WoodWorking Plans - WorkBench.pdf - diy - lapistolla

Shop Notes

Workbench Top with

Hold-Down Tracks

T raditional-style workbenches provide several means

for securing your work. Unfortunately, they are

expensive to purchase and time consuming to make.

Some of us are limited by existing space and benches.

I decided to modify my existing 30 inch by 14 foot

workbench by adding hold down tracks, rather than

a side vise and tail vise.

I've used these two hold-down patterns elsewhere in my

shop. They are made from laminated hardwood scrap,

3/8 X 16 t-nuts, and carriage bolts with their heads ground

flat on two sides so they can be inserted anywhere along

the track. Templates and tool bases can also be secured

to the workbench using the tracks.

The existing workbench was an inch and a half thick

lamination of plywood. On top of this, I glued down a

layer of 3/4 inch Medium Density Fiberboard. A router

cuts the grooves for the aluminum tracks and the clearance

groove for the bolt head. The dimensions shown are for

3/8 X 16 carriage bolts and 1 X 1/8 aluminum bar stock.

It's worth the time to cobble together a template to rout

the grooves for the tracks. The aluminum bar stock is cut

to length, and drilled and countersunk for wood screws.

In this case I was sure to use screws long enough to

penetrate the first plywood layer. I doubt that the MDF

has enough pullout resistance for this use.

Large hold-down. Track shown

partially cut away.

Grind

and buff

2-3/8"

Modified bolt head

1/8"

1/2"

7/8"

Section through track.

Small hold-down.

WoodWorking Plans - WorkBench.pdf