when Lee Valley was closing them out. Do you think there would be any issue with using this vise instead of its larger sibling that you used? In my drawing, I worked out a chop size that would avoid the dog holes going over the legs, but using 3-3/8″ spacing I couldn’t avoid the upper end stretcher I added. Related question: Which do you like better , the wagon vise you added to the Roubo bench or the end vise on the Holtzapffel?
Answer: On the end vise, a smaller vise is fine. Just do everything you can to keep the line of dog holes in your top as close to the front edge as possible. About 4″ is the maximum distance. Anywhere between 3″ to 4″ would be fine. I hope you can use a quick-release vise in that position because that is one place where a quick-release really shines.
As to the wagon vise v. iron vise question, I like the extra support provided by the wagon vise, but I like the quick and easy installation of the iron vise. Were I to build another bench (shudder), I’d use the iron vise in the tail position again.
Question 2: I am planning to make my bench 8′ long, 2′ longer than your Holtzapffel. With the added length, do think you think it would be useful to add the deadman back into the design? The nuts for the face vise block about one third of the distance between the front legs but there is about 38″ from the right end of the face vise to the right leg.
Answer: With the extra length of your benchtop, I would add the deadman back in, just as you’ve done on your drawings. That will be an awesome setup.
3) How much extra thickness do you generally add when you’re gluing up thinner stock to make your bench parts? I am particularly interested in your strategy for the top since reducing by hand is about the only option once it is glued up.
Answer: On the lamination question, I usually add about 1/4″ to 3/8″ extra in width to each board when laminating a top. That might be a little heavier than needed. But I’d rather end up with a slightly over-thick top. It will get thinner as the years progress.
- Christopher Schwarz
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