# Workbench build



## memzey (19 Dec 2016)

Hi gang, smee again. 

Like a number of fellow forumites I recently finished a workshop build at the back of my garden. I have, for the past couple of months, been trying to commission it while steadily moving my tools, materials and equipment from the old shed into the new (aka the workshop). I had a pretty poor bench setup in my old shed and promised myself I'd build a proper bench once my shop was up and running. Little did I know quite how frustrating having no bench at all would be - it even made me miss my old contraption - a 9' length of old kitchen work top on spur shelving with metal tube legs. It wasn't straight and wracked if you so much as looked at it with a plane in your hand. Anyway I've become frustrated with this situation and decided to build the bench before I do anything else. This serves a dual purpose as it also utilises the wood I have squirrelled away for this purpose but keep on tripping over in the meantime. 

So onto the design; I really like the classic English bench as recently repopularised by Paul Sellers but think it's probably a bit ambitious for someone with my currently meagre level of woodworking competence. Having looked at most of the books on this topic I've settled on a fairly basic design that has a bit of Roubo about it (laminated slab, flush legs and stretchers) but none of the fancy sliding through dovetails or a leg vice. I'm also going to make the top in two sections with a 2" gap between them (just big enough for a cramp head to fit through). I'll maybe post a pic of my plan a bit later if anyone is interested but it's back of a fag packet stuff so nothing to write home about. In any case, if I find it's not fit for purpose I suppose having a bench should at least make building my next bench easier.

Onto the progress:
Over the past week or so I have sorted and rough cut all the stock (45 minutes)



Jointed, planed and thicknessed it all to final dimension (3 hours)



After the planing up I also sawed the wood for the top to final length + 1 inch (45 minutes). 

With all the stock ready and today a day off from work and kids I braved the cramps and went for it as regards the glue up of the top sections. I'd previously built some sturdy and straight trestles upon which I attempted this. Before starting I did cover the tops with packing tape to prevent accidentally gluing them to the laminations. Glue was applied using a 4" roller (I'm using titebond extend as I need all the help I can get). On to the evidence:




Glue up one was a panicky affair I'm not entirely convinced by as I have some small steps that will need planing out. The top is 3 1/2" thick and I really don't want to loose too much of it. Ho hum. After a smoke and cup of pop I attempted glue up two which was much more satisfactory- a good sign I suppose as it indicates my feeble mind might have learnt something useful:




That's as far as I managed to get today. I'll leave the laminations in the cramps for a couple of days while I work on the base. Actually they might stay like that for a bit longer as I probably won't be able to work on them until Wednesday or Thursday but I feel like that's no bad thing. If you've managed to stick with it this far thank you very much and please accept my profuse apologies for all the ramblings above - _yes I know I can go on a bit_. I'm sharing this as I have greatly enjoyed a number of bench build threads by others on these boards and thought it would only be right to share my own mishaps for your amusement. Happy as always to receive insight and pointers (and mickey taking) from interested parties.


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## Hot stuff (19 Dec 2016)

Looking good so far and I've got serious clamp envy! 

Look forward to seeing the next bit.


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## memzey (19 Dec 2016)

Thanks hot stuff. Watching some of the things people build and post pictures of on these boards I get serious skill envy. Take my word for it; clamps are easier to acquire.


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## Bradders1960 (20 Dec 2016)

As a newbie looking to learn yet another hobby I look forward to following your progress on the build..


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## Wizard9999 (20 Dec 2016)

Got the makings of a jolly nice thread this one. Nice start Memzey, looking forward to more of the same.

Terry.


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## memzey (20 Dec 2016)

The pressure is on now! I'll have to make some progress and share on here as soon as possible. That's part of the reason for making the post in the first place actually. I find that my motivation levels are higher when I'm not the only person involved so thank you all for taking an interest. One small update is that today I had my holdfasts delivered delivered from workshop heaven. Great service it has to be said (thank you Matthew and Suzanna). Ordered midday yesterday. Arrived 1pm today. Top notch.


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## MusicMan (20 Dec 2016)

Those are terrific holdfasts. I got them this time last year from WH, and use them almost every time I am in the workshop. (70 mm thick beech bench, 3/4" dogholes).


