Customer Reviews

Sjobergs SJ1600 Full-Size Jointer Workbench

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a well built bench; sturdy, stable and with two strong vises. Please be careful, the actual top surface is only an inch thick with a wide apron around the edges; this doesn't come across well in the picture.

As noted the top is relatively thin but solid. The primary shortcoming of my bench was a significant crown over the width of the bench which if not corrected or compensated for wrecks havoc with layouts and precision work. The surface is low and leg spacing close requiring fabrication of additional front to back support to eliminate tilting and to elevate the surface. The vise guide tubes are more vunerable to corrosion than most metal tools in my shop.

I was completely disappointed with this workbench. First the packaging was completely inadequate. There were gouges in the top of the workbench. The metal for the vises was rusty and the apron that the vises used was cracked rendering the vises unoperable. Their were knots on the top of the workbench. While this might not be bad in itself the manufacturers chose to use the knotted wood for the bench dog holes. There is a knot directly adjacent to the bench dog hole. I don't know how this would hold up over time. I have returned the item without replacement.

I'm a weekend wood worker. My aim is to make high quality furniture out of fine hardwoods. Results show that I am not a good aim, but I enjoy practice and I am getting better. I was really dissapointed in the quality of this bench. In this day and age $350.00 does not get you much - but the Sjobergs SJ1600 is still way over priced at $350.00. Function is a bench's purpose in life - I don't believe this bench will funtion in the long run. I sent it back; here's why. The support legs are thin pine, knots everywhere - in the middle of a cross cut, or a tennon - and so green that it is still wet to the touch. The top is clear wood, I think Beech, but is poorly finished, feels like a thin coat of a water based lacquer was applied, it left a fuzzy surface that will absorb adhesives. The top is only about 1" thick. The 2-1/2" side skirt is butt joined to the end skirt, but the two don't actually meet - the skirt is not really structural and it does not strengthen the top. The vises inspired no confidence. When the bench is assembled, it not only feels cheap, but it looks cheap.

This workbench has been very sturdy and heavy-duty. I do alot of hobby work making wooden decoys and other figures. The table has given me plenty of room for my work and tools. Also, the material is easy to clamp anywhere on the table. All around its a good versatile workbench!

Ive had my workbench for two years and its just as sturdy as the day I bought it the vises are well mounted and strong enough to stand on.

I only rated this a 1 star because I'm hoping to help the average rating get down to 2 stars which is where it really belongs. Most of the other ratings are pretty accurate. I wish I had read them first but I notice today that sometimes this item has reviews and sometimes it doesn't. The first several times I went to review it it said I was first. I don't get that, but whatever. Ok here goes.

This would be a good bench for say $200-250. At $369 or so it is seriously overpriced. The packaging is really inadequate. My bench top arrived with some cosmetic gouges on the sides. Since they were on the sides and not too bad I'd didn't bother sending it back. Not that I can imagine it would help. I expect it is pretty unusual to get an undamaged top given the box it comes in.

The top as others have said is not really that thick. It has trim to make it look impressive. The legs are pretty much a joke. Pine 2x4 studs would be an upgrade. The top is only attached by two lag bolts. That said, it doesn't feel as flimsy as I expected. I do plan on doing some reinforcing.

I would have returned it but I've been procrastinating for years to build my own workbench and I just haven't gotten around to it and have used makeshift benches. This is a step up from that just nowhere near as big a step as I had hoped when I order it.

The bench top is nice. I really like the fit and quality of it, although it is a little thin in the middle. The rest of the bench leaves lots of room for improvement. The vice is functional, but the vice handles look like toy spindles. The base is made of pine (not birch like the bench top) and is seriously lacking in quality and fit. I'm surprised that a workbench costing this much would use such cheap materials. I would be willing to pay more money for a better base. At any rate, if you have the time and patience to build your own bench that would be ideal. For me I needed a functional bench and didn't have the time to make one myself. If I had to do it again, I would probably buy this workbench again. Most likely, when I get the time, I'll make a base myself out of better materials. Hope this helps...

Somewhat disappointed with the value and quality. Originally, the top was shipped without the leg set, but Amazon.com responded in a timely manner with the missing material.

The leg set was designed to work with several Sjoberg benches so they were not optimized in terms of fit, form, & function for the full size bench. I believe that this bench is somewhat "under built" in terms of mass and sturdiness considering the ... price. Both wood vices are not very robust.

In summary, very satisfied with Amazon.com's response in replacing missing parts, but not excited with the quality of the bench

If you have enough room in your workshop, then you need a good worckbench. This is the one. It was easily assembled in about 20 minutes and was perfectly flat and true. I wouldn't call it a heavy-duty bench, but is is pretty heavy. I don't know how I got along without. I used to use the right side table of my table saw to assemble all my furniture, but that is no comparison to this. The clamps work well and the surface is excellent. Even glue doesn't stick to it. If you have an extra 6' of space in your workshop, give this bench a try. It is worth every penny of the price. The only downside i see is that it doesn't have a built-in tool tray on the work surface. Other than that, this bench is great.