Hey everyone, I'm working on building a bench but I don't have access to my usual workbench, and I'm facing two challenges. First, I need a way to create a planing stop on a concrete floor to prepare my boards for glue-up. Second, I'm trying to figure out what I can rest the top on to chop the mortises. Any ideas?
3 Answers
If you want something really secure, consider using tapcon screws to anchor a piece of wood to the concrete floor. Just drill holes through the wood and drive some spikes in; it holds up well. If you're worried about the holes afterwards, they're easy to fill.
You can use anything solid that can stand against a wall without obstructing your plane's motion—like a scrap piece of plywood. Paul Sellers actually used a tree in his original setup, which is a creative idea if you have access to one!
For your planing stop, you can use sawhorses, upturned 5-gallon buckets, or even the wall or a sturdy tree. For the mortises, the floor works fine, or you can use sawhorses or more buckets. Paul Sellers has some great videos showing how to build a bench without a traditional setup. His method involves sitting on the board while holding it in place to plane it. Check out this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2ZiNs_Wek&list=PLD39949332C7FB168) for a good walkthrough!
I never thought about using 5-gallon buckets, but it sounds like a practical solution for both problems.
Totally! Plywood against the wall sounds like a reliable choice.