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## Copes (20 Dec 2016)

Ah looks good man, I also have clamp envy, but more than that thicknesses/planet envy! I've made no more progress on mine, just the thought of trying to plane and square my legs fills me with woe 

I'll get around to it, planes needs a good sharpen first. 

Looking forward to seeing more!


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## memzey (20 Dec 2016)

Cheers Mark! You know that this place is full of genuine and helpful people. You never know, perhaps a nice neighbour of yours (cough) wouldn't at all mind you coming round with some stock to plane up. Just sayin


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## Adam9453 (20 Dec 2016)

Looks good, you may need to organise a meet up at yours to lift it into place


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## memzey (20 Dec 2016)

February is already booked up my man! I hope to see you then if not sooner!


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## Adam9453 (20 Dec 2016)

Sounds good, be nice to see the finished bench :wink:


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## memzey (22 Dec 2016)

Some progress! After yesterday's _seven hour_ Christmas shopping marathon (I kid you not lakeside has never been so thoroughly shopped by a wife and her walking card holder a.k.a me) I managed an hour in the shop. First thing I did was remove the cramps and rack them up again so I could take a good look at the slabs:



Pretty good I thought. The glue seems to have cured well enough and there are no obvious signs of wind in the laminations:






If there is a bit it doesn't seem enough at this stage to make planing for square too arduous a task. Before I did that though I wanted to take the worst of the squeeze out off to save the planer knives a bit of agro. For the show faces, from which I had already removed most of the glue when it was tacky, I did this with the iron from a block plane and a paring chisel:



Lovely. 
Now to flip the slabs over and see the state of the undersides, which I did not remove any squeeze out from during glue up. I mean, how bad could they be, right?



Crapola. I need a bit more help with this or a lot more patience I think. That's ok though as nestled away on the shelf under my outfeed table was a willing helper:



I did about half a slab then succumbed to my shopping endeavours of the day (seriously how can anyone enjoy that experience - wives are made of funny stuff). Will pick up the rest this morning and hopefully make a start on the base as well.


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## memzey (23 Dec 2016)

With a small bank of brownie points earned for good behaviour during shopping, I was able to spend a few hours on the bench yesterday. First things first I trued up the slabs and thicknessed them down to an even 3 7/16". They are dead straight and a joy to behold:



This took 15 minutes of which about 10 was spent setting up the roller stands so they were perfectly in line with the in and out feed tables of my P/T. 
I then turned my attention to the base. There will be A frames at either end held together by 1/2" thick tenons that are 1 1/2" long. The frames will then be joined by two long stretchers also using the same spec of mortice and tenons. The first thing I did was to cut the short stretchers and legs to their final lengths. To do this I used the sliding table on my dimension saw with a stop block to to ensure consistency:



One of the great things about vintage, heavy duty equipment like my old Wadkin is that all that solidity and mass help to give the user levels of accuracy and repeatability that is beyond the range of most modern machines (unless you are into spending many thousands of pounds). Each of the legs and stretchers came out exactly the same (which is probably more important to me than their actual length). 
I spent a good hour and a half marking the joints out before cutting any joinery. I used three gauges and a combination square so each device could keep its setting:



As a side note I have to say that I'm spending faaaar more time measuring and marking out my stock than actually changing bits of wood. I suppose this is normal but a good thing to point out to anyone tackling woodworking for the first time. 
With the joints set out I then cut the mortices using my bench top HCM:



It's the only machine I have that isn't vintage and made in England but for mortices of this size in softwood it's perfectly capable of good work. Here's how I do it:
First I define the ends of the mortices with two, full depth plunges:



Then I remove the waste between them whilst leaving a small web of stock (less than the thickness of the mortice chisel) between each hole:



A single plunge then clears up each left over piece of waste. I'm sure there are other ways of doing it but this my way. It ensures that the pressure on the chisel and bit is equal for every plunge therefore reducing the risk of deflection. The eight mortices I cut in this operation took about 15 minutes.
With the mortices cut I moved on to the tenons. I cut the cheeks on my bandsaw using this depth stop device that's part of the fence of my particular machine:



It really is very handy. When the bandsaw is set up well with a good quality and sharp blade, the cuts can be spot on. 
With the cheeks cut I the turned to the shoulders. again cut on the dimension saw with the sliding table and a stop block, this time clamped to the fence:



As every piece of stock was machined to the same dimensions each machine only required one set up making this a relatively quick process. 



