# Steve's workbench build



## Steve Maskery (6 Feb 2020)

Having got the design pretty much nailed down, at least for the top, I decided I should make a start. I want to do this quickly, I don't want it dragging on like the wardrobe did. And I want to do it cheaply, too. Twenty-odd years ago, when I built my current bench I was considerably wealthier than I am now and could afford to buy pretty much anything I really wanted. Those days are over, I'm poorer (but a lot happier) now, but it does mean that my pocket money isn't what it was. So I'm using PAR for speed and I'm re-using my present hardware.

The wood I have bought is Vths redwood. That is a grade which is better than BQ (Building Quality) but not as good as Unsorted. It's good on straight and wind but there are quite a few knots. Fortunately the ugliest knots are largely on the faces; the edges, which will make up the top surface, are much better, and by some judicial cutting, I can eradicate several of the knots.

This is the ugliest





So I'm going to make sure that becomes a doghole.

The bottom three of this little lot will be lost when I cut to length






as will these three






I cut the dogholes with a dado stack 






and a jig. If you followed my wardrobe build you will have seen this type of jig before. It is a chipboard base (I realised as I made my first cut that it was not the kindest thing to do to my WC teeth) with a double fence across at 90 degrees. The front half has a hole for an indexing peg. Tunnel guards fore and aft improve the chances of me still being able to count to ten afterwards.











So I line my workpiece up where I want my first doghole to be and make the cut.






Then insert the indexing peg, drop the first doghole over the peg and cut the second and so on.






And before you know it, the whole row is done.






I know a lot of people cannot put a dado stack on their TS, so when I've finished with it, I'll show how to make a similar jig using a standard FTG sawblade.


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## transatlantic (6 Feb 2020)

Is that woodworm on some of those planks?









* :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:


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## Lonsdale73 (6 Feb 2020)

Where did you buy your timber?


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## Steve Maskery (6 Feb 2020)

transatlantic":1nmy8ocr said:


> Is that woodworm on some of those planks?
> * :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:


Ha-bloody-ha


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## Steve Maskery (6 Feb 2020)

Lonsdale73":3ako7w49 said:


> Where did you buy your timber?


Craig at High Peak in Rainworth. There is just under £60 worth there.


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## Lonsdale73 (6 Feb 2020)

Steve Maskery":64tynyiw said:


> Lonsdale73":64tynyiw said:
> 
> 
> > Where did you buy your timber?
> ...



Thanks. Is Rainworth the old mining village just outside Mansfield?


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## Steve Maskery (6 Feb 2020)

Yes. He is at the far end of the shop at Rainworth Fencing. Good bloke.


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## Lonsdale73 (6 Feb 2020)

Thanks again.


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## Steve Maskery (10 Feb 2020)

Whilst I had my dado set installed, I milled a few necessary grooves and rebates, for the sliding deadman, the tool well and the tail-vice mechanism. I have a special fence for doing this, where the featherboards push the workpiece down and in towards the fence at the same time.






But I said I'd show how the dog-holes can be cut with a standard Flat Top Grind 1/8" kerf blade.

The sled is exactly the same base, the same runner, the same tunnel guards, the same fixed rear fence. But the notched front fence is now separate rather than being screwed to the fixed fence. It has a stop block attached at each end, one of which has a screw installed for adjustment.






So now the workpiece can be held against the sliding fence, first over to the left, then over to the right and then nibble out between them. If the resultant notch is too big, unscrew the adjuster screw to reduce the travel, and if it is too small, screw it in a bit to increase the travel and therefore enlarge the notch.











Each notch takes longer to cut, of course, but if you take into account the time taken to install the dado and then dismantle it all afterwards, there is probably not much in it for a job like this.


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## Doug B (10 Feb 2020)

Hi Steve, just for reference Craig stocks unsorted redwood I’m using it at the mo to make doors & a frame, nice clear stuff.
Look forward to seeing the bench progress =D>


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## Steve Maskery (10 Feb 2020)

Hi Doug, yes he does and I'm going back for some, maybe tomorrow. The two boards I've bought to make the apron are a bit scruffier than I thought. Perfectly functional, of course, but not pretty. I think I'll use them to block up the legs instead and get some Unsorted for the apron.
I'm really quite pleased at what this top looks like, there will be very few knots left when it's done.
As I say, I'm try to show how it is possible to build a good bench on a low budget, as much as anything.


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## Phil Pascoe (11 Feb 2020)

I've never seen a square shanked holdfast. Do they have swivel tops? If they don't, round ones would be far superior.


