I have been reading about engraving for some time now. I am retired and have been looking for something enjoyable to do. I finally made the commitment and purchased the GRS GraverMach AT , 901 & monarch Handpieces, Dual Angle Hone system, low profile vise, and Microscope & acrobat system. Lot of stuff delivered at 1 time. Now I must build a workbench. Would love to know of someone else's workbench in heights from the fllor for the rest for the vise and the table top for the Microscope to mount. I am just hunting for a place to start and wil adjust as needed for myself. looking forward to trying something and any suggestions you might have, as I jumped in whole heartedly at one time.
Made the Commitment for Christmas
- Thread starter Tripe
- Start date
maplesm
Elite Cafe Member
Take a look here to start http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?1511-Workbench-thread&highlight=bench
Tahnk you for suggestion
Thank you for the link, I have looked at that many times and have several drawings of what I want to build. I am just looking for a rough idea of what others find comfortable before I start cutting wood is all. thank you again.
Thank you for the link, I have looked at that many times and have several drawings of what I want to build. I am just looking for a rough idea of what others find comfortable before I start cutting wood is all. thank you again.
welcome. the comfort you speak of, can only be determined by your personal physical makeup. it's quite ok to duplicate any setup you see. there are many. but physical dimensions must be determined by you. it is critical, i believe, that you must work in comfort. if you hurry, and just cobble together a pile of wood and call it a workbench, your back may ache, pains in your neck, even yer arse can be a pain. if you look carefully at the benches, there's a common thread thru all--- the most used tools are clustered very near to the engraver. the least used are farther away. a stool or chair, the ball vise, among others,should all be "height adjustable". this way you can work in comfort without pain. an essential is classical music in the background. i learned you can't engrave listening to gate mouth. coltrane won't work either. good luck
GTJC460
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Welcome Tripe! I'd suggest looking at the workbench thread to see what looks workable to you.
http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?1511-Workbench-thread&highlight=workbench+tread
depending on what you plan to ultimately engrave, may very well dictate what kind/style of bench you will want to use.
I personally use two setups depending on the size of item I'm working on. I always do my small part that fit inside a 10" diameter circle at my "jewelers" bench.
When I do larger items like barrels, I use a very simple setup with a "Fold a jack" thats been modified to have a platform to place my vice on top.
I used to use my scope constantly, but rarely use it now for day to day work. It slows me down too much.
http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?1511-Workbench-thread&highlight=workbench+tread
depending on what you plan to ultimately engrave, may very well dictate what kind/style of bench you will want to use.
I personally use two setups depending on the size of item I'm working on. I always do my small part that fit inside a 10" diameter circle at my "jewelers" bench.
When I do larger items like barrels, I use a very simple setup with a "Fold a jack" thats been modified to have a platform to place my vice on top.
I used to use my scope constantly, but rarely use it now for day to day work. It slows me down too much.
Marrinan
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Tripe I would strongly suggest that you hold this order. It is my advice that you sign up gor the first beginning engraving class that has a opening at GRS. The instruction will advance your skill by a year at least, you will be offered a discount that will just about make the class free. You will be able to try benches which will guide your set-up. If your not able to go to Kanas Ray Cover is on the road teaching and he might be close-no discount with GRS though. There are instructors from California to Virginia, Texas to Montana. You should let us know where you are. One of us is probably closer than you think. Fred
don hicks
Elite Cafe Member
Tripe;
Good luck in your quest for the perfect work station . It has to fit you. I started with a wooden kitchen chair ant my bench. It was a pig. The best piece of equipment ( and the cheapest) that I bought was a steno seat with three adjustments, hydraulic lift, lumbar and seat angle.I got it at a surplus store for $ 20.00. Works great. Whatever you build, you will probably find it will change and evolve as you use it until your are 100% happy. Congratulations on your choice if finding something fun to do. By the list of equipment you have I would say you are nuts deep in the hobby now.
Cheers
Don
Good luck in your quest for the perfect work station . It has to fit you. I started with a wooden kitchen chair ant my bench. It was a pig. The best piece of equipment ( and the cheapest) that I bought was a steno seat with three adjustments, hydraulic lift, lumbar and seat angle.I got it at a surplus store for $ 20.00. Works great. Whatever you build, you will probably find it will change and evolve as you use it until your are 100% happy. Congratulations on your choice if finding something fun to do. By the list of equipment you have I would say you are nuts deep in the hobby now.
Cheers
Don
I built mine from a couple file cabinets with a solid core door for the table top. Has worked for 10 years but will be relocating my studio into a larger room (wonderful wife that understands) and will be getting another, more dedicated bench for my workspace. I suggest, as have others here, to take a class first to see what is out there. Every bench you see is specific to the individual and you will need to determine what you intend to do before getting a bench. Some, as you can tell by the photos, are all encompassing, as used by the masters here and some are plain workstations, but they all suit the individual.
God luck and welcome.
God luck and welcome.
dlilazteca
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
foldable picnic tables here, hahaha that's what I stated with, had so much stuff on them that they were bending with the weight.