Checked for fit and they were snug from the saw. 

That's as far as I managed to get yesterday but hope to cut the tenons on the tops of the legs and mortices for the long stretchers at some point today. If you're still reading after this mammoth post - thanks for sticking with it!


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## AndyT (23 Dec 2016)

It's looking good and must be very satisfying.

From my very limited experience of working on that scale it's easy to underestimate just how much time and effort you spend picking wood up and putting it down again, especially if you don't have much space. 

On a positive note, you won't need to waste money on a new year gym subscription! :wink:


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## Adam9453 (23 Dec 2016)

Looks like another good chunk of progress.
Its important to note how much time you save by standardising dimensions and particularly mortices/tenons etc. I try where possible to keep everything the same (unless theres a good reason not to) as setting machines precisely does take some time, patience and understanding.
Love the saw by the way but the guard police will be on soon to slap your hand for not having a crown guard fitted [-X


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## memzey (23 Dec 2016)

Yes I sense the saw guard gestapo readying their plans! To be fair this saw is a fairly rare 1963 model and does not support a riving knife (it uses a splitter). It may look pretty now but it was a mess when I bought it 18 months ago. I did a full restoration job on it which I chronicled on this thread on the Canadian site https://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/f ... estoration
I do have the crown guard for it and I will fix it on once I've got an appropriate piece of metal for the splitter. In the meantime I just use it very cautiously with a little sprinkling of terror every time I push its green button.


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## El Barto (23 Dec 2016)

Great thread and work so far. Seeing you cut your mortises in 15 minutes fills me with a certain envy/rage/hatred :twisted: 

And thanks for mentioning those holdfasts! Been looking about for some...

Looking forward to seeing more progress.


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## Stanleymonkey (23 Dec 2016)

Great thread - enjoying the progress.

You do realise you're not allowed to take the 25th off? We are all expecting photos an updates ready for Boxing Day!!


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## Adam9453 (23 Dec 2016)

I love a resto thread so just enjoyed reading through all 11 pages of it. Looks like a sterling job you did, you certainly earned the results you achieved.
I'm seriously tempted to restore my machines properly but I'm very much a novice when it comes to mechanical stuff.
I might start by doing some simple vanity mods polishing bits up etc to improve its looks and better understand how it disassembles.


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## MusicMan (23 Dec 2016)

memzey":hv34aznx said:


> Yes I sense the saw guard gestapo readying their plans! To be fair this saw is a fairly rare 1963 model and does not support a riving knife (it uses a splitter). It may look pretty now but it was a mess when I bought it 18 months ago. I did a full restoration job on it which I chronicled on this thread on the Canadian site https://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/f ... estoration
> I do have the crown guard for it and I will fix it on once I've got an appropriate piece of metal for the splitter. In the meantime I just use it very cautiously with a little sprinkling of terror every time I push its green button.



Memzey

I have the same saw, well, the AGS10, with a fixed (but adjustable) splitter. You probably know the dimensions of the splitter, but if you need pictures, tracing, or any measurements of mine, just let me know. The steel is not critical, but I even have an old 10" saw blade with ruined teeth that would probably do fine.

Ola has also very kindly sent me details of his modification to make a moving riving knife. I haven't plucked up courage to start it yet, though!

Keith


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## memzey (24 Dec 2016)

Well I managed to get 45 minutes in the shed today before departing on another Christmas present drop off tour but I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have later on. During my brief blitz I did a dry fit of the A frames to make sure they were ok:



One of the tenons is a bit on the skinny side so I'll have to address that at some point. I also marked the tenons on the long stretchers and their corresponding mortices in the legs. I did set the morticer up for the operation but didn't get enough time to cut them. Once they are done I'll just need to do the mortices in the top and the tenons and in the legs for the core assembly to be complete. Then it'll be down to things like fitting the vices and the bottom shelf etc. before I'll call it a bench . Not sure when I'll get the time for that though but hopefully over the next few days we'll see it coming together!


