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M
McRabbet
Re: The Workbench ..... WORKS!!!
Rob
PS -- Monty -- good use of your McRabbet plane!
Cup holders? Heck, I'm wondering where the penguins go!! :eusa_dancsapwood said:
Rob
PS -- Monty -- good use of your McRabbet plane!
Re: The Workbench ..... WORKS!!!
Incredible Monty! Thanks so much for taking the time to document and so thoroughly explain your progress. This thread will be an invaluable reference for many of us for years to come.:eusa_clap
Incredible Monty! Thanks so much for taking the time to document and so thoroughly explain your progress. This thread will be an invaluable reference for many of us for years to come.:eusa_clap
Re: The Workbench ..... WORKS!!!
I think he's holding out for WG's inlay class before adding the penguin
I think he's holding out for WG's inlay class before adding the penguin
Re: The Workbench WORKOUT!!!
Well, I was not going to post another update until I finished... but I'm so jazzed about it that I wanted to share!
I added a couple of spacers with UHMW plastic on the bottom to help keep the twin screw from sagging when it opens. I got the idea for this from a Woodnet member.
Then, while I had it turned over, I went ahead and applied a finish to the bottom of the benchtop. After all, this was the last time I planned to have it turned over like this!!! :eusa_clap I was very careful not to get any finish on the surfaces that would be glued.
Then I turned it back over (for the final time!!!! :eusa_clap ) and glued it all up. Sorry, no pics of this... just picture an erector set with every Bessey clamp I own that would reach across the benchtop, along with extended pipe clamps, F-clamps, glue, bolts, sweat, adrenaline... well, you get the idea.
Once the skirts were all glued/bolted on, they had to be leveled with the benchtop. This is where the workout comes in. I planned ahead when I was laying out the joinery (the T&G and all the dovetails) so the skirts would be just a little proud of the benchtop surface. So it was just a matter of shaving down about 1/32" all around... not too much, but still enough to put some heat in the ol' triceps! I used my No 7 and No 4 bench planes for this. Here's a before & after:
Then... more workout. I had to level the end grain of the dovetail joints in all four corners. I used my low-angle block planes for this, as well as for chamfering the sharp corners.
I also had to trim each vise to be level with the benchtop surface as well as the end skirt. I used the bench planes (for the top) and LABPs (for the end-grain) for this also.
So... here's where we stand now!!!
You will notice that I added a row of holes along the front, so I can use dowels to function as a sort of bench slave. They're ¾" diameter, so I can also use a pair of holdfasts to clamp a panel to the front if I ever want to. They were placed so they line up with the supports of the face vise:
The spacing of these holes is the same as the spacing of the square dog holes, but the placement is staggered so I will never have to worry about a holdfast/benchdog collision. :lol:
So, let's see.... still need to do a little more planing, sanding, add the tooltray bottom, apply the finish, and make a handle for the face vise as well as a cover for the twin screw vise. Almost done!!! And just a shade under two years!!!!
Well, I was not going to post another update until I finished... but I'm so jazzed about it that I wanted to share!
I added a couple of spacers with UHMW plastic on the bottom to help keep the twin screw from sagging when it opens. I got the idea for this from a Woodnet member.
Then, while I had it turned over, I went ahead and applied a finish to the bottom of the benchtop. After all, this was the last time I planned to have it turned over like this!!! :eusa_clap I was very careful not to get any finish on the surfaces that would be glued.
Then I turned it back over (for the final time!!!! :eusa_clap ) and glued it all up. Sorry, no pics of this... just picture an erector set with every Bessey clamp I own that would reach across the benchtop, along with extended pipe clamps, F-clamps, glue, bolts, sweat, adrenaline... well, you get the idea.
Once the skirts were all glued/bolted on, they had to be leveled with the benchtop. This is where the workout comes in. I planned ahead when I was laying out the joinery (the T&G and all the dovetails) so the skirts would be just a little proud of the benchtop surface. So it was just a matter of shaving down about 1/32" all around... not too much, but still enough to put some heat in the ol' triceps! I used my No 7 and No 4 bench planes for this. Here's a before & after:
Then... more workout. I had to level the end grain of the dovetail joints in all four corners. I used my low-angle block planes for this, as well as for chamfering the sharp corners.
I also had to trim each vise to be level with the benchtop surface as well as the end skirt. I used the bench planes (for the top) and LABPs (for the end-grain) for this also.
