Workbench Rebuild/Upgrade

Not much instrument work this week, been working on my workbench!

I built my bench about 15 years ago. The top is solid teak, recycled from a school science lab and the frame from pine. Lately, I’ve noticed that it seems a bit rickety- the frame seems to twist; this has really only become apparent with all the archtop carving and bizarrely, I’ve noticed it more when editing the videos of myself working. So, time for some TLC.

I guess the fundamental flaw in the bench’s design was to assume that the top would give the bench all the stiffness it needed. The first part of the upgrade is to add four chunky cross rails to tie the leg frames together more securely and to help eliminate twisting in the frame.

Also, I’ve been looking at different methods of clamping to the surface of the bench and after a bit of research, I've gone for various bits and bobs made by Kreg. Although not used in anger yet, I can see that these are going to be a worthwhile investment.

Ready for action!