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## memzey (26 Dec 2016)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Some small progress to report; I fixed the loose tenon by gluing on strips of veneer I cut on the bandsaw. I then cut the tenons on the long stretchers and cut their corresponding mortices in the legs, using the same technique as previously described. The last thing I did was mark out the tenons on the top of the legs:



These are beefy affairs at 1 1/4" wide by 1 1/2" deep. I'll be chopping these mortices by hand so plenty of opportunity for things to get amusing shall we say!


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## memzey (27 Dec 2016)

Some more progress! This morning I started in earnest meaning to get as much done today as possible. So far I have managed to trim the fixed, skinny tenon with my shoulder plane and cut the tenons in the top of the legs:



This meant that for the first time I could perform a dry fit of the complete base as it will stand:



The base assembly came together quite nicely I must say, with surprisingly tight shoulder lines and squareness. I know there is a disaster somewhere round the corner though. Next tasks are to glue up the base and then place it upside down on the tops in order to mark out the mortices. Then I'll be bashing these away while the glue in the base cures. These mortices strike me as the most likely cause of upcoming disaster but I wouldn't be surprised if I invented some completely random way to balls things up. It's quite exciting in a funny, weird, masochist sort of way!


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## Phil Pascoe (27 Dec 2016)

Mortices and tenons on the legs always seemed to me to working for nothing - I used these -
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p46787?table=no or the long narrow ones used for stair treads. It's easier if the thing ever has to be moved, as well (mine has been four times).


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## memzey (27 Dec 2016)

After the last hour or so of fiddling to get the frame, legs and top in alignment I totally appreciate the benefit of those brackets! Having said that I was aware of that option but decided to go the mortice and tenon route as I think it will be more satisfying to accomplish. Here's where I am at the moment:



All aligned and ready for me to mark and chop the mortices. Let's have a sweep; how long do we think they will take to chop? They are 1 1/4" thick, 3 1/2" long by 1 1/2" deep. I will faithfully time each one. For my guess I'm going with flipping aaaaages  
I don't have a 1 1/4" OBM chisel for this job but I do have this bad boy, sharp and full of malicious intent:



Let the carnage commence!


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## MrTeroo (27 Dec 2016)

75 minutes


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## memzey (27 Dec 2016)

Very close Mr. T - all four together took an hour and forty minutes. A _very tiring_ hour and forty minutes I might add. 
Not to disappoint the foretold disaster did make its appearance:



Poo. I shall have to glue the chip out back into place. It's at the end near the face vice so an area of the bench I'll be spending a fair amount of time at. Next on the task list: chopping the housings for the vices. Hope that goes better but it's proving to be fun either way!


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## memzey (28 Dec 2016)

I know that the placement of the rear jaw in a vice is a bit like marmite; some go for a proud jaw and vomit at the thought of anything else, while others like a flush jaw and don't get why anyone would want that jaw sticking out - duh. I don't like marmite but I do see both sides of the vice argument. I am accustomed to a flush vice however so have gone with that for this bench. This means that I have to create a housing for the rear jaw in the face of the bench. There are a number of ways to do this but here is my way:
The first thing I needed to do was accurately mark out the depth of the jaw. Rather than use a gauge I set the depth on my router plane like so:



Then I marked the underside of the bench top by referencing against the face:



Once I'd fixed the spacer blocks in place I then marked around the rear jaw with a knife and chopped most of the waste away with the same bad boy chisel as above. When I got near to my line I pulled out the router plane again (already set to perfect depth) and skimmed the last 1/16th or so. This left me with the jaw just how I wanted it:



Having done that I took the cramps off my base assembly and stood it upright again - ready for a test fitting tomorrow once the glue has properly cured. 



Not sure when I'll be able to pick up the remaining tasks as I have a busy couple of days ahead - super frustrating as I feel really close to having this finished. Fingers crossed it won't be too long and thanks for reading this!


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Dec 2016)

If your jaw is flush with the bench you can always pack the workpiece off it needed - if you have the jaw proud, there is no way of putting the workpiece dead on the front of the bench to use any form of holdfast, cramp or deadman easily.


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## Adam9453 (28 Dec 2016)

What about the pieces of wood for the faces of the vice, don't you need to set the vice deeper to allow for that?