So... here's where we stand now!!!
You will notice that I added a row of holes along the front, so I can use dowels to function as a sort of bench slave. They're ¾" diameter, so I can also use a pair of holdfasts to clamp a panel to the front if I ever want to. They were placed so they line up with the supports of the face vise:
The spacing of these holes is the same as the spacing of the square dog holes, but the placement is staggered so I will never have to worry about a holdfast/benchdog collision. :lol:
So, let's see.... still need to do a little more planing, sanding, add the tooltray bottom, apply the finish, and make a handle for the face vise as well as a cover for the twin screw vise. Almost done!!! And just a shade under two years!!!!
Last edited:
Re: The Workbench WORKOUT!!!
Monty, your bench is looking fantastic.:icon_thum Every where you look at that bench you see an amazing amount of attention to detail. Great job and thanks for sharing all of the step by step info as you were building it. Your two year labor of love will be paying big dividends here shortly.
D L
Monty, your bench is looking fantastic.:icon_thum Every where you look at that bench you see an amazing amount of attention to detail. Great job and thanks for sharing all of the step by step info as you were building it. Your two year labor of love will be paying big dividends here shortly.
D L
Re: The Workbench WORKOUT!!!
Looks great Monty!
Didn't the Veritas twin vise come with a cover or are you doing your own home grown as an upgrade?
Looks great Monty!
Didn't the Veritas twin vise come with a cover or are you doing your own home grown as an upgrade?
Re: The Workbench WORKOUT!!!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but don't you think it is about time to start a new thread!!!!!!!!:slap:
:rolf:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but don't you think it is about time to start a new thread!!!!!!!!:slap:
:rolf:
Re: The Workbench WORKOUT!!!
Hehehe... you guys are too much! :roll: :lol: I guess two years is a bit of an exaggeration... :lol: Let's see... here's the timeline:
I bought that first batch of maple back in the fall of 2004, with the intention of making a European style workbench from Woodsmith issue No 50. I bought the plans, put that wood up on the lumber rack, and there it sat for more than a year. I'm actually glad I procrastinated as long as I did, because I started not liking some things about that bench design. I kept looking around for a design I liked, and finally someone on Woodnet posted a link to that back issue of FWW Tools & Shops and I settled on that design. I procrastinated for a few more months, and finally got started on 1/1/2006 (that's the day I made the first post in this thread). Within a week I had used up all the 8/4 stock I had on hand, and construction ground to a halt... :-? It took me a few months to buy more stock to work with (long story, DON'T ASK :roll: ). Then on 4/28 I got more wood and got back to work. It's now 2 months later, so all told by the time I'm finished I guess I will really have about 3 months of actual work invested in this. Considering it's all spare time, I guess that's not so bad!
To answer a couple of questions: yes, the twin screw does come with a metal Veritas "vanity plate" cover. But since I increased the distance between centers on my vise from the standard 16-7/8" to 18", that cover won't fit mine. I could order an extension from Lee Valley and trim it to fit, but I think I'll probably just make one. I think (er, hope) that it will look nicer anyway.
Oh yea... about the penguin.... I think he may have flown (er... waddled?) South for the Summer. But, you never know when that little rascal will pop up... :eusa_thin Stay tuned!
Hehehe... you guys are too much! :roll: :lol: I guess two years is a bit of an exaggeration... :lol: Let's see... here's the timeline:
I bought that first batch of maple back in the fall of 2004, with the intention of making a European style workbench from Woodsmith issue No 50. I bought the plans, put that wood up on the lumber rack, and there it sat for more than a year. I'm actually glad I procrastinated as long as I did, because I started not liking some things about that bench design. I kept looking around for a design I liked, and finally someone on Woodnet posted a link to that back issue of FWW Tools & Shops and I settled on that design. I procrastinated for a few more months, and finally got started on 1/1/2006 (that's the day I made the first post in this thread). Within a week I had used up all the 8/4 stock I had on hand, and construction ground to a halt... :-? It took me a few months to buy more stock to work with (long story, DON'T ASK :roll: ). Then on 4/28 I got more wood and got back to work. It's now 2 months later, so all told by the time I'm finished I guess I will really have about 3 months of actual work invested in this. Considering it's all spare time, I guess that's not so bad!
To answer a couple of questions: yes, the twin screw does come with a metal Veritas "vanity plate" cover. But since I increased the distance between centers on my vise from the standard 16-7/8" to 18", that cover won't fit mine. I could order an extension from Lee Valley and trim it to fit, but I think I'll probably just make one. I think (er, hope) that it will look nicer anyway.
