Workbench outrigger
In order to mount a swing arm lamp at my bench without drilling holes in my benchtop, I decided to attach an outrigger made up of two pieces of 3/4" scrap plywood glued together. Extending the lower piece by a couple of inches allowed screwing the unit to the underside of my bench, while the 5 × 18" cantilevered section offers various light-mounting locations. As a bonus, I quickly realized that the outrigger can also house my various bench dogs, bench clamps, and hold-downs in suitably sized holes. Because the outrigger sits below the bench surface, the accessories are within easy reach without interfering with work underway on the benchtop. They also don’t end up buried in shavings and sawdust, as do items in the bench’s tool till. Of course, the design is ripe for modifications such as adding a rare-earth magnet, or slots for chisels and squares.
—Joe Hurst, senior editor
