TRANSPORTABLE BENCH for CONDO or limited space

[ranald]

This bench stores away in a corner or beside a wall. It can be cramped (clamped) to fold up saw horses od clamped to a picnic table or similar sturdy item.




I made this bench based on a Fine Woodworking article some years back. In my travels I have seen guys wood turning from the boot of their mobile home or caravan. Many of my local Woodworking Club (Cooroora Woodworkers Inc) members dont have enough room for a bench so it was shown to them in "Show & Tell" in which I do not usually partivipate. (Meetings are on Saturdays which is usually not convenient for me).


The main bench section is made of Oregon pine that was salvaged from a contraversal Historic demolition site called "Her Magesty's Theatre".
Originally it was part of a 12" by 3" beam that supported the roof. The youngest beams in that building were from renovations around 1901.




The legs are mostly Meranti house steps cut down and faced with Austn hardwood, as are the vice jaws and end cap. There is
a series of standard 3/4" dog holes along the length.

Cheers
Ranald

[wizard69]

Nice work there. I need something like this, however with legs and maybe the ability to tie into the trucks receiver for hitches. Obviously the truck would supply some mass for a portable light bench. Decent picnic tables are harder and harder to find these days.

[Beserkleyboy]

Ranald, a cracker, that is! Great re-purposing as usual...and a note for friends in the US. Douglas fir was called Oregon Pine before it was classed as a a separate species, around 1920, I think...The name stuck in Australia, traditionally a very big importer of West Coast softwood, predominately DF and WRC. The Douglas Fir name never took hold and it is still called just 'Oregon'...many, dare I say most people, have no idea at all of the origin of the name, the species or even that it was originally named after the state where it grew (as well as CA, Wash, and BC..) and was cut , sold and used. My grandad was the GM of a very large lumber and component remanufacturing plant, Redwood Manufacturing, in Pittsburg, CA, in the late 20s, just before the depression. They also processed mearly as much 'Oregon Pine', as it was the preferred species for doors and windows. Mind you, it bore no resemblance to the 2nd and 3rd growth rubbish you see now...more like 20-25 rings per inch, and much of the sawn lumber was clear all heart verticle grain...and I've got a small cache of DF, WRC and Redwood in my racks that I drag out for heirloom projects. A real joy to use, both physically and knowing its history and that I've been carting it round the world for 35 years...I have his pocket price book (a gem of a read, with pics and drawings) from 1928 with prices as well. The logs and large cants were shipped from coastal Oregon and Calif sawmills down the coast, through the Golden Gate, and up the Sacramento river to the site. They reprocessed the wood into doors, windows, screens, letterboxes, water tanks, wine vats and cooling towers and a lot more. All the goods were then shipped to hardware stores and lumber yards in the Northern California area, with the majority to the SF Bay Area on regular weekly runs. Some trains, mostly early flat bed trucks. Need a dozen Redwood lamposts, style 43a by next week? No problem...cheers
Jim, waiting for a cool change, South Coast NSW

[ranald]

Ranald, a cracker, that is! Great re-purposing as usual...and a note for friends in the US. Douglas fir was called Oregon Pine before it was classed as a a separate species, around 1920, I think...The name stuck in Australia, traditionally a very big importer of West Coast softwood, predominately DF and WRC. The Douglas Fir name never took hold and it is still called just 'Oregon'...many, dare I say most people, have no idea at all of the origin of the name, the species or even that it was originally named after the state where it grew (as well as CA, Wash, and BC..) and was cut , sold and used. My grandad was the GM of a very large lumber and component remanufacturing plant, Redwood Manufacturing, in Pittsburg, CA, in the late 20s, just before the depression. They also processed mearly as much 'Oregon Pine', as it was the preferred species for doors and windows. Mind you, it bore no resemblance to the 2nd and 3rd growth rubbish you see now...more like 20-25 rings per inch, and much of the sawn lumber was clear all heart verticle grain...and I've got a small cache of DF, WRC and Redwood in my racks that I drag out for heirloom projects. A real joy to use, both physically and knowing its history and that I've been carting it round the world for 35 years...I have his pocket price book (a gem of a read, with pics and drawings) from 1928 with prices as well. The logs and large cants were shipped from coastal Oregon and Calif sawmills down the coast, through the Golden Gate, and up the Sacramento river to the site. They reprocessed the wood into doors, windows, screens, letterboxes, water tanks, wine vats and cooling towers and a lot more. All the goods were then shipped to hardware stores and lumber yards in the Northern California area, with the majority to the SF Bay Area on regular weekly runs. Some trains, mostly early flat bed trucks. Need a dozen Redwood lamposts, style 43a by next week? No problem...cheers
Jim, waiting for a cool change, South Coast NSW

I purchased quite a big lot with a brickie friend. He insisted in storing at another mates place but I stood my ground and wanted my 12 ft 12" by 3 " Oregon beams at my dads place where I covered it with viscreen and had on blocks with stickers . All the 30ft beams at his mate's place were eaten out by white ants.From the small bits not affected that i was able to salvage from the crumbs , I made items like toy trains & the pull along boot seen on the bench in one pic. I made them during the late 70's & 80's & the venetian blind chord had a loop in the end. Once the toddler was competant at towing the boot along he/she could use other skills to thread the chord through the holes in the boot like a bootlace expanding the skills. I must admit a 2" boot was much easier ,even for an adult, to thread so later models of the 3" ones had bigger boot lace holes.
I sold a piece of 3" (only dar) to a chap rebuilding a vessel over 100 years old so saw it as appropriate as the strengthener seat between the port & starboard sides just below the gunwales. He had to thickness it to around 2" and I suggested he take the same number of passes off both sides. He really loved the nail holes along one side.

I still have a few 12' by 12" by 3 " & some 5.5m by 8" by 4"s . My dad & i made some largish saw stools but most were never returned after lending but I have one original one left that I may post sometime. The wide saw stools vere perfect for pitching & setting ceilings as well as painting ceilings & high walls allowing a steady security while working.

Cool change is on its way 37 deg in shade today & I was trying to prepare for the "weed patrol" tomorrow but none answered advertisment! Wonder why when they have a pool to dip into at lunch. LOL

[DIYer]

Thanks ranald! We've added your Portable Workbench to our Workbenches category,
as well as to your builder page: ranald's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Portable Workbench by ranald

tags: portable, workbench