In my previous update I had completed most of the structure. All that remained were a few details and finishing.
One detail I didn't show was how I attached the cross-grain aprons to the bench. Since they are cross grain you can't use glue without the danger of seasonal movement causing problems. Lon Schleining in his FWW bench article (which along with Monty's outstanding version superbly documented here, was my inspiration for this bench) and the instructions that came with my Lee Valley vise used a method similar to attaching breadboard ends with a tenon on the end of bench top and a mortise on the back of the apron. They recommended attaching the apron with machine bolts in counterbores and barrel nuts buried in the table. Then they plugged the bolt head holes. I had two problems with that- appearance and the inability to tighten the bolts and snug up the apron at a later date. My solution was to bury barrel nuts in the apron, use 1/4-20 all-thread rod in a 3/8" hole (to allow movement), and pull it all tight with a nut and washer in a pocket in the underside of the table. It worked great!:
No visible hole plugs covering bolt heads:
A view under the table. The hole on the left is for the barrel nut. A nut and washer is installed on the all thread rod in the pocket at right. I drilled three close holes and chiseled away the remaining wood to make the pockets. If I had a small ratcheting box wrench I could have made the pockets smaller. I can easily pull the aprons very tight this way:
I am using 3/4" round Lee Valley Bench Dogs and Pups. When I laid out the locations for my dog holes I was very careful to avoid the locations of vise hardware and bench structure. I made a drill guide on my drill press and used it to keep the drill perpendicular while drilling holes in the top of the table and the aprons with an electric hand drill. I drilled the holes in the vise jaws on the drill press. Once I had one row completed I was able to use my Gramercy holdfasts to help clamp the guide:
The bench was finished with a 60/40 mix of mineral spirits and marine varnish. I will probably knock down the gloss of the top with steel wool or a Scotchbrite pad, then give it a few coats of wax. The bench is at its lowest height (30") here:
And its highest (43") here:
The quick release front vise (r.) and sliding tail vise (l.). I used my lathe to turn the vise handles out of scrap maple. The end knobs came from the local Michaels craft store.
The adjustable legs are a variation of those I designed for my assembly table. I added a small pedal to release the ratchet pawls when I lower the table. The bench is heavy, but changing height is not too bad. It is something that I won't be doing often once I find a comfortable working height, but if I need it, I have that capability.
The finishing touch is a label Rob Lee of Lee Valley sent me, along with some cork vise facing. I put the lablel on the chain cover I made for my custom Lee Valley/Veritas Twin Screw Vise installation. Thanks Rob!
One detail I didn't show was how I attached the cross-grain aprons to the bench. Since they are cross grain you can't use glue without the danger of seasonal movement causing problems. Lon Schleining in his FWW bench article (which along with Monty's outstanding version superbly documented here, was my inspiration for this bench) and the instructions that came with my Lee Valley vise used a method similar to attaching breadboard ends with a tenon on the end of bench top and a mortise on the back of the apron. They recommended attaching the apron with machine bolts in counterbores and barrel nuts buried in the table. Then they plugged the bolt head holes. I had two problems with that- appearance and the inability to tighten the bolts and snug up the apron at a later date. My solution was to bury barrel nuts in the apron, use 1/4-20 all-thread rod in a 3/8" hole (to allow movement), and pull it all tight with a nut and washer in a pocket in the underside of the table. It worked great!:
No visible hole plugs covering bolt heads:
A view under the table. The hole on the left is for the barrel nut. A nut and washer is installed on the all thread rod in the pocket at right. I drilled three close holes and chiseled away the remaining wood to make the pockets. If I had a small ratcheting box wrench I could have made the pockets smaller. I can easily pull the aprons very tight this way:
I am using 3/4" round Lee Valley Bench Dogs and Pups. When I laid out the locations for my dog holes I was very careful to avoid the locations of vise hardware and bench structure. I made a drill guide on my drill press and used it to keep the drill perpendicular while drilling holes in the top of the table and the aprons with an electric hand drill. I drilled the holes in the vise jaws on the drill press. Once I had one row completed I was able to use my Gramercy holdfasts to help clamp the guide:
The bench was finished with a 60/40 mix of mineral spirits and marine varnish. I will probably knock down the gloss of the top with steel wool or a Scotchbrite pad, then give it a few coats of wax. The bench is at its lowest height (30") here:
And its highest (43") here:
The quick release front vise (r.) and sliding tail vise (l.). I used my lathe to turn the vise handles out of scrap maple. The end knobs came from the local Michaels craft store.
The adjustable legs are a variation of those I designed for my assembly table. I added a small pedal to release the ratchet pawls when I lower the table. The bench is heavy, but changing height is not too bad. It is something that I won't be doing often once I find a comfortable working height, but if I need it, I have that capability.
The finishing touch is a label Rob Lee of Lee Valley sent me, along with some cork vise facing. I put the lablel on the chain cover I made for my custom Lee Valley/Veritas Twin Screw Vise installation. Thanks Rob!
