I have a small workbench that is the center of activity in my shop. But it lacked one nice feature you fi nd on many traditional workbenches — a board jack. A board jack comes in handy for supporting the tail end of a long workpiece while clamped in the face vise. I came up with a way to add one to my existing bench.
To house a T-track, I removed my benchtop and routed a groove on the bottom edge of the front rail. The board jack hangs from the T-track by two flange bolts installed using epoxy. Then, to hold the board jack plumb and parallel to the face of the bench, I added a spacer on the back side that rides along the bottom stretcher of the bench. Finally, a large roundover on the bottom edge makes it easy on my shins.
The drawings show the series of staggered holes for a piece of 3⁄4" dowel that supports the workpiece.