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## Steve Maskery (11 Feb 2020)

Well my existing bench has square holes and they work fine in that. With round holes you can only used round dogs, but with square holes you can use round or square dogs.
S


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## MikeG. (11 Feb 2020)

phil.p":34gp3rrx said:


> I've never seen a square shanked holdfast......


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## novocaine (11 Feb 2020)

Lonsdale73":3vvwlg00 said:


> Thanks. Is Rainworth the old mining village just outside Mansfield?



That would all villages just outside Mansfield then.  

As always, jolly nice work Steve, shame you had to cut holes in the top just to get rid of the knots though.


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## Phil Pascoe (11 Feb 2020)

MikeG.":200c1m0e said:


> phil.p":200c1m0e said:
> 
> 
> > I've never seen a square shanked holdfast......



So you're limited to using them in four positions. I don't see the point of limiting their use, or having to own two sets insted of one. Unless I'm missing something and square ones actually work better.


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## MikeG. (11 Feb 2020)

Three, in practise, as the other position hangs off the side of the bench.

It can be mildly limiting, but as here, they don't have to be used directly on the workpiece. An intermediate piece of scrap normally suffices. As for "why"........if that's how the bench was when you got it, you work with what you've got. Without a tail vice, square dogs do at least have the advantage that they don't turn. In other words, they're a secure stop. I've no idea if they are better or worse than round dogs (and holdfasts) because they're all I've ever known.


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## Steve Maskery (11 Feb 2020)

Holdfasts work by racking (or is it wracking? I'm not quite sure). The hole has to be slightly bigger than the holdfast. If they were size-for-size the holdfast would not grab. So actually there is contact at only two points with a round hole or 2/4 points, depending on the orientation, with a square hole, the top of the hole furthest from the arm and the bottom of the hole opposite that. The shape of the hole between those two points is largely irrelevant, as they are not in contact with anything.


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## Anders K (11 Feb 2020)

Steve Maskery":amdp7x0j said:


> Whilst I had my dado set installed, I milled a few necessary grooves and rebates, for the sliding deadman, the tool well and the tail-vice mechanism. I have a special fence for doing this, where the featherboards push the workpiece down and in towards the fence at the same time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Pretty clever method, for those of us who doesn't have a dado stack. Thank you for sharing


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## Steve Maskery (11 Feb 2020)

You're welcome.


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## Steve Maskery (19 Feb 2020)

Yesterday I blocked up the legs from 2 pieces of 4x2, but I don't have pics. I'll take some when I work on them. I'm a bit disappointed that one board was very badly stained. I thought it was just the surface and it would plane off, but no, it goes right in. Not just blue, but orange, too. Never seen anything like it. As a single piece it could look quite attractive, but it's not what I want here. I'll put those to the inside of the frame, and if it still bugs me I'll get the paintbrush out.

Unusually for me I'm trying to think ahead. I'm going to re-use my existing QR vice. As it is mounted at the mo, it is proud of the front edge of the bench. This was to allow me to slip auxilliary jaws over them for specific tasks. In particular, my original mortising jig was used like that. These days I have (even) better options, so my rear vice jaw is going to be flush with the front edge of the bench top. So I need to excavate.

This is easier to do now rather than after I have glued up my top. I was not in Noisy Mood today, so I decided to go old-school.












That left me with a deep cavity for the rear (metal) jaw of the vice.






Then the same again, wider but shallower, for the (replaceable) rear vice jaw.

Remember I cut a groove right the way along with my dado stack for the sliding deadman? That was a mistake. Not a huge, project-destroying, mistake, but it meant I had a groove in the vice area which I neither needed nor wanted. So I back filled it in that area. That filler piece went in perfectly straight off the saw, by hand, without a hammer and not being sloppy. I was fairly surprised myself. I thank you.

So this is the end result:






Not sure if I'll get anything done tomorrow, I'm having my eyes counted. I hope it gets to 2, but I fear the verdict will be one-and-a-bit


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## MikeG. (19 Feb 2020)

Steve Maskery":1kq7xd6n said:


> ........I decided to go old-school.
> 
> 
> 
> ...........(



Have you been out in the sun without your hat on again Steve? Those are hand tools. HAND TOOLS.

:lol:


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## Trainee neophyte (20 Feb 2020)

MikeG.":1r0rjamk said:


> Steve Maskery":1r0rjamk said:
> 
> 
> > ........I decided to go old-school.
> ...



All is not right with the world.


> Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
> Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
> Dr. Raymond Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling!
> Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
> ...


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## Steve Maskery (21 Feb 2020)

To keep these top boards aligned I'm using my big Domino because it's quick and easy and what's the point in having it and not using it. I could do the job just as well with a router or on my hollow-chisel mortiser, it would just be slower. The holes go right through, except for the front and back strips.











I made sure that the Domino was free to move inside its mortises by ensuring that I did not get glue inside the holes. I glued up the first four boards, but I had to wait until the end of the day for the temp to reach 10C, the minimum specified by the manufacturer. By doing this in two stages I minimise the amount of heavy lifting I have to do.






While I was waiting I prepped the legs and rails. I blocked up the legs a couple of days ago






They are quite badly stained blue and orange, which I really don't like very much. This may end up getting painted, unless it grows on me.

So today I machined them and finished them by hand. And to prove that I don't just pose for hand-tool pics...






here is the evidence






Wide, gossamer-thin shavings that I can read text through. Wonderful.


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## Steve Maskery (25 Feb 2020)

The bench top (front section) is now all glued together and is starting to get a bit heavy. But it is pretty good on flat. There is about 0.5mm of crown in it at the moment, so that should not be too difficult to deal with, when the time comes.






I'd blocked the legs up a few days ago, so it's now time to tackle the joinery. There will be two endframes of two legs each, joined together with bolted rails, so here I am building the endframes. I'm using double-tenon M&Ts, because they are very strong and I have a good way to make them.

I always thought that these were Twin Tenons, but someone pointed out that, according to Joyce, they are Double Tenons, two side by side rather than two in the same plane, as you might have with a lock-rail of a door. So I am not going to argue with Joyce, I shall just have to learn to change my terminology.

Double tenons are fantastic, as they double the effective glue area (these have a massive 33 in^2 per joint) and they spread the load further within the leg, whilst also maintaining more integrity of the leg. Win, win, win.

So I am using a 1/2" chisel to cut two mortises with a 1/2" wall between them. That is 38mm in total , which leaves a shoulder of 4mm each side. The pitch of this arrangement, the distance from the centre of one to the center of the other is 1" or 25mm. Ish.


The legs have finished up at 92mm square, the rails are 46mm thick. 38mm from 92mm is 54mm, which leaves 27mm each side from the mortise to the side of the leg.






I'm cutting as deep as my chisel will allow, 75mm or so, to create the first mortice.






I then install a spacer which is 25mm thick behind the workpiece to bring it forward by 25mm. The settings of the morticer itself remain unchanged.





And this is the finished mortice






I need to adjust the depth to cut the haunches at the top, but essentially the donkey-work is done.


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## Steve Maskery (1 Mar 2020)

You will recall that we ended last time with four mortised legs.






It's now time to cut the matching tenons. I'm using my Ultimate Tablesaw Tenon Jig. It's the Best in the World. I know that sounds arrogant, but it is perfectly possible to be simultaneously arrogant and right. Of course, if you know of a better one, please let me know, I am always eager to learn.

The criteria for "best", in my book, are:

1. Accuracy. It has to produce accurately sized tenons than need minimal clean-up work. Mine fit straight off the saw, First Time Every Time. I know that there are also many other tenon jigs out there that are also accurate.

2. Speed of operation. Many tenon jigs rely on a lead screw for their precision. That is fine, up to a point. But it is a slow operation to wind from one cheek of the tenon to the other, and if you have to re-do a cheek for any reason (it happens) it is very difficult to get back to exactly where you started because of slop in the thread. Mine is a quick slide between two positions and I can go back to exactly the same place any time I like.

3. Speed of setup. The setup time of many jigs is annoyingly long. If you have to set stops for each cheek it can take forever, adjust, test, adjust, test, repeat. And then, just when you have the fit right, you discover that the tenon is not quite in the right place within the thickness of the workpiece (very important if you want flush face-frames), you have to start again from scratch. With mine, the thickness of the tenon is pre-determined and I require just one test cut to ensure it is in exactly the right place before I do my run. If it's not, I can adjust the position easily by as little as 0.1mm, without altering the fit. Even if I have to re-calibrate it for a new blade (the jig accounts for the thickness of the kerf automatically), I am good to go inside 5 minutes.

4. Guarding. Having the workpiece upright over the blade means that normal guarding is not possible. But that doesn't mean we have to use an unguarded blade. Mine has three guards: one at the front for when the jig is pulled back, one at the rear for when I am at the end of the cut, and a stand-alone guard at the side. In practice, it means I cannot possibly come into contact with the blade accidentally.

