# First project - The Paulk Workbench



## 69RRVERT

I was needing a reason to buy new tools so I decided to give woodworking a shot. Since I didn't have anything to build a project on, I search the www for work bench plans. After looking at several plans. I decided to go with the Paulk Work bench. I finally have most of the pieces cut out and ready to start putting it together. The plans are nice and print in 11"x17" format. There is also a good series of videos on youtube that Ron Paulk made on how to build it. I am not too sure about the saw horses but I will wait and get everything else assembled before I try something else. I'll post pics of the progress as I put it together. Thanks, Steven

Plans for the bench:


Cut-outs:


Bottoms:


Tops:


Saw horses:


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## Hooked

Geez, whoever starts out with a workbench. lol

Nice project so you have a good place to store tools, etc. and cut/assemble projects. Looking good.


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## 69RRVERT

Hooked said:


> Geez, whoever starts out with a workbench. lol


I know, right? I helped my son (12) build a small shelf last month and it was no fun building it on the concrete. The knee's just don't work as good as they used to. I'll get the two sides put together tonight and hopefully get it ready to go by next week. Thanks, Steven


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## 69RRVERT

Worked on assembling the bench today. I was not too impressed with using the pocket screws on the 1/2" plywood. I have used them on 3/4" and they worked great but not with the 1/2". They seem to pull out pretty easy. Had I known that, I would have used 3/4" plywood for the top. Clamped it together on the upside down on the ground and installed the bolts to hold it together. Put it on my saw horses and installed the guides for the pipes that the saw sits on. I used 1" galvanized pipe instead of the 1" conduit. The conduit looked a little lite. Using my drill press, I used a 1 3/8" forstner bit to make quick work drilling the holes in the pipe guides. Finished the day up gluing and clamping the saw mounts together. Tomorrow is busy doing other things but I should be able to get it finished this weekend. I'm not going to add the router option to the bench. I am going to build a separate route table in the future. Thanks, Steven

Clamped together on the ground:


Standing up on end:


Pipe guides installed:


Saw mounts glued/clamped together:


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## MT Stringer

Looking good. Those holes are gonna come in real handy.

Did I show you the modified F Style clamps (Harbor Freight cheepies) made just for an application like yours. Or the drill press vise grip type clamps. They work well also.


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## 69RRVERT

Thanks for the information on the clamps Mike. Do they fit through a 3/4" hole? I'll to get me a few of those. Thanks, Steven


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## MT Stringer

69RRVERT said:


> Thanks for the information on the clamps Mike. Do they fit through a 3/4" hole? I'll to get me a few of those. Thanks, Steven


No, I had to enlarge the holes to 7/8 inch. The Festool andDewalt clamps are expensive.


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## 69RRVERT

This morning, I glued the bottoms to the sides and then used pocket screws to secure them. Let the twp pieces sit outside most of the day and them trail fitted the saw and mounts to the pipes this evening. I had to cut about 13/16" off the of saw mounts and they ended up just about perfect. The deck of the saw is barely 1/16" above the top of the table. I still need to cut the slots in the bottoms for the saw horses and make a pass with the router around the edges to get rid of the overhang. From there, I will give it a good sandin' and then let the saw dust start flying. Thanks, Steven

Trial fitting the saw mounts:


Saw mounts after adjustments:


Perfect fit:


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## 69RRVERT

I finally finished with the work bench this morning. The saw horses seem to hold it pretty well. I used a router to cut the dado's in top of the bench for the mitre gauge. It's not too bad but there is a small bump on the right side of the saw when the wood transitions from the saw to the table so I may have to build another mount for that side. Apparently I cut off a little too much. The only thing left to do is mount a power strip to it. I found myself changing plugs a lot today while helping my son with his shelf. Once it was all put together, there was room to connect the vacuum hose. Thanks, Steven


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## MT Stringer

Good job. Ron would be proud.


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## Hooked

Good job. Looks like it'll be very functional and portable to boot.

Rather than build a new mount could you simply glue a piece of formica or thin wood strip on the existing mount?


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## 69RRVERT

Hooked said:


> Rather than build a new mount could you simply glue a piece of formica or thin wood strip on the existing mount?


I didn't think about that. I'll do that. Thanks for the tip. Thanks, Steven


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