Musings

Planing Stop For A Torsion Box Workbench

I’ve waxed ecstatic occasionally about my little workbench that has been my workshop companion for three decades, a trestle-based torsion-box bench with an Emmert K1 on one corner, an end vise on the other corner, and a 48″ twin-screw face vise on the back side.  I used the basic design to build a bench for my pal Tom, only a little bit bigger.

One hitch to this bench design is that the hollow top precludes a simple rising planing stop (or holdfasts) that can be easily incorporated into solid slab bench tops, and some time ago we independently figured out a couple of good responses to the planing stop dilemma.  My solution to the problem was to make a simple “L” bracket that could be placed in either the Emmert or the twin-screw to allow for planing flat surfaces.  Admittedly, since the workbench is only 48″ long the workpieces would not be to large anyway.  (I find this accessory works perfectly in my pseudo-Studley bench as well)  Anything larger would be done on my big Roubo or Nicholson or planing beam anyway.

Tom took a different route to his bench, in that he made rising stops that are affixed to both ends of his bench with screws-and-knobs running through slotted openings in the stop.  It works like a charm.