Bed bolts can look nice, too, when done right. And they have the advantage of being easy to snug up, if needed, and will make your piece easy to disassemble. You could also recess the bolt heads and make some sweet EA-branded covers for them, if you really want to go the extra mile.

eliya wrote:-Joint strengths. I know that a dovetail is stronger than a butt joint, but how much stronger? How much weight can each joint takes before falling apart?http://woodgears.ca/joint\_strength/index.htmlThis dude has posted some results you may be interested in. I also like reading his stuff because he seems to have internalized the perfect is the enemy of the good a long, long time ago.

steve wrote:Were those lock dowels (pins) or did you draw-bore the tenons and use the dowels to tighten the joints? I'm thinking about using lock dowels on the workbench I'm making now, they look pretty smart.What style of workbench are you making? How many vices? Type of vices?

This is a great idea for a thread, thanks for making it. In terms of bigger projects, I built my bed entirely by hand, chiselled out the mortises and all, which was a pain to do without a proper workbench but I got there in the end. I can't wait to have a place where I can build a proper workbench, almost certainly one based on Paul Sellers design. His YouTube channel is great for no-bullshit sensible advice and instruction.

It's a Sellers-style workbench with laminated 2x4s for the top sections, front and back aprons, a leg vise and end vise (Lee Valley). The whole thing is made out of scrap lumber left at the completion of my house remodeling. It's short, only 5' long because I have a pretty small space for it to sit.

Got the base of my bench all glued up. I'm thinking about putting threaded levelers on the legs because my basement is very uneven, but I think wood shims may actually be more solid. I also need to fit the top onto the base, and am probably going to use a few pins that the top will locate on. I don't need the top fastened to the base. Then I'll need to mount a vise.

woodworking is something i greatly want to do, but that's gonna require a house with a garage, or maybe i'll go the extra mile and build a shop...

Threaded levelers are bad because you'll be banging on it and you'll bust them. You could make something out of pipe that would hold up but I wouldn't use furniture levelers. Shims would be fine and you could bang them solidly into place.Consider using a mortise on the underside of the top to fit the top sections onto the bearing beams of the base.

steve wrote:Threaded levelers are bad because you'll be banging on it and you'll bust them. You could make something out of pipe that would hold up but I wouldn't use furniture levelers. Shims would be fine and you could bang them solidly into place.Consider using a mortise on the underside of the top to fit the top sections onto the bearing beams of the base.I'd have used something substantial for the levelers, like a 1/2 or 3/4 threaded rod, but yeah, shims will be fine for a bench that will only move when I reconfigure my shop. I get what you're saying about the mortises, but the way my frame is made, the aprons are flush with the top of the posts, so I don't have any extra length to mortise into the underside of the laminated top. That's why I thought dowels would be good. I'm thinking about doing a removable shelf that fits over the stretchers and can hold a chest of drawers. I also have an under-mount vise that needs to be installed, and I'll need to drill some holes in the aprons to accommodate the sliders and screw. Thinking about painting it, too. Not sure what color.(edit: had my aprons and stretchers mixed up)

Red Square wrote:woodworking is something i greatly want to do, but that's gonna require a house with a garage, or maybe i'll go the extra mile and build a shop...If it's any inspiration, my shop is only10'x25' and I have the following2 large benchesTable saw8 jointer14 band saw5 HP cyclone dust collectorSliding compound miter sawDrill pressTall tool chest3 shelves for tools Bureau for electronic partsLunchbox-type planerRouter tableYou can do a lot of work in a small area, but you need to grow your shop organically, and always be thinking of how to best use the space you have.