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## memzey (28 Dec 2016)

Hey Adam. I'm going to have a wooden jaw on the moving jaw of the vice covered in leather. I might cover the fixed metal jaw with leather as well but I'll see how it goes first.


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## Wizard9999 (29 Dec 2016)

Just caught up with your progress over Christmas, looking very good and speed of work super impressive!

Terry.


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## memzey (29 Dec 2016)

Thanks Terry! I got an hour in the shop last night and test fitted the base to the tops. I'd cut the tenons on the legs a little fat after the skinny tenon I ended up with on the short stretcher and brought them back to size using my shoulder and rebate planes. I've got all apart from one just right. Only need to finish that one off to have something to work on that at least looks like a bench. I'm not going to glue these in and will also use coach screws to fix the top in place. Then we'll be down to fixing the vices in place, making wooden jaws for them and drilling dog holes before applying a finish. So near and yet so far away!


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## Copes (29 Dec 2016)

Looking great mate, coming together in no time.


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## memzey (30 Dec 2016)

Cheers Mark. I'm sure yours is well on the way too. Here's where I am at the moment:



The base is fixed to the tops and the face vice is installed (I will line the fixed jaw with leather I have decided). Here is a picture of how I've fixed the parts together:



The mortice and tenons are there to align the tops with the base and help prevent wracking. The coach screws keep the tops firmly down on the base, although given their weight that may have been overkill. The screws are M8. I deeply counterbored the 10mm clearance holes in the stretchers so that any movement in the tops would be accommodated towards the centre. This should mean that even if there is some movement, the edges of the tops should remain flush with the legs and the long stretchers. Just need to add the leather, fix the end vice and bore some dog/hold fast holes before I'm applying finish. Then I'll call it done!


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## memzey (31 Dec 2016)

Wangled another hour in the shop and managed to get a bit more done! I finished chopping the housing for the end vice and fitted that with M10 coach screws. This one is a vintage little Record 52 and seems so diddy and easy to move around in comparison to the massive 53 I have on the face:



After that I chamfered the bottoms of the legs to help prevent damage when I inevitably drag it around. Then, with everything crossed for good luck, I flipped it off my trestles and stood it up for the first time. Not as easy as it sounds because this is now seriously heavy:



It's starting to look like a bench! I had a little play with it, trying to induce wracking and to test its stability and it feels rock solid. What I'd like to do tomorrow is drill for the dog holes and apply the wooden jaws to the vices. If I get enough time I might even put the shelf in or apply some finish but I doubt I'll get that far. Feels like the final stretch now and I hope I get it all done.


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## MusicMan (31 Dec 2016)

Looking good!


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## MickCheese (31 Dec 2016)

Liking the look of that.


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## Phil Pascoe (31 Dec 2016)

Don't forget if you have a morticer, chop saw, drill stand or anything else you ever wish to bolt down you can kill two birds with one stone if you position your dog holes right. I have dog holes on mine that are positioned to bolt my drill stand down so it will swing out over something held in the vice.


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## memzey (31 Dec 2016)

Thanks for the positive comments everyone!
I do have a morticer Phil, and that's a good idea, a good idea I read a few minutes too late as I've just drilled the dog holes out! Not to worry though, my plan for stuff like that is to use the gap between the tops for clamps to fit through and fix the item down. Here's the progress I've made today:
I started by fitting the wooden jaws to the vices. I did this by using threaded inserts in the wood for the bolts to bite into. For the end vice these were just the ones you screw in with an Alan key for M6 bolts. The face vice needed M8 so I used T nuts. I started by clenching the wooden jaw in place in the vice and marked the locations of the t nuts with a brad point bit tapped through the holes in the jaws. I then used those marks to centre a forstner bit to countersink the heads:



Once that was done, I drilled out the centre hole for the threads and the bolt and bolted them into place. Lovely. 
One thing I wasn't very pleased with was the mess I'd made of the holes in the top for the bolts that mount the face vice. I used a large forstner bit freehand and it didn't go well on all of them so I decided to address this by chamfering their edges:



Although I appreciate the usefulness and versatility of electric routers I'm not a huge fan of them but it must be said I'm very pleased with how that turned out. With that mess fixed I turned my attention to the dog holes. I wanted these to be as close to perpendicular to the top as possible so I drilled myself a guide block at the drill press and measured out the spacing (4" on centre, 2 1/2" from the edge). I used the excellent auger bit that came with my holdfasts from WH:



With the dog holes drilled out here is where I am now:







I just need to drill some holes for the holdfasts, go over all the surfaces with a smoother, break the arrises, put in the shelf and apply a finish. Nearly there!