So. That is why it is the Best in the World, unless you know differently. Somebody, somewhere, has to have the Best in the World and it might as well be me 

This is the initial setup.





I have a Flat Top Grind blade with deep gullets for this job. There is a lot of sawdust to shift and that is what the gullets are for.

The tall post is a support for the workpiece and is replaced for every job. With the workpiece loaded against the support post and the guards in place it looks like this:






The jig slides between two positions determined by a spacer. If the spacer fits, the tenon will fit exactly the same.






There are 4 cuts to make. The jig runs on the saw's fence, so that is set to give me a 4mm shoulder with the jig closed up. This is cut 1:






Then the spacer is inserted and, because of the automatic kerf-compensation, the second cheek is cut:






That is the first tenon done. But we have a second tenon to worry about, and it needs to be offset from the first by exactly the same amount as my mortices are. So I use the same spacer as I used when mortising to move the jig over. Cut 3.






Finally I use both spacers together to finish the cheeks:






4 cuts, 4 cheeks, 2 tenons, perfect.






Then I change back to my regular combination blade to cut the shoulders, with a crosscut fence. There are two different height settings, 4mm for the shoulders on the wide faces and 7mm for the shoulders on the narrower faces, shown here:






I don't cut the top of the top rails, as they are the haunches. They will be cut separately.


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## Steve Maskery (1 Mar 2020)

I also have to cut out the waste between the tenons, and this can be done by hand with a chisel, or nibbled out on the TS, but as I still had the mortiser set up...






I can now check the fit. Does it fit perfectly? Course it does!






So all that is left to do is trim the width and that is best done on the bandsaw:






And so we have Goldilocks' Slipper:






I still have the rest of the tenons to trim and the top haunches to cut, but I had had enough in the workshop and my mate Charlie called round. So I'll probably finish all that off tomorrow while you are not looking. 

And there are some holes to drill, too, before glue-up. Holes for the lag screws to hold the top down, holes for the stretcher bolts and holes for storage of the holdfasts when not in use. And all the edges need chamfering. All that is easier to do before glue-up rather than afterwards.

But the actual tenoning itself is done.


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## MikeG. (1 Mar 2020)

Are you pegging that Steve? I mean, I know it doesn't need it, but there can't be a better feeling in woodworking than hearing the sound of a peg going tighter and tighter, and watching it pull the shoulders in with just a hint of squeeze-out. I did it 4 times today, and I'm still smiling about it.


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## Steve Maskery (1 Mar 2020)

Mike! You tempter, you!
I did think about it. I've done it before and you are right, it is a very good feeling. But it's more work and I'm trying to do this quickly without it dragging on. I used to have my dad's dowel plate. Imperial, but 5/16" is 8mm as near as makes no difference. But I can't find it, so I assume it was part of the Great Haul. I do have a design in my head for a dowel maker on the RT, and that would make an article/video in its own right, but cleft dowels would be better. But I don't want to shell out £55 for a Lie-Nielsen one, much as I love his stuff.
So now I am looking at stopping this build whilst I make, and film, and write up, a new dowel jig, so I can peg joints that don't need it, before I can get on and finish my new bench before the Squatters arrive for the spring! Grrrr!
Do you want round-headed pegs or square ones?


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## MikeG. (1 Mar 2020)

I made a dowel jig in under 10 minutes the other day, Steve. One chisel, two holes, and a drill. It made immaculate pegs first time to within 0.2 of a mm of what I wanted. It shouldn't hold you up at all.........especially as we now know you do in fact own a chisel. :lol:


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## Steve Maskery (1 Mar 2020)

MikeG.":1g1s2z9t said:


> .......especially as we now know you do in fact own a chisel. :lol:



Cheeky bugg-er! 
I wonder if the Pineapple Police will let that through? Let's see, shall we?
Edit 1: No they don't. Let's see if a hyphen fools them.
Edit 2: Ha-ha! beaten them!


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## Steve Maskery (1 Mar 2020)

MikeG.":psbvd0zr said:


> I made a dowel jig in under 10 minutes the other day, Steve. One chisel, two holes, and a drill. It made immaculate pegs first time to within 0.2 of a mm of what I wanted.



No you didn't Mike, No you didn't

NP, INH, as they say 

S


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## MikeG. (2 Mar 2020)

Steve Maskery":2puxfq9a said:


> MikeG.":2puxfq9a said:
> 
> 
> > I made a dowel jig in under 10 minutes the other day, Steve. One chisel, two holes, and a drill. It made immaculate pegs first time to within 0.2 of a mm of what I wanted.
> ...



