Workbench: finally making a good one .. again

[danmart77]

I've been working for the last couple years on a -- table really with a vise. It moves under stress and it doesn't have a tail vise. Roll back a few years and you'll understand my frustrations. I had a "european style bench" for years. I love the bench dogs, tail vise and face vise set up. I grew up on this type of bench and kick myself for selling my bench that worked great. This one will be better for my work.

One thing I have always been frustrated with on the EB is the width of the benches offered on commercial benches sold for up to 3000 bucks-- they are just too narrow for some work.

My son works in a milling shop that builds slabs for counter tops and bar tops. He stored up lots of different hard woods and laminated a slab 18" wide x 80" Long x 3" thick. This is heavy. The bonus is he had a CNC to flatten the top and bore round dog holes for the tail vise and face vise. I also have a 12" slab same length and thickness to join and have a table top 30" wide. Joy.

I am building the undercarriage now after setting the 2 vises in place. Lots of mortise and tenon work on hickory, oak and maple. My bits are dull.

I might be able to post some photos from another computer but that's something to come later. I no longer photograph work in progress as my laptop will not allow me to upload to the Gallery albums.

I am really looking forward to working again on a heavy bench. Might even get a couple new hold fasts from TWW but wondered about a 3" top?? Some of the earlier feedback created some doubts when the top was too thick. I'll have to take a chance I guess.

till then
Dan

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Having the right work bench can make all the difference in the world, especially if you do a lot of hand work like you do. I made mine 23 years ago and can't imagine working without it. I look forward to seeing pics of yours.

 

[Mike Davis]

3 inch thick top works great, I was using a pair last night in my bench and they grabbed tight with just hand pressure.

 

[KenOfCary]

2 to 3 inches seems to be a good thickness for the Gramercy Holdfasts. 4-1/2 to 5 is too thick from my experience with them. BTW, Ed had a bucket full of ones made by a blacksmith last I was there. Don't remember the price, but email him if you're curious.

 

[eyekode]

Just a data point: my bench is 3 1/8" thick oak and the gramercy's hold fine.

 

[eyekode]

By the way I suggest doing a split top. I used the center channel quite often for clamping:

 

[Mark Johnson]

Are you going to incorporate your dovetail hold down in your new bench?

 

[danmart77]

Lots of dog holes in the top Mark. This bench will weigh in about 300 pounds by my first guess. I'm really tired of chopping 3" mortises in oak and hickory. I am sharpening more these last few days than I have in 3 months. Pounding is not like paring .. that's for sure.

It should be another week or so till its done. I've had to push 2 big builds to finish the bench. I'm just tired of putting off the bench and working inefficiently with a table. With the bench I'll be able to rock and roll. The case I am building for a customer has 8 drawers and 4 doors frame and panel design. I need a heavy bench.

Will post some photos soon.

Hope the holidays were restful and fun.

Dan

 

[danmart77]

Well here are a few photos of the bench build maybe you can make some sense of it at this point. Still have more joints to cut and tenons to fit.

Here's the massive top. Flat as you can imagine. Joy. The photo below is the face vise end. I will add another 12" to the left side for a total width of 30" and more holes to work the face vise. The top alone weighs in over 200lbs. Legs and stretchers should add another 100lbs.

Table in the background with maple top will go on the sale blocks when this bench is done.

Face
vise mortise for the

Tail
vise mounted. The vise jaws will have wood faces. One will be very thick to accomodate the dogs to work flat stock.

The
beginning of the leg system. Heavy oak and hickory laminated. All of the wood donated from cut offs. Its a bunch of hard wood. I forgot how hard dry hickory is on your bits.

I have several of these vises. I like them a bunch and the price was right.. free. That's whats going on the bench.

Well that's about it for now. I had to load these photos on another computer in the house so photos will be a little slow coming. Till then​

 

[jazzflute]

Looks awesome; let me know if you want to use the wide belt...

K

 

[danmart77]

Looks awesome; let me know if you want to use the wide belt...

K

Thanks Kevin. Truth is .. this thing is the flattest surface made of wood that's been in front of me. If I can get to assembled and look at it for a day, that will be the last time its flat end to end. I don't treat a work bench like an altar. So its going to be used heavily.

Before work begins on the surface, I guess I will oil it several times and then put a top coat of wax on it. Over the course of working on benches some what like this one, I've been happy to clean it up and oil and wax it every year or two. As you can see in the photos, I don't use tool wells on the far end of the face. I'm a junk collector as I work and I tend to leave things covered with wood chips and shavings in the well. So.

More to come. Hopefully I'll have this project done before the January Lunch date. Hopefully. I have work to complete for customers and I am getting a little jammed up with this large object in the middle of the small shop.

Dan

 

[danmart77]

Are you going to incorporate your dovetail hold down in your new bench?

Mark I would be lost without the hold down bar. I've used it for so long I'd be like a one legged man in a butt kickin' contest.

More photos to come on my bench build. I'm back up on photo loads. The computer mysteriously started working again. I don't have a clue what it was or what happened to make it work again but the laptop and camera are out in the shop and hopefully I can take a few photos and show just what I am talking about. Like everybody says: we love pictures in the post.

After years of working on massive timber-frame pieces I guess I just forgot how much work it is to chop deep mortises. I'm only working 4 x 4 hardwood posts and its wearing me out. In the past we did use chain mortising rigs but you still had to clean up and adjust large mortises with the slick. Now the posts are much smaller so I have used drill bits and router bits to hog out the bulk of the wood but there's still tons of chopping to getter' done. Many trips to the sharpening wheel(WS) in my case. For those considering kiln dried hickory.. think carefully and get your sharpening stuff on the bench. Its a bear.

Hey it was dry and warm in the shop today and the music was a good motivation to keep going. Maybe tomorrow some photos as I begin to set and pin up the undercarriage. I'm some what ham-strung trying to move a 30 x 80"x 3" slab around by myself. That's another story in itself. I beats putting slate shingles on a 12/12 pitch in the cold.

Dan