Getting A Custom Leathercraft Work Bench... What Should I Ask For?

[lightingale]

I got married this weekend (yay!), and my new husband is gifting me with a commissioned, custom leathercraft work bench. I've wanted a work bench for a long time so I can move my hobby off the kitchen table, and figured I'd pick up a simple desk with drawers at a garage sale or something.

Well, I'm getting a custom one made by a fantastic carpenter, and he'll build anything I ask for. Right now, I'm thinking of a simple desk as wide as our designated space will allow (8 feet by 2 1/2 feet), with drawers on either side of it to keep tools within easy reach. We're converting a spare bedroom into a workroom, so I have access to a closet to store leather out of the light. The bench will be against a window. I prefer to sit while I work, although I see a lot of leather benches are meant for a standing person.

Never having had a "real" workbench before, I wanted to ask you folks what features would make your "dream" workbench.

[Mike516]

If I could have anything, I'd ask for a 4" thick granite work surface covering the entire table. The bench I have now has a shelf underneath which is very convenient, but I wish I had more drawers. I also have a short bookshelf that's about a foot taller than my bench behind it so it's like having a shelf in front of me...very nice option, but with only 2 1/2 feet to work with you'd have to consider if it would take away too much workspace.

Nice wedding gift.

[KAYAK45]

Careful about that eight feet. Might be hard to move in/out of the room??? /house/apartment.. Corners and all. And you MIGHT need that room for somebody else, someday, and need to move your workstation.

A large granite slab would be nice for stamping, if that's where you're headed. Me.. I cannot stamp more than about 2X2 feet at a time, and larger does not mean better, but thicker does. Mines 18x24x6". Mine is also a LOT LOWER than a desk top. Easier for stamping, I found. Actually an old end table, cut lower.

A nice sized cutting surface could also be useful. Nice plastic tops are available, better than wallyworld cutting boards.

Good luck, and Congratulations on both the work station and you husband.

Kevin

[sherlockian100]

Maybe a built in tool rack, I'm always looking for a better way to keep my tools, rather than a drawer.

[Greystone]

Before you have the first cut made,..... PLAN ,,,,go PAPER,, and lay out,,,, look,,,,,lay out ,,,look again,,all options and look again, think of how you will walk in the room ,and where you want to work,,, and what's stacked behind the door,,,lol,,

and how you work, before you finalize any work space, drawers stacks left and right of main area,,,,tools left or right ,,, sewing,, finish ,,, IT WILL CHANGE,, hopefully not a lot from original plan,, also think about a folding attachment same height as bench to expand counter space for the times when

you need to lay out a pattern on a side or large piece of material and easy to take down and store out of way or against the wall,, 8'x 2.5' is a nice area for a lot of things if you have a plan,Also look at overhead cabinets/shelves for more space over work area but set them higher than normal so not to interfere with the work bench but still be useful

tape your work area out on the floor,,,,an sit at it and get a feel as to what you want and need and what works ,,,,,,, life size,,,,, stack some things there to get a feel of whats the right height or not

use the space as best as you can with in reason

just my 2 cents and its over priced at that,,, David

[dirtclod]

Get some cardboard boxes the same hight or close it as the bench will be and see how things work out as far drawers and stuff. You might want to make it in two 4 foot sections. Because of weight and like the other poster said for getting it in the house. My bench is 4x8 foot and had a time moving it in shop and i had took everthing out of the drawers. I had get a jack to be able to lift it high enough to get the rollers under the table it was so heavy. One more thing have the carpenter put it togeather with screws not nails. Makes it a whole lot easier to change things down the line.

[lightingale]

Good advice, everyone.

I'm obsessing a bit because I want to be sure I don't sit at my new workbench and think "I wish I asked for x..."

Getting it into the room won't be an issue because it's on the ground floor with only a sliding door in the way. I agree that it's a good idea to visualise it as well as possible with boxes etc. I think for height, I'll make it at a height that is comfortable to work with while standing, and get a chair that adjusts so that I can work sitting also.

There isn't much room for shelves on the bench as there's a window in front, a window in side, and a closet beside it, but I hope the drawers and storage space in the closet will make up for it.

Does anyone have an opinion on embedding a granite slab in the bench surface (for tooling)?

[Bluesman]

If you are going to lay the granite level witha the bench top some serious supports re required. The entire function of thick granite is to prevent bounce. So the carpenter can design in a support system for the grnite that will keep it level and have no bounce when your stamping. Go to a local grave stone maker. You should be able to get one of thier mistake peices at a very reasonable price and cut to size as well. Great wedding gift and congrats on the new husband.

[Woodyrock]

An even better source of granite would be a stone counter top company. You can usually get the sink cutouts free. They are only one inch thick, but you can bond several layers together with epoxy. Back in the eighties, I made quite a few granite pounding blocks by laminating several layers of granite using an epoxy tar, and I know at least one of these is still in use, and has not failed. Today, you can only obtain epoxy tar if you are a commercial user., but most good heavy bodied epoxies will work. Over four inches, they get difficult to move...but then, they will not move in use.

Woody

[Go2Tex]

I hope you have looked at all the member's work shops in the thread on this forum. There is a ton of ideas there.

Leather Crafters and Saddlers journal had a short article by Dusty Johnson a while back on his custom desk with the inlayed granite top. Maybe someone has it handy and can put up some pics of it.

I agree with the advice regarding the size. Better you have it made in sections. An eight foot piece of furniture is not a good idea unless it is a built-in.

Standing or sitting? Well, I like to sit but most of the time I am standing. When I'm carving, I use a stool at my regular standing height workbench. My carving station with a loose piece of granite doubles as an overflow area when I'm working on stirrup leathers and other long straps at the other end of the bench. I also have found that having that raised edge of the granite is useful when you are working on something that is not flat, like a saddle seat or skirts. Plus, I can move it out of the way when I need the space for something else.

If you opt for a big thick piece of granite, you'll need a forklift to move it. The grave stone idea is great if you don't plan on ever moving it.

[gesa]

Here is the link to the thread about workshops:

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=826

There you will find more ideas.....

[gtwister09]

Here's some additional links about workbenches, materials, heights, etc. Hope that they help.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=7316&hl=

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11770&st=0&p=82514&hl=workbench&fromsearch=1entry82514

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=19365&st=0&p=125957&hl=workbench&fromsearch=1entry125957

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=22687&st=0&p=145195&hl=workbench&fromsearch=1entry145195

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=12317&st=0&p=13088&hl=workbench&fromsearch=1entry13088

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=22394&st=0&p=143563&hl=workbench&fromsearch=1entry143563

Regards,

Ben

[lightingale]

Here's some additional links about workbenches, materials, heights, etc. Hope that they help.

http://leatherworker...wtopic=7316&hl=

http://leatherworker...h=1

http://leatherworker...=1

http://leatherworker...=1

http://leatherworker...h=1

http://leatherworker...=1

Regards,

Ben

WOW. Ben, I printed out your PDFs of your custom workbench. I think I drooled a little when I saw it. I love the idea of making the entire top out of granite with a small lip to keep tools from rolling off (happens to me all the time, the cat knocks things down and my dogs think they're fair game as chewtoys!). I was originally going to request a lot of drawers, but your slide out pegboards are brilliant. Your workbench plan is now my main inspiration!