Pictures tomorrow Steve, after my stairs are erected today.


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## Doug B (2 Mar 2020)

If you want some dowel Steve I’ve a 3/8”dowel making


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## MikeG. (3 Mar 2020)

Seems I only took the one photo of it, buried in shavings:


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## MikeG. (3 Mar 2020)

Here's the dowel making jig without the shavings:


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## Steve Maskery (3 Mar 2020)

So you have two holes, the smaller one being the dowel size, the big one being the corner size of the original stock. The blocks is cut back to be tangential with the exit hole. The angled bit supports the chisel.
Is that right?


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## MikeG. (3 Mar 2020)

That's it in a nutshell, Steve. The platform on which the chisel sits is very slightly below the top of the exit (final dowel size) hole, and adjustment is by moving it further in (smaller dowel) or further out (larger). After the burnt dowel (see previous photo), I just tapped the and of the chisel handle with a pin hammer to take a tad more off. Having a good depth of exit hole helps stability, and the depth of the infeed hole is unimportant. I didn't even make mine on the pillar drill, which is out of action at the moment, and just free-handed it.


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## Steve Maskery (3 Mar 2020)

I'll try it Mike. But I have tried a similar jig years ago and couldn't get it to cut nicely at all. I made a jig for the RT and that worked great, though I don't have it any more. I do have a design in my head for a replacement, but if I can get yours to work, I'll be pleased. I'll keep you posted.


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## MikeG. (3 Mar 2020)

If you want a nice cut, then don't withdraw the dowel back through the jig when you've finished the length of it. Disconnect it from the drill and turn it through the jig in the same direction you were going. Withdrawing the dowel puts a helical mark along the length of the dowel, varying with the speed of withdrawal.


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## Steve Maskery (3 Mar 2020)

Well, I have spent the afternoon trying it. Not as successfully as you, Mike. I got a couple of clean lengths out, but more were rough. The good ones were on the fat side and adjusting the chisel just wrecked them, presumably because the dowel was no longer supported on the infeed.

I think I have enough to make my pegs for the bench, but I definitely prefer the RT jig approach for precision, accuracy and ease of adjustment, though not, I admit, for noise.


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## Steve Maskery (4 Mar 2020)

I decided I wasn't going to be beaten by this. I figured the lack of universal success was down to insufficient support for the dowel, especially on the outfeed side. So I modified my jig so that, whilst the chisel is down to the hole where it cuts, either side still has some meat on it. In particular, the outfeed hole is completely enclosed.











The result in pine is much, much better. Smooth, accurate, just as it should be.






Great!, I thought, let's try it with Bog Oak. I had some lengths left over from making the Mackintosh motifs on my wardrobe.

Disaster! For a start, despite using the jig on exactly the same set-up, I'd not changed a thing, they were too fat. 8.35mm. Adjusting the position of the chisel made no difference So they jammed and the wood just snapped.






Sorry about the photos, I didn't have a card for my camera, these are from my phone.

So, like the Curate's Egg, good in parts. I'm in a quandary now. Do I use pine pegs and hope they are up to the job or do I forget the idea? As Mike pointed out, they really are not necessary. But if I start, I am committed.


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## samhay (4 Mar 2020)

I made some pine pegs recently for a coffee table. I had used pitch pine for some of the table and wanted the pegs to match. Big mistake, pine pegs weren't strong enough to be hammered in. Had some luck driving them in with a drill, but this was a bit hit-and-miss.
Mind you, mine weren't 8mm, but rather a bit smaller.


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## MikeG. (4 Mar 2020)

I'm off the stairs for a bit as I have to make some oak curtain poles. One of them is nearly 2m long, and will be approximately 30mm in diameter. In mentally scaling up this jig, and taking note of your experience, I can see myself making this out of something 6 inches thick, or more, and also having an outfeed support of some sort, or a helper to catch it and guide it when it's got a fair way through. I reckon this job requires sneaking up on the final diameter by judicious bandsawing, then planing , then maybe two sizes of doweling jig.

Good to see you stick at it, Steve, and get a decent result in the end. I've no theory as to why it would work with one species and not another.


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## Inspector (4 Mar 2020)

Steve I wonder if you ever considered making a dowel forming jig for your table saw? I have seen it done both with the wood fed across the blade and with the blade. Same principle as a router jig. I haven't done it myself but have the jigs my father made for thread cutting wood screws and they come out with a good surface finish. 

