Quick, dirty, portable bench for planing?

[Jonathan Mau]

Hi Folks:

I have a 24 inch wood plane and I want to joint construction materials up to 12 feet long. Unfortunately I am learning that a plane is only as good as the bench underneath it.

I currently have some 2x4s nailed to a wall and I hold the stock with bar clamps. This works, but poles tend to come loose and I occasionally run my hand into the wall studs. Consequently I go real slowly.

I am in the building construction phase and constructing a real bench would just eat up time and have to be moved as I work on different areas in the building.

If I could source them I would probably just get a pair of 3 foot diameter

3 foot high sections of tree trunk. That would be 200 or 300 pounds of mass and I could then just roll the bench to a new location as required in a matter of minutes.

I think you get the idea. I am looking for ideas of something quick to construct and rapidly mobile to joint large stock.

Thanks for your ideas.

Jonathan

[Lee Michaels]

There all kinds of portable solutions Jonathan. But in your case, you need something strong, portable and can be moved by one man. Tree trunks would then prove to be problematic.

There is what I would do. There are a ton of plans for stacking, angled wood sawhorses. I would make them wider and stronger than normal. I would them come up with some kind of bench top. Maybe a plywood torsion box. I would have the capability of putting some kind of bench stops on this bench top to control the stock that is being planed. I would have some stops on the bottom of the top to fit over the saw horses. I would just put some scraps under the sawhorses to acheive some kind of minimal levelness.

One other thing. If you got a massive plane like that to lug around, I would make a nice case for it. Maybe with some room for measuring tools.

[Charlie Self]

Three B&D Workmates, or some of the offbrands. One at or near each end, one in the middle, and two 50 pound sandbags (or three, or four, depending on your strength and weight) on the bottom shelf of each. Relatively easy to move around--sandbags in a wheelbarrow, the rest by hand--as needed. This isn't good for any big time face planing, but for jointing 2x lumber, it should work nearly perfectly.

[Andy Dingley]

Trestles. I can't work big timber without trestles.

Convenient height, good big and stable, and either nesting or hinged to pack flat. They don't need to be the same length, which can be an easy way to make them nest. A pair is essential, three or four are good when cross-cutting with big offcuts.

Make the top from something thick, soft and disposable - maybe 2"x6",

4"x8" or bigger. Don't allow metal fasteners with a few inches of the top surface. Now you can use a circular saw and just let it rip into the top surface as much as you like. If they get too tatty, re-surface the tops.

Make them solid enough to stand on, as decorating staging. One day you _will_ do this !

Horses are useful for really chunky work too. These are Japanese miniature trestles, about 12" wide and 6" high, just a thick board held vertically by a couple of feet in halved joints. Four horses will lift a table or bed frame off the ground for finishing work or similar.

Another idea is a Japanese planing beam. This is a thick beam (10" square or bigger) with one end resting on the ground and the other propped up on a lashed-together X frame. There's a planing stop at wasit height, or a bit lower.

Tou use it, get a Japanese pull plane and work downwards, into the stop.

[Dave in Fairfax]

Sounds like the original workmate, on a grander scale.

Dave in Fairfax

[Prometheus]

That's about it- but I figure the extra mass would go a long way when planing. Those workmates just don't seem to be large or heavy enough.

[Upscale]

That's pretty close to what I use. I've got two Lee Valley metal folding saw horses that I attached 4x4s to. A little bit heavy to lug around, but definitely workable. Great for supporting something heavy and great for screwing things to them. I've often screw pipe clamp saddles to them for holding things down while I work on them.

[Juergen Hannappel]

[...]

Maybe something like the "SuperJaws", ass seen here:

[Jonathan Mau]

Thanks for the ideas folks. I am leaning towards some kind of nesting horse or trestle maybe weighed down with sand of which I have in spades.

Jonathan

[Dave in Fairfax]

The original looks to be made from 4X4s. Check it out in Landis' book. Dve in Fairfax

[Prometheus]

Considered railway ties yet? They certainly fulfill the *dirty* requirement... but beyond that, they're heavy, and you can just nail them to a couple of sawhorses. Not fancy, but I bet it'd work all right. Put a little lip on one end by screwing a 2" x 4" to them, and you'd be good to go.