Started my workbench!

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eyekode

New User
Salem
Last weekend I started my workbench build. I hope posting my progress will help motivate me to finish :).

I started out with ~110 bd ft of 8/4 white oak mostly QS.
69CG9123.JPG

View image in gallery

I milled each board keeping them as thick a I could. They are cross cut to 82".



The plan is to laminate them horizontally opposed to the normal vertical srips. I think this will produce less waste and the lumber is QS. Unfortunately one or two of the boards got a little thinner than I would have liked. Unless i change my plan and go with a split top the final thickness will be a little over 3".

I also milled the lumber for the legs. Dean M gave me some shorts from a stair company and it was enough to make my legs a fat 4x6x33.





Hopefully I can get the top glued up this week and finalize on vices. Free shipping from LV may help the decision :).

Salem
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
I am looking forward to watching your progress, it appears you are off to a great start!

Donn
 

Canuck

Wayne
Corporate Member
Coming along quite nicely, Salem!

Sure looks like a lot of heavy lifting though.:elvis::wsmile:

That QSWO sure looks like it was made for a bench.

Thanks a lot for the WIP detail. I will be looking for more as it progresses.

Thanks for sharing. (And you might want to give all those clamps a rest when done!)

Wayne
 

kooshball

David
Corporate Member
I thought my SYP bench was heavy and stout; this is going to be at a whole different level with all that oak!

Looking good!
 

jhreed

New User
james
I am sure you will wind up with a great bench. Especially since you have the Blond Engineer doing the design and planning. You should at least provide her with a drafting table. Having to work on the floor is asking too much. I was also impressed with the planer.
James
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
Once I finish the bench she will have a place to work :). She is a great shop helper. I glued up the top last night and she was helping me flatten it this morning. I was using a #7 and at the end of each stroke she would take out the 82" shaving. Fun!
Salem
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
Here is the weekend update!
I spent probably 2 hours last night shuffling boards and trying to finalize my plans. I decided to go with a split top bench similar to the benchcrafted split top Roubo. I like the idea of the built in planing stop (when you flip the divider over). But what sold me in the end was hefting the boards. I don't think I could handle a slab of 3x24x82" oak by myself.

So I started the glue up last night and finished this morning. I glued one board at a time (actually two because I did both tops at once). I barely had enough clamps to keep sufficient pressure. After 30-45 minutes in the clamps I would add another board. The boards were straight and square so most of the glue lines disappeared. The glue up was surprisingly easy. Laminating thick lumber like this is no big deal. Especially for a bench where the glue line isn't really in any stress. The only thing I would do differently is make each board the same thickness before beginning the glue up. I know this seems obvious but I had not finalized the plans before I started milling.




This morning I started the task of flatting one side of of each top. I had some help as evidenced by the photo above! Not all of the boards are the same thickness so there was a significant amount of wood to remove. So at first I tried to traverse with a #5 with a large camber. This tore out awfully on the QS grain. I ended up going with a #6 and a #7 with a pretty tight shaving and mouth. This did not completely eliminate the tear out. The grain isn't nice straight QS. It is pretty nasty which is I guess why I got it so cheap :). I am hoping that after I get a side flat my planer will do a better job wrt tear out. But it really is a shame because flattening a bench is not a one time affair. I would probably have been better off going with SYP as David/Kooshball did :).




I don't know what I would have done with a solid 24" wide bench. I know I could not lift it myself! I am struggling lifting less than half of that.

My list of things to do:
1) rip off the overhanging edges of the glue up.
2) Finish flattening one side of each bench then run it through the planer for the other side and to get each piece the same thickness.
3) Square up the ends and sides of the boards.
4) Make a strip with square dog holes to laminate onto the front of the bench.
5) Build and install a tail vise
6) Finish cleaning up the legs
7) Leg vise
8) Leg and stretcher joinery
9) Some assembly required

Huh... looking at the list I should finish sometime this winter :).
Salem
 

cpowell

Chuck
Senior User
Keep the WIP reports coming - they are a great read!

Building a bench is no easy task. The pieces are just plain heavy and long.

As for tearout, you won't remember a few years down the road and you enjoy the satisfaction you get every time you use it. :gar-Bi


Chuck
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
It is pretty weak but here is your update :)

I ripped the edges square on the tops. I debated on how to do this for a while but ended up setting up an infeed roller and outfeed roller and ripping it on the table saw. With the support I had I don't really think it was a dangerous operation but if I have to do it again I will use a circular saw instead. I don't think the edge would have ended up much worse. Either way I will have to joint it (by hand, cannot muscle that thing onto my jointer although I think this guy could do it: http://www.folkstreams.net/film,187 ).

I also ordered some hardware for my bench: 2 holdfasts from toolsforworkingwood.com and a tail vise screw from LeeValley (love that free shipping!!!).

Unfortunately I will probably be quiet for some time. Two of my kids have birthdays this month and I also have 2 weekend camping trips so not much time for working on a bench :(. Hopefully I can finish in May.
Salem
 

cpowell

Chuck
Senior User
It is pretty weak but here is your update :)

I ripped the edges square on the tops. I debated on how to do this for a while but ended up setting up an infeed roller and outfeed roller and ripping it on the table saw. With the support I had I don't really think it was a dangerous operation but if I have to do it again I will use a circular saw instead. I don't think the edge would have ended up much worse. Either way I will have to joint it (by hand, cannot muscle that thing onto my jointer although I think this guy could do it: http://www.folkstreams.net/film,187 ).

Salem

That guy is a beast! :eek:

Tough as nails.

Chuck
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
I finally got some time to work on the bench again. I have 3 sides square on the legs and some of the edges of the benchtop square:
69CG9410.JPG

(yes I have a powered jointer, no I don't know why I didn't use it!)

But I have hit a problem... Even with the top on cheap saw horses the darn thing is useful! So I have been getting projects done with the bench instead of finishing the bench :). Maybe I will get some motivation next week to start on the square dog holes and tail vise?

Salem
 

Cato

New User
Bob
Wow, you've made great progress on your bench.

For sure wherever you assemble it is where it's going to stay. Be careful with your back that thing is going to be very heavy.
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
No joke. My top is "only" 3" thick, is split in two pieces, not attached in any way and yet it doesn't budge when I take a full width shaving with a #7.

I am thinking drawbored tenons are way overkill. Bubblegum would probably work :).
Salem
 

cpowell

Chuck
Senior User
No joke. My top is "only" 3" thick, is split in two pieces, not attached in any way and yet it doesn't budge when I take a full width shaving with a #7.

I am thinking drawbored tenons are way overkill. Bubblegum would probably work :).
Salem

Man' you're gonna love it when you get the bench finished. You can use it now but it's gonna ROCK when it's done. Keep after it! :gar-Bi


Chuck
 

Mike Camp

New User
Mike
No joke. My top is "only" 3" thick, is split in two pieces, not attached in any way and yet it doesn't budge when I take a full width shaving with a #7.

I am thinking drawbored tenons are way overkill. Bubblegum would probably work :).
Salem

There is no such thing as overengineering.
 

eyekode

New User
Salem
I took a big step toward finishing the bench yesterday. I found a guy on sawmillcreek who had bought the BenchCrafted kit but never installed it. It should be in the mail very soon :).

That solves my vise dilemma and the plans should help me finalize on some of the jointery aspects. Stay tuned for pictures of very nice vise hardware :).
Salem
 
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