Remodeling the Shop, need suggestions

[Wyostikbo]

I'm working on a new work bench right now and I'm looking for some pics of your guys' work areas. Mainly for building arrows and self bows. I have a bow horse vise for chasing a ring, but I'm looking for ways to hold the bow while doing finish work like rasping and scraping. Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks,
Brent

[7 Lakes]

Leave a overhang on the front and sides.  Makes it easy to clamp things.

[Eric Krewson]

I placed my vise near one end of my work bench then bolted a post to the end of the bench to support my staves while I work on them. I made my work bench extra tall so I can work on a stave without bending over.

Cuz is over 6' tall, you can see how high my bench is in comparison.

 

No matter how tight you clamp a piece of wood in your vise you can cause it to shift with heavy drawknifing or rasping. With the support post it isn't going anywhere. I stand at the end of my work bench to work on staves. This way I am looking down the stave and can work side to side evenly.

In the picture I am using the side of the post to heat straighten a stave. I off set my vise, put the wood in the vise where tightening the vise will bend the wood against the post. I use an aluminum angle to reflect and hold heat from my heat gun as well as wrap the heated area with an old Tee shirt to let the heated area "soak" with out loosing heat.

     

[Roy from Pa]

When I built my bench, every place wood went up against wood, I put Elmer's carpenter glue on it and screwed it together. Then I anchored it to the floor with 3 inch angle brackets. Along the one long side I screwed a piece of 1 in aluminum angle on to clamp things down, works great. Bench doesn't shake at all. I clamp bows in a padded vice to scrape, etc. Buy a vice that will pivot.

 

 

 

 

 

[Troy D. Breeding]

Adding this and that to your table/bench will really help as long as you consider what your starting with. Don't shortchange yourself when building that bench. Make sure you use good strong and heavy material to make it with. Nothing like thinking you have everything as you want it, only to find that what you started with was wimpy to began with.

I built my table using nothing less in size than a 2"x6". No nails, screws and bolts only....

Troy

[Eric Krewson]

I like Roy's angle on the side idea. I need to add one to my glue-up bench.

I made a special work bench for glue-ups, pattern drawing and layouts, my big bench is always too cluttered to use for these activities.

 

With the weight of all these C clamps and my large collection of lead for casting round balls for my flintlock placed on the base, this is a pretty stable work bench.

[Wyostikbo]

Great ideas guys! Exactly the input I was looking for. I've got a good base built  now I'm ready for the accessories. Eric I think that post on the end of the bench will really help me keep the bow stable while rasping and scraping.
Thanks everybody,
Brent

[fujimo]

my post is an L shape lying on its back, so the short leg is what i use to support the bow, and the long leg i can move around to any point on the limb and clamp it to my bench top- so it is adjustable for different length bows, or a particular area i am working with.
Erics way obviously works very very well too, i know this 'cos he builds way better bows than i do!!!
thats just what i did     :D

[Roy from Pa]

i know this 'cos he builds way better bows than i do!!!  

Who doesn't Wayne? LOL just kidding..    

[fujimo]

my son doesnt...yet!
but he's only 4 , so i'm still his hero for a while!!!
but he's tough an, gonna be big. an he aint chicken 'o doing a little marauding south of the line!!  :D

[goobersan]

wild raspberry ale Roy ??
can't touch that one, too easy          

nice shop though, well done

[D]

Judging by those pic its obvious to me that I need a bigger shop.

[red hill]

Judging by those pics tells me... I need a shop! I work in the back yard and if it's wet I can't work.