Musings

Workbench Wednesday – The Under-bench Bench

In recent years a mini-bench accessory for the top of a workbench has been all the rage.  There are probably more than a dozen featured in Youtube.  I’ve built some myself and will start blogging about them next Wednesday, but what about an “under the bench mini-bench?”

A lot of my work when moving down the path of fauxrushi involves small object finishing that is very particular and time consuming,  Combining the fussiness of the work with my gimpy knee my preference is to sit down as much as possible.  Unfortunately the incompatibility of any of my shop stools with the height of my finishing bench, it was my first Roubo bench, I came up with the idea for a lower workbench like I see frequently in the Youtube videos about urushi work.  To serve my needs in this aspect of work I made a pull-out work surface to slide under the top of that Roubo bench.  This sliding mini-workbench is a 24″ x 48″ piece of 3/4″ hardwood plywood from Lowes, and it simply rides on a pair of runners screwed to the legs.  I added sides to the mini-workbench accessory and a full length cleat in the front so it is extremely rigid.  The result is a surprisingly sturdy and spacious platform for me to work away.