# Another Benchtop Raiser or Bench-on-bench



## Alf (13 Dec 2005)

Never one to let a new fad pass me by :wink: , I took some old door frame like this:





Planed it up like this, for the base:





For the top, some 6" x 2" beech from British Hardwoods:





Jointed the edges like this:





Pausing only to point out why just being able to "match plane" two edges at once isn't enough in some cases - the blade simply isn't wide enough:





Found my Titebond bottle had got gummed up, but just about managed to squeeze out enough:





And clamped up using the ever-useful, and often over-looked, clamp heads. Alas looks like the Plano clamps are a no-show under the tree this year 





A bit of saw, chisel and router work to create a couple a few simple notches and I have a top and base:





Time to consider vices. Drinking, gambling and, in this case, ah hum, _screwing_. :roll: (MayIbeforgivenforthatone [-o< ) A little work on the lathe and some potential screws and the 3/4" screw box waiting to thread them.





Not wholely successfully.  Mucho breaking of threads - it seems the older curtain rail I'd used successfully in the past was quite a different animal from these more modern off-cuts. Blast. Back to the lathe, this time with some beech.





Imagine that bit while I cut straight to tapping the threads in the rear jaw; who says having more than one small square is unnecessary? 





Rear jaw clamped up onto the edge of the top. To make lining it up a bit easier, I planed a shallow rebate in the back of the jaw to register it on the edge. It also helped me avoid boring the screw holes in the wrong place... You may notice one beech screw is a trifle "thread challenged" at the end - would you believe a split appeared in the blank? Well I wasn't doing another one, so I decided to just see how it went. The vice is only intended to open a little way for dovetailing and such anyway.





All put together - eventually. I must have adjusted and re-tapped with that screw box half a dozen times to get the threads working a little more smoothly. Still not perfect, but time and wear should help. Anyway, the view from below:





A little staged dovetailing. The holdfast alone can grip it to the bench securely at this end, plus it's out of the way of most of the rest of the main bench.





The dog holes aren't in the perfect locations; should have finished the top before making the base really. However, as planned, they're near the edge, which is a help when using a fenced tool on a narrow workpiece. I expect I'll probably be adding more as I go along, but we'll see how it pans out, rather than what I _think_ will be the case. I'm reluctant to put dog holes in the vice and use that to hold things simply because I have some doubts over whether the 3/4" screws will be up to the task.





FWIW, I'm 5'10" and with my arms relaxed by my sides, my wrist is 900mm/35" from the floor. The bench is 920mm/36" high, and the bench-on-bench is another 6" on that. That seemed to be about the right height for me, but the base is merely screwed together should I need to alter it.





Overall size 610mm/24" wide, 387mm/15.25" deep including the vice jaws.





At last I can stop feeling guilty; *I've made a workbench!* Just keep the size to yourselves... :-$ :wink: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Neil (13 Dec 2005)

Bravo, Alf! =D> =D> =D> 

Nice to see that I'm not the only one who likes stuff built for the workshop to look good as well as to work well 8) 

Some nice, unsubtle gloating too  

Cheers,
Neil


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## Adam (13 Dec 2005)

Bravo. Welcome to the club! I think we need a better name for these - how about Raised Dovetail Bench?

Anyway, quite impressed by the gloats. Plenty of goodies left in appropriate positions.

I do like this vice idea, I think I may have to upgrade mine when I get a moment.

Adam


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## radicalwood (13 Dec 2005)

Nice one Alf =D> =D> 

Had thought about trying one of these but had wondered about the threads, not even thought about using wood  must be the engineer in me only thinking metal. 

My other half wants a small bench in the workshop, will have to show her this. but maybe mount it to the wall of the shop.


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## syntec4 (13 Dec 2005)

Lovely Alf, 

Maybe this should be the competition project. I know I would like to make one now  

Lee.


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## wizer (13 Dec 2005)

Very Nice indeed Alf. I have been using mine for the first time today. Whilst reading your thread I realised that my back wasn't hurting. Normally after any work of this sort i'd be very stiff. So they are deffinately an important part of the workshop (conservatory). 8)


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## MikeW (13 Dec 2005)

Alf":2yojhxmm said:


> ...The dog holes aren't in the perfect locations; ...I'm reluctant to put dog holes in the vice and use that to hold things simply because I have some doubts over whether the 3/4" screws will be up to the task.
> ...
> At last I can stop feeling guilty; *I've made a workbench!* Just keep the size to yourselves... :-$ :wink:
> Cheers, Alf


Seems if you were as aware of the limitations of the wooden screws for using the vice, dog holes "shouldn't" be much different--other than adding a little tendency to rack.

All in all, what a wonderful addition to a shop. The threads on this bench on bench just may prompt me to make one. One day.

And Alf, don't ya know size doesn't matter? :roll: :lol: 

Take care, Mike


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## Chris Knight (13 Dec 2005)

Alf,
Very nice lass - well done!


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## martyn2 (13 Dec 2005)

that should be useful like the idea :idea: of making your threads 

well done =D> 

martyn


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## Pete W (13 Dec 2005)

Darn... I must have had six months head start on this project and at least three of you have beaten me to a finish :roll: 

Not sure any have been nicer than Alf's though. =D>


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## Gill (13 Dec 2005)

Looks great, Alf  .

Gill


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## Newbie_Neil (14 Dec 2005)

Hi Alf

Now that is one super deluxe overbench.

Well done.

Cheers
Neil


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## Philly (14 Dec 2005)

Very nice, Alf!
You could even take it in the house with you on those cold winter nights :wink: 
Philly


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## devonwoody (14 Dec 2005)

Alf , Looks like you intend working indoors like Philly said, much smarter than my indoor work bench.

Everyone seems to be getting their projects finished in time for Xmas


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## Alf (14 Dec 2005)

Ta, folks. It wasn't meant to be posh-looking at all; I think the wooden screws delude you all.  Apologies for the - totally unintentional - gloatage. Dunno how they all slipped in... :^o 

Oh yes, for any would-be makers, you might find this article handy too. I came very close to putting a base board/alternative top on mine, and may yet still do so.

Cheers, Alf


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## gidon (14 Dec 2005)

Really nice Alf - the photography looks like something from FWW - not to mention the finished article!
Cheers
Gidon


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## mudman (14 Dec 2005)

Really nice that is Alf.
Do those screwboxes work okay normally?


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## Alf (14 Dec 2005)

mudman":1b72y5z0 said:


> Do those screwboxes work okay normally?


Choice of wood is all important, but other than that, they're really pretty simple to use - and good fun too. The only really tricky bit, apart from getting the dowel consistantly round (bad turning...  ), is getting the cutter set right to cut the necessary depth of thread to fit the tap. I found setting calipers to the distance I started with _before_ I moved it gave me a bit of a safety net in case I got hopelessly off course.

Cheers, Alf


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## Charley (14 Dec 2005)

Very nice 8) and looks like it'll very useful. May have to have a go at making one myself...


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## Waka (14 Dec 2005)

Very nice Alf, like it a lot.


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## dedee (14 Dec 2005)

Oh dear. I just get one tuit sorted and along comes another.

Nice job Alf.


Andy


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## Mcluma (15 Dec 2005)

Very clever idea  

McLuma


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## Anonymous (15 Dec 2005)

Lovely job Alf


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