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## MattRoberts (1 Jan 2017)

Looking ace memzey! It's that gap wide enough to get some clamps through? Or are you using hold fasts only? Are you putting a face on the edge over the back face of the end vice?


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## memzey (1 Jan 2017)

Happy new year all!
Thanks for the feedback Matt! Yes the gap between the tops came out a little smaller than I planned (I managed to lose half an inch somewhere probably in the planning) so I can't fit a K body head through but I can get other clamps in. If this proves to be a problem it won't be too hard to remove the rear top and plane a bit off. I think I'll see how I get on first though. 
As regards the end vice, I might line the jaws with leather but wasn't thinking about adding wood to the fixed jaw. Am I missing a trick by not doing so?


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## Woodmonkey (1 Jan 2017)

That's a useful looking bench, well done for making the whole of the front of the bench flush, it makes it so much more useable. I think it's also worth drilling some dog holes in the right hand leg so your holdfasts can be used to support long panels when working their edges.


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## MattRoberts (1 Jan 2017)

memzey":s4mp45ad said:


> Happy new year all!
> Thanks for the feedback Matt! Yes the gap between the tops came out a little smaller than I planned (I managed to lose half an inch somewhere probably in the planning) so I can't fit a K body head through but I can get other clamps in. If this proves to be a problem it won't be too hard to remove the rear top and plane a bit off. I think I'll see how I get on first though.
> As regards the end vice, I might line the jaws with leather but wasn't thinking about adding wood to the fixed jaw. Am I missing a trick by not doing so?


No I don't think so - as long as it's flush with the edge I think you're good


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## custard (1 Jan 2017)

Smashing job Memzey, that lower stretcher might get in the way of your feet but every bench is just a proving experiment for the next bench!

You'll really value that slot down the centre for cramping purposes, it transforms a bench into a veneer press, a versatile jig platform, and an ultra long shooting board as detailed here,

making-a-wooden-straight-edge-t102376.html

Go careful with that tail vice or the vice will get racked past repair before you know it, the trick is to always use the correct size packing piece on the right hand side of the jaw opening. Veritas make a shop bought version, but it's easy enough to make your own,

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.a ... at=1,41659

Good luck with your 2017 projects!


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## Phil Pascoe (1 Jan 2017)

Woodmonkey":eowt4wly said:


> That's a useful looking bench, well done for making the whole of the front of the bench flush, it makes it so much more useable. I think it's also worth drilling some dog holes in the right hand leg so your holdfasts can be used to support long panels when working their edges.



This is another option -





(sorry about the orientation  )


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## Phil Pascoe (1 Jan 2017)

As custard says that gap in the middle is so, so useful. I made the infill piece on mine flush one side and raised on the other - about 1/4" for 1/4 of the length, and about 3/4" for the remaining 3/4s, so if there is any danger of the item being worked jumping I reverse it end to end so I can use the higher end.


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## El Barto (1 Jan 2017)

memzey":1jkh3fa7 said:


> Thanks for the positive comments everyone!
> I do have a morticer Phil, and that's a good idea, a good idea I read a few minutes too late as I've just drilled the dog holes out! Not to worry though, my plan for stuff like that is to use the gap between the tops for clamps to fit through and fix the item down. Here's the progress I've made today:
> I started by fitting the wooden jaws to the vices. I did this by using threaded inserts in the wood for the bolts to bite into. For the end vice these were just the ones you screw in with an Alan key for M6 bolts. The face vice needed M8 so I used T nuts. I started by clenching the wooden jaw in place in the vice and marked the locations of the t nuts with a brad point bit tapped through the holes in the jaws. I then used those marks to centre a forstner bit to countersink the heads:
> 
> ...



Excellent idea on the guide block, much more simple than some of the jigs I've seen to achieve the same end. I'll be stealing that idea...

