Started my workbench!

[eyekode]

Ken, I do think it is easier to install my hardware with the leg free. But there are many more parts to line up with the benchcrafted hardware (guide supports and the acetal bearing).

It is also nice to be able to work up on the bench instead if at the floor.
Salem

 

[KenOfCary]

It is also nice to be able to work up on the bench instead if at the floor.
Salem

Good point. Guess I should start milling up the pieces for the chop and slider while I can work on top of the bench and save these old knees.

- Ken.

 

[kooshball]

You guys both make me jealous; looks like there is going to have to be a Roubo category for this years calendar contest:icon_cheers

I have seen the lumber for the chops of Salem's bench and it is some of the most impressive looking stock I have seen. I can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[eyekode]

Ok, I need to change the title of my thread to "I finished my workbench!" .

Actually I have some details to wrap up but it is together and functional!

Here are the details:

First I finished up the chop. Check out out the rays in this wood:

Here is something that works much better with hand tools than with power:

I just count the rotations and get a nice consistent countersink in all the holes.

Next up is the drawboring the tenon. I didn't use any glue and the pegs are walnut:

Here with the pegs driven home:

And trimmed flush with some mineral spirits to show it off:

 

[CDPeters]

Very impressive work there Salem! I love the look of the rays in the chop. How 'bout a wide shot or 2 for the full effect?

Well done :icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum
C.

 

[kooshball]

Congrats!!!:icon_cheers

That vise looks great; so what is the first project that you are going to tackle using the new bench?

 

[eyekode]

Next up is the final assembly:

First I did a dry fit. I didn't have clamps big enough so I improvised:

Once all the shoulders looked nice and square I had alot of dowels to make. I started with a bunch of ~1/2" square walnut.

I drilled all the holes for the drawbores to the same depth. I marked this depth on each dowel. The plan was to taper the dowels slightly so they fully fill the hole when driven home.

In the picture above you can see my trusty craftsman 3/8" crescent wrench. I used this to measure my dowels. Much more convenient then a caliper.

After an hour or so I had all my dowels:

I have been staring at all of these bench pieces: legs, stretchers, tops etc for months now. The final assembly went so quick I couldn't believe it was over!

Here is a picture of one one of the end assemblies with the pegs just lightly tapped in:

After I drove home the dowels for each end assembly I put in the stretchers. At this point I got some help from my kids. They put the final 8 dowels in

After cutting the dowels and flushing them with a chisel:

And here is a picture after I saw'd all the dowel ends off. Notice the little peg tops littering the floor. And if you squint you can see I drew a big "no" sign over the glue bottle. I didn't use a drop on any of the tenons .

The final step is to mortise the tops to receive the legs. Instead of flipping the immensely heavy base onto the tops I placed the tops on the base instead. I cut some shims the same length as the tenons to make it stable:

I cut 3 of the mortises completely with a plunge router. They are huge but this went pretty quickly. The last one I didn't have enough space for the router so I had to remove some of the waste with a mortise chisel:

4 spax screws through the top stretchers and we have a bench!

Almost as soon as I finished my 4 year old princess showed up from a birthday party and she was the first to actually use the bench

She is not so good with planes yet but does a great job with a spokeshave!

I still have to make the sliding deadman, the center tray thingy, chisel out the first dog hole, and build the bottom shelf but it is functional! I have a coat of BLO/Poly/Mineral spirits drying on it now. I will do one more coat tomorrow and post some final pictures .

Salem

 

[eyekode]

Thanks David . Your bench provided quite a bit of motivation for me. You finished that thing in no time flat! Mine took 3.5 months or so... is that all?? Seems like forever!

Anyway, I have already used the bench (top) to build the bench (bottom) . But for projects on the horizon I would like to make an interior door and a trundle bed for my oldest daughter. Both are still in the planning stages.

Salem

 

[scsmith42]

Salem, that sure came out nice! Can't wait to see the final pix with the finish and the deadman. Great pix with the kids too.

Scott

 

[Bas]

Great looking Bench Salem! That thing looks MASSIVE.

 

[kooshball]

Great looking Bench Salem! That thing looks MASSIVE.

Massive indeed!!

Salem, what is your weight estimate on the bench?

 

[eyekode]

If I go by wood density tables it would be only 265 lbs without vise hardware. But it sure feels heavier then that!

Each piece of the top is 3x11x81 which wouldnt even add up to 70 lbs. But I had to move those things alot and they seemed much heavier to me.

If It moves when planing I am doing something horribly wrong .
Salem

 

[MarkE]

That came out fantastic! :thumbs_up :thumbs_up :thumbs_up

 

[bobby g]

Nice job Salem. Let me know when you are going to have a public viewing day. :gar-Bi

bobby g

 

[eyekode]

Bobby you are welcome anytime in my sho^h^h^hgarage . Just drop me a PM/call most any weekend.
Salem

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Salem, the bench is fantastic. :notworthy: But please don't post any pix of the first serious ding in the top: I hate to see a grown man cry. :gar-Bi Just remember, those dings are character, not defects. At least that's what I keep telling myself.:wwink:

Bill

 

[eyekode]

Since the last update I put two coats of BLO/Ploy/MS and wax to keep glue from sticking on the bench:

The tops are not perfectly flat but the bow you see in the following picture is from the lens. The tops are definitely flat enough for woodworking :

I also successfully turned a brass ferule for the vise pin:

All previous attempts at turning brass on my wood lathe did not work out so well. I don't have any metal working experience and it finally dawned on me that I cannot treat brass as wood . I took a look at metal working cutters and they all engage the metal with a point and not an edge. So I used the corner of a parting tool to cut the ferule.

I don't think it contributes at all to the strength of the pin but it sure looks nice .

The glide vise is really, really nice. I still need to glue some suede onto the jaws but it already holds stock very firmly. Hopefully when I get back from vacation I will finish the sliding deadman as well.

After moving my bench back into it's permanent location I gave the "shop" a good clean and reorganized the wood. It feels like a whole new shop! Love the extra space and work area (and vices, and.. and...).

Here are the full res images if you are interested in details: http://photos.ganzhorn.org/album872
Thanks for looking!
Salem

 

[kooshball]

Looks beautiful with the finish on it (it looked great before as well)!

 

[drw]

Salem,
That is one classy bench, you are a true craftsman! I am sure that it is even more impressive when viewed up close and in person. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching it being built...thank you for sharing.

Donn

 

[scsmith42]

Sweet!