Oh yea... about the penguin.... I think he may have flown (er... waddled?) South for the Summer. But, you never know when that little rascal will pop up... :eusa_thin Stay tuned!
Re: Workbench project: a few finishing touches
OK... time for another update. I have completed some of the final parts of the workbench. I plugged the bench bolt holes with turned cherry plugs.
I also drilled out the ¾" round dog holes for the front vise. I drilled these using a ¾" brad point bit chucked into my hand-held drill. I used a square to visually guide the bit alignment, and it turned out just fine.
I bolted the bench down to the trestles using a couple of ½" bolts.
I had originally planned to let the tool tray bottom float in a groove, but I forgot to cut the groove in the rear apron piece before I glued it in... :roll: So, I had to glue on a strip for support. The tray is attached to the benchtop with screws in elongated holes for adjustment.
I included a sliding section in the center of the tool tray to aid in cleanout.
Next I made the cover for the twin screw vise. As I mentioned above, the stock cover will not fit on my bench, and I didn't want to buy another one. I decided to make it out of cherry, shaped roughly like the stock cover. To prevent a lot of end-grain showing, I made an octagonal box with splined miters. This was covered with a beveled split panel, drilled out for the vise screws.
I think it turned out OK. Now all that's left (I think) is to turn a handle for the front vise.
OK... time for another update. I have completed some of the final parts of the workbench. I plugged the bench bolt holes with turned cherry plugs.
I also drilled out the ¾" round dog holes for the front vise. I drilled these using a ¾" brad point bit chucked into my hand-held drill. I used a square to visually guide the bit alignment, and it turned out just fine.
I bolted the bench down to the trestles using a couple of ½" bolts.
I had originally planned to let the tool tray bottom float in a groove, but I forgot to cut the groove in the rear apron piece before I glued it in... :roll: So, I had to glue on a strip for support. The tray is attached to the benchtop with screws in elongated holes for adjustment.
I included a sliding section in the center of the tool tray to aid in cleanout.
Next I made the cover for the twin screw vise. As I mentioned above, the stock cover will not fit on my bench, and I didn't want to buy another one. I decided to make it out of cherry, shaped roughly like the stock cover. To prevent a lot of end-grain showing, I made an octagonal box with splined miters. This was covered with a beveled split panel, drilled out for the vise screws.
I think it turned out OK. Now all that's left (I think) is to turn a handle for the front vise.
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Re: Workbench project: a few finishing touches
Unbelievable :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
Unbelievable :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
Re: Workbench project: a few finishing touches
Monty, I have to say that I haven't commented much on your ultimate workbench saga, because mostly I've been speechless. The precision in which you have built this bench is incredible, you are really an inspiration for all us small shop owners. The reason I am commenting now is due to the cover of your twin screw vice. That really makes your bench a hand crafted work of art. I have seen many benches but that sets yours apart as one of the finest.
Now where is the penguin going :eusa_thin :lol: :lol: :lol:
Dave
Monty, I have to say that I haven't commented much on your ultimate workbench saga, because mostly I've been speechless. The precision in which you have built this bench is incredible, you are really an inspiration for all us small shop owners. The reason I am commenting now is due to the cover of your twin screw vice. That really makes your bench a hand crafted work of art. I have seen many benches but that sets yours apart as one of the finest.
Now where is the penguin going :eusa_thin :lol: :lol: :lol:
Dave
Re: Workbench project: a few finishing touches
You're just avoiding working on your chair now!!!!!!!!:lol:
You're just avoiding working on your chair now!!!!!!!!:lol:
T
toolferone
Re: Workbench project: a few finishing touches
I ditto that. That cover is WAY COOL!:icon_thum
:eusa_thin Tom now thinking about different design for his vise cover,hmm.
DaveO said:The reason I am commenting now is due to the cover of your twin screw vice. That really makes your bench a hand crafted work of art. :eusa_thin :lol: :lol: :lol:
Dave
I ditto that. That cover is WAY COOL!:icon_thum
:eusa_thin Tom now thinking about different design for his vise cover,hmm.
M
McRabbet
Re: Workbench project: a few finishing touches
Great job, Monty!
Rob
I agree and what a nice spot for a few penguins to reside....:eusa_thintoolferone said:
Great job, Monty!
Rob
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