Bench is looking great also =D> 

(It struck me that that lil applause smilie looks very sarcastic...)


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## n0legs (1 Jan 2017)

That looks the business =D> 
Good solid bench, you've got to be happy with that


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## Phil Pascoe (1 Jan 2017)

If you have a small bearing guided rounding over cutter for the router, you could run it around the dog holes - it stops any breaking out (and looks finished).


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## memzey (2 Jan 2017)

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I am pleased with how the bench is coming along however (as always) it is taking much longer to make than I had anticipated, or rather, had hoped for. Such is the way when I set out to make something although I have found that doing a few little things like making bench dogs is much quicker than it would have been now that I do have a bench. 

Custard; thank you for feedback. Any praise from such a skilled maker as yourself is praise indeed so I must have done something right! The bottoms of the stretchers are all 3" from the ground which means I can get my size 12s under them up to the bridge of my foot. I didn't do this by accident as Chris Schwartz's book points out the benefit of this type of arrangement so I will live with it for a while and see if it works for me. Like you, I think if this bench proves problematic at least I will have learnt what not to do and will have a bench on which to build my next one! I'm not quite there yet though as I like what this bench has shown me so far. Point taken on wracking the end vice by the way. I plan on cutting up some 2" x 6" strips of 1/4" ply and threading them together with a bolt and nut to act as an adjustable spacer although, for holding stock down to the bench top, I don't anticipate using all that much clamping pressure anyway. 

Elbarto; I'm sure the idea isn't mine and I'm happy to have brought it to your attention. I think the other, more complex ways of guiding a bit square to a surface, are necessary when you don't have a means of drilling a plumb guide. I do, in the form of my bench pillar drill, I just lack the means to get my bench top to the drill. 

Phil: I do have a round over bit for my router but had planned on using the chamfering bit on the holdfast holes. Is there an advantage to one or the other profile? Also I hadn't considered profiling the dog holes just the holes for the holdfasts. Should I reconsider this? On to some progress!

I managed to get an hour and a half in shop this evening and enjoyed some peaceful hand tool work. The first thing I needed to address was bringing all of the front surfaces into the same plane. On marking out the mortices I must have misaligned the pieces as I had a small step where the legs were proud of the top's edge:



I didn't want this to complicate cramping stuff to the bench or use of the vice so I planed the legs flush with my No. 5 and then smoothed all the visible surfaces with my No. 4 1/2. As you can also see from the picture above, this wood is pretty fragile and bruises easily. There isn't much I can do about that now but I did decide to put a chamfer around all the edges. I did this with a rank set No. 19:








I'm pleased with how they turned out and hope they do add some robustness. A slight digression but here are the planes I used today:




They are all around 100 years old and have their original thin irons. I tend to stay out of the new v old tool debates (mainly because I've never owned a new premium plane or saw) but I can say that these tools work very well for me. The 5 can remove stock rapidly, the 4 1/2 takes see through shavings and the 19, we'll, it's a block plane what can I say?
Enough gratuitous old tool porn for now, back to the progress; as someone mentioned on the previous page I needed some holdfast holes in the leg nearest the end vice so I bored those using the same technique as before




I then took a scouring pad and some WD40 to the face vice as it had paint and glue splattered over it:



I didn't really do this with much gusto though as I know I'll muck it up before long. Here's how the bench looks now:



If you're still reading this then thanks for sticking with it! If all goes to plan I might actually get it finished tomorrow but that is a big if!!


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## Phil Pascoe (2 Jan 2017)

Nice. I meant holdfast holes actually. A chamfer or a round over? No difference whatsoever, they both serve the same purpose.


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## AndyT (2 Jan 2017)

That looks a really solid, practical bench, Memzey.
Have you decided on a finish yet?


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## memzey (2 Jan 2017)

Thanks for clarifying Phil, that's what I thought as well but wanted to make sure I hadn't missed something. 
Andy - yes I have a finish in mind which is equal parts BLO, solvent based varnish and white spirit. I don't want to pretty it up as such but the wood I have used does seem a bit soft so would benefit from a finish that gives it some protection without making it too slippery. The only hardwood on this bench is the beech jaw I used on the face vice. I'd have loved to have made the whole bench from beech but this was what I had available to me. I'll see how it holds up in the face of my cack handedness!