Saludos,
Carlos
Saludos,
Carlos
Just wanted to say thank you to all that helped and sent the different links to sites. I am looking forward to this and measured all my equipment and sat in my chair, had the wife measure how far my eyes were from the floor while I sat in a comfortable position in my chair. After measuring I am making the table top where I will mount the Acrobat stand for the scope at 356 inches (same as the height of the table at GRS school) and then I will mount the vise/work area at a lower location determined by the focus of the scope as others suggest elsewhere in the forums. I think the base of my low profile vise will be somewhere close to 22 inches off the floor and then that will give me some adjustability in the height of my work area. Already have it drawn up and have started to cut wood, I have done scrimshaw and carved stocks with my sc400 before on another table I built, but am moving this engraving station out of that area as I build Giant Scale RC planes and there is to much dust and not enough space in that room for this endeavor. thank you again for all the suggestions.
KCSteve
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
The others have already given you good guidance but I'll pass along what I learned here in the forums:
Sit in a comfortable chair, upright, feet on the floor.
Your microscope goes right in front of your eyes. You don't want to be reaching up or hunching over, you don't want your neck bent too far. You want to be sitting as 'neutral' as possible.
The height for the top of your vise is determined mostly by your microscope. Don't forget that you'll almost certainly need a Barlow lens under your scope to give you working distance. Different objects require different heights - this is why folks like using drill press bases so much. Steve Lindsay has a really nice looking new adjustable stand over at his place. Note: it can be helpful to turn your drill press base around so it sticks under your bench. This is something that it's good to know when you're designing your bench.
The height of the bench itself should be comfortable for you to work at when sitting in your comfortable chair at your neutral position. This is going to vary based on your exact build. I'm about 6' 3" but I have a long torso so sitting down it's like I'm 6' 6" tall. Means that things fit me a bit differently than they do most folks.
Someday I'll build a different bench and when I do it will be slightly different than the one I have now, but not too different.
Sit in a comfortable chair, upright, feet on the floor.
Your microscope goes right in front of your eyes. You don't want to be reaching up or hunching over, you don't want your neck bent too far. You want to be sitting as 'neutral' as possible.
The height for the top of your vise is determined mostly by your microscope. Don't forget that you'll almost certainly need a Barlow lens under your scope to give you working distance. Different objects require different heights - this is why folks like using drill press bases so much. Steve Lindsay has a really nice looking new adjustable stand over at his place. Note: it can be helpful to turn your drill press base around so it sticks under your bench. This is something that it's good to know when you're designing your bench.
The height of the bench itself should be comfortable for you to work at when sitting in your comfortable chair at your neutral position. This is going to vary based on your exact build. I'm about 6' 3" but I have a long torso so sitting down it's like I'm 6' 6" tall. Means that things fit me a bit differently than they do most folks.
Someday I'll build a different bench and when I do it will be slightly different than the one I have now, but not too different.
maplesm
Elite Cafe Member
Hope you mean 36.5 " or have tall ceilings
Like others have said it should be built for comfort. Jewelry benches are great for people used to them, but my legs are so short I cant reach the pedals. I purposely have mine too low for comfort,but have wood discs that I use to raise the vise up and down to maintain proper distance for the scope. This allows me to do revolvers without having too bend over or stretch.
I've seen other guys like Carlos that use portable tables that would drive me crazy. The point is find something that will work for you.
I've seen other guys like Carlos that use portable tables that would drive me crazy. The point is find something that will work for you.
sanch
Elite Cafe Member
wow you are in it to do or die! wish I had the bones to jump in like that but after all is said and done I think crawl, walk, run is better for me...I am currently working on a potters wheel type of set up constructed from a repurposed elliptical machine all parts are free minus the electricity to weld it together...
Mike Fennell
Elite Cafe Member
I suggest building a temporary bench of 2x4 lumber topped with 5/8" or 3/4" plywood. As you learn to engrave you will also learn what changes you must make in your equipment to be comfortable and efficient.
After you have made four or five changes in the dimensions of your bench, you can then build a permanent bench of oak or maple that will fit you and the way you work. At that time I would double the thickness of the bench-top.
Your vise stand must be rock solid and free of shakes or vibration. I use a drill press stand because it is sturdy and allows rapid adjustment of the height of the vise. If you use a microscope stand, it must also be rock-solid.
You may wish to cover the bench top with formica or linoleum so solvents and inks and paint will not damage expensive wood. I prefer good-looking wood with a spar urethane finish. Good luck.
After you have made four or five changes in the dimensions of your bench, you can then build a permanent bench of oak or maple that will fit you and the way you work. At that time I would double the thickness of the bench-top.
Your vise stand must be rock solid and free of shakes or vibration. I use a drill press stand because it is sturdy and allows rapid adjustment of the height of the vise. If you use a microscope stand, it must also be rock-solid.
You may wish to cover the bench top with formica or linoleum so solvents and inks and paint will not damage expensive wood. I prefer good-looking wood with a spar urethane finish. Good luck.
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