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RARE Woodworking Bench with J. Niederer Vises, or as a Kitchen Island - $640 (Centennial)
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Awesome antique Woodworker's / Carpenter's/ Jointer's bench with very rare J. Neiderer wood vises (a face vise and an end vise).
The vises, top, and legs/frame, appear to be European Red Beech, or possibly Hard Maple, as would be standard for this era of bench. The cabinet sides and drawers, which appear to have been produced from 3 different wood species, look to have been added at some point over the decades. The drawers do not have metal hardware drawer guides, but were produced using traditional methods of wood-to-wood drawer guide construction. The drawer guide contact surfaces have received a light coat of buffed paste wax to help with smooth operation.
When I first acquired this bench, it had been painted a funky light green, which had been painted over a funky pink paint. I ended up stripping most of the green & pink paint from the top, edges, and the vises, but left some "remnants of color" here and there to honor the legacy and history of this beautiful piece of woodworking history. I then painted all sides of the cabinet frame and drawer faces with 2 coats of a medium/dark grey Rustoleum oil based enamel for maximum durability and longevity.
I sanded the top and vises smooth, and applied a light coat of boiled linseed oil to highlight the awesome character of the wood and all of its perfect imperfections. You can see the stains , nicks, and scratches of time on this workhorse, and just imagine the stories of how each of them originated.
The vises are 13" wide, work as they are intended to, and open to approximately 6 7/8".
As you can see in the photos, there is a tool tray on the back side that was built to hold your hand saw, with cutouts for chisels, carving tools, etc.
I installed threaded inserts into the bottoms of the legs/feet and inserted threaded leveling feet. If one wanted, the leveling feet could be removed and replaced with casters with 3/8-16 threaded studs.
If one wanted, they could remove the vises (they are attached to the bottom via Lag Screws), and use them on another bench and use this bench for a piece of bedroom furniture, or ?? The possibilities are endless.
As it sits, the overall dimensions (including the tool tray and vises) are approximately 54 1/2" wide X 32 3/4" deep X 31 3/4" tall
The working bench surface itself measures 13" X 47" and has 1" x 1" square dog holes.
If one were to add the casters, it would increase the height of the bench to around 34" or so...
Overall, this bench can be used as a woodworking bench as originally intended, a Luthier's bench, a kitchen island, a sofa table, a hallway table, buffet, credenza, really anything you wanted it to be.
Please come buy this wonderful piece before I decide to keep it! :-)
$640 CASH only, no cash apps, please.
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