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## memzey (2 Jan 2017)

Managed to get another couple of hours in the shop today. Progress report as follows:
First I made about half a dozen bench dogs using 18mm oak dowel and coat hanger wire. I employed the Paul Sellers method for making them:



I cut up enough dowel to fit a dog into each hole but ran out of hanger wire! Will rummage around the back of the wardrobe for some more when I get the chance. Once they were done I drilled a couple of holdfast holes, one near each leg and chamfered the edges using the electric router:








On to the finish- I mixed up a batch of my home brew:




And applied a coat:





That's how the bench looks now after I ragged off the excess. I wasn't after a decorative effect but I must say it has given the wood a nice lustre. I may give it another coat tomorrow after work if I get the time.


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## LancsRick (2 Jan 2017)

Lovely looking bench. What's the overall length? You mention it bruises easily, is it just redwood you're using?


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## memzey (2 Jan 2017)

Hi Rick,
The bench is 6'3" long overall. A bit random I know but I was lead by the length of the stock available to me. The wood was salvaged from my roof as I've just had a loft conversion. My house was built in the 1950's so it's been bone dry and seasoned for over 60 years! I don't know what genus the wood is but I suspect it's from Canada:



Anyone know what would have been used back then for roofing? FWIW it seems like regular CLS but with perhaps fewer knots and growth rings that might be a bit tighter together. Either way it's certainly not beech or maple!


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## AndyT (2 Jan 2017)

Well that explains the decorative nail holes.
What a great, sensible use to put the timber to!
.


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## memzey (2 Jan 2017)

Thanks Andy. As soon as I saw the timbers coming down I thought I could use that for a bench. It seemed a shame to send it to landfill and salvage yards charge good money for the same. For what it's worth I think it's a mixture of spruce and pine as one or two boards really fill the workshop with that amazing pine fragrance when being worked but the majority do not. Hope I get a chance to put in a shelf and apply another coat or two of finish soon.


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## Iestynd (3 Jan 2017)

=D> =D> =D> 

Excellent thread. I was meant to start work (catching up on 500+ emails from the holiday period) but this kept me hooked for about 25 minutes reading it all.... :roll: Not sure my boss will approve!

Thanks for taking the time to show us all your excellent work.


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## memzey (3 Jan 2017)

Happy to have given you an enjoyable distraction mate! Don't worry I won't tell the boss!


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## memzey (5 Jan 2017)

I had my first meaningful use of the gap between the tops last night when I ripped an awkwardly shaped piece of mdf for the shelf:



I just cramped it and my straight edge down to the bench top with the kerf falling in the gap. Easy peasy. 
Going back to the initial laminations of the top sections, with a finish laid down I was able to take a good look at the end grain glue joints. This is always a bit of a concern for me when using pva given it's poor gap filling properties:



Barely visible to my eyes. I've got to be satisfied with that.


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## memzey (6 Jan 2017)

Last night I managed to finish cutting the shelf and fitted it using cleats along the insides of the stretchers (sorry no WIP pics, completely slipped my mind). It might be short of a bit of leather here or there but I'm willing to call this bench done now. Here's a pic with the shelf half full of stuff already:



It's final position in my shop will be up against the opposite wall to the one you can see above, with frequently used chisels and saws hanging from that wall.

I hope you enjoyed the thread and thank you everyone for taking an interest! I've certainly enjoyed updating it and really benefitted from your comments and encouragement. Here's hoping that 2017 holds a few more finished projects for us all!


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## MrTeroo (6 Jan 2017)

Bravo!

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>
=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> 
=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>


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## mayo.mick (6 Jan 2017)

Great job Memzey!


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## memzey (6 Jan 2017)

Thanks guys! It was a really fun project to do. I can already tell that it's light years beyond my previous bench. Can't wait to see how my woodworking evolves going forward.


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## MattRoberts (6 Jan 2017)

Nice one mate, it's come out brilliantly!


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## Adam9453 (6 Jan 2017)

looks great memzey, you should be very proud of that bench.
Looking forward to the next WIP thread


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## El Barto (6 Jan 2017)

Looks great, congrats bet you're chuffed.


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