Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
Gregg

Building a Fly Tying Bench

Recommended Posts

Building a Fly Tying Bench

I shopped around for a fly tying bench for years. They are expensive and I never really found one I liked. In addition, there is a little part of me that doesn’t like to buy stuff I can build better and cheaper (I guess there is a little of that in most fly tyers). I built this one two years ago, and I really like it. I figured I would post it out here in case anyone was interested in doing something similar. I will add that I am no great wood worker. I have built some projects in the past, but nothing very fancy. This whole thing was built with a table saw, router, and drill press. I don’t know how much I spent, but it couldn’t have been more then $30.

 

Here is a picture of the bench. You can see the rails in back that help hold capes, feathers, and other bulky items. I have never seen one with that, and it really helps keep stuff clean. Without it, those bulky items stack up on the bench really fast making it hard to find stuff. I sized it to fit on my lap while I am in my lazy boy watching TV.

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

Here you can see all the parts pre-assembly. The only tough parts to make were the 4 on the bottom. The 3 that make up the holder for the vice, and the strip for the bottom has little depressions I routered out of the wood to hold beads and hooks and such. The second picture shows the edges that are tapered so you can slide stuff out. The white sheet is a thin particle board with a hard surface. You can buy 2’ by 2’ sheets at Lowes or Home Depot for like $4.

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

The right side has a hole for my scissors drilled on an angle to make it easy to put them in and pull them out. I also added a patch of fly foam (Bass Pro Shops has a 12” by 12” sheet for like $10). Before anyone comments on the flies, they were tied by my 9 year old. Every fly she ties has pink, purple, or peacock. She won’t fish with them, but she likes to keep them out to show people.

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

I have included a bunch of pictures to see close-ups of parts and assembly. The whole thing was assembled with no nails or screws. The whole thing was held together with peg joints and glue. You could do it quicker with screws, but I thought it would look better with just pegs.

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

IPB Image

 

Like I said, it has worked really well. It is small enough to sit on my lap, but big enough to hold enough supplies for a dozen different patterns at a time. Anyway, I hope this gives some folks some ideas. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer what I can.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It looks like a really nice bench. I especially like the rails on the back. What a great idea.

I made one a few years ago out of barn board and lath. Having just renovated a farmhouse, the materials were cheap.

2 things I might add would be dowels for holding spindles (I might have missed it in the picture if it's there), as well as magnets for holding spare hooks (can be handy, so you don't end up sitting on hooks in your lazy boy!)

S

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice job Gregg,

 

I like the rack in the back and the sloped hole for the snips. You thought that one through. Looks nice and clean. I have a nice room and bench, but need to make a portable bench so I can tie in the easy chair next to the wife (and watch the bachelor).

 

What am I saying?

 

George

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Looks great !!! Id bag that partridge if I were you. Bugs like the smell of skin!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the input guys.

 

Good idea about spindles for spools. I always intended to add some dowels in some holes in the back left, but never did. It would definately be an improvement.

 

I actually put a magnet down in one of the recesses for a while, but it made it tough to slide out the hooks. They would get caught between the side of the magnet and the side of the depression. A magnet would work good on flat wood.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...