Pete


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## Inspector (4 Mar 2020)

Mike I made a 1 1/2" White Oak pole for a boat hook and I did it with 4 passes along the router fence with a 3/4" round over bit in it. Your 30mm pole would be just as easy with a 15mm round over bit. 

Pete


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## MikeG. (4 Mar 2020)

That would mean spending money, Pete. I get a severe allergic reaction to that. :lol: :wink:


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## Steve Maskery (4 Mar 2020)

I wouldn't want to do it on the TS, Pete, but I do have a design in my head for one for the RT, offering a number of different sizes and DX. I have a fine adjuster on my RT fence, so I should be able to dial in pretty precisely.

Mike - no it seems strange to me why pine would work fine and Bog Oak not. But it was a real disaster, stemming mainly from the fact that the size was bigger. But I had not changed anything about the setup. Indeed, I cut another pine one after the oak and it was fine. I don't understand it either.

As regarding your long curtain pole and doing the job twice, I have my doubts as to how well that would work. It seems to me that the key factor for a good finish is support. The infeed hole supports the stock, the outfeed hole supports the dowelling. Getting someone to hold the other end is a good idea, but get them to wear hard gloves. This stuff gets hot, but soft cotton gloves could get wrapped around a spinning dowel. I did just that. I wore one of those yellow builder's gloves with the rubberised palms and that got caught and got ripped off the main body of the glove.

But putting the workpiece through twice - the second time there is no support for the stock so you get a really rough finish as the piece waggles about around the chisel. I think this is one of those things where it has to be Right First Time.

FWIW, I made a 13' curtain pole in ash once (well, 2x 2m joined, actually). I cut it to an octagon on the TS and then finished it on the bench with a handplane. The surface was textured a bit, but in a nice way. I'd do it that way again.


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## MikeG. (4 Mar 2020)

No, I meant two jigs, with different size holes. The first one would knock the rough edges off, and the second one would therefore have a nice clean shape to work with. 

The infeed hole only supports the workpiece until the first part of the dowel enters the outfeed hole. Thereafter you could get rid of the infeed hole, as it is doing nothing. The work is supported by its snug fit in the outfeed hole. One clip I saw on Youtube didn't have an infeed hole as such, but had a giant countersink instead.


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## Steve Maskery (4 Mar 2020)

OK, two different jigs, maybe.
But putting the same workpiece through the same jig twice definitely does not work, there is too much vibration at the cutting point. I cut a nice dowel that was just a bit too big, so I tapped the chisel, put it through again and it came out as rough as a rough thing from Roughshire.

I'm going to have another go tomorrow with ordinary oak rather than the black stuff.


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## Racers (5 Mar 2020)

Check out this video of a rounder, you might need to install a lineshaft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNv5FhFI3sU

Pete


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## Steve Maskery (8 Mar 2020)

Well. I tidied up the tenons on the bandsaw, including the haunches:











So then I could do a dry assembly.

I did think about doing draw-boring for the tenons, but decided it was too much work and wasn't necessary.

Then Mike came along...

So I have been shamed into doing the job properly (well, as properly as I can). Thanks Mike 

So the first job was to drill holes through the mortices










They are offset so that they do not interfere with each other within the joint.



Then dry assemble. Pop a mark through the holes onto the tenons






But we really don't want just a peg. We want it to draw the two parts together. So I drill through the tenon, not at the popmark, but a little closer to the shoulder, making a staggered hole through the joint.






Then it is out with the glue and slap everything together. No time to take photos! But once assembled, I can hammer home some oak dowels to nip it all up reet gudd.






I end up with good glue squeeze out all round






I have one shoulder that is only good rather than immaculate. I don't know why. There is not a gap, exactly, it's just not _tight_. It looks like relatives kissing rather than lovers doing so. But the rest is all good.

I'm glad that is over, it is definitely the hardest part of the build.


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## Steve Maskery (12 Mar 2020)

It's time to sort out the long rails, or stretchers if you prefer.

I'm going to bolt them from the offside of the leg frames, using 200x12mm bolts. The nut will be inside the rail, so I need a straight hole for the bolt and a cavity at the end of it for the nut.

I could try drilling a long straight hole into endgrain, but it's not easy to keep it straight. These rails are too long to do upright on my drill press and I don't have a horizontal borer. So I'm going to rout it all instead.

The first job is to rout a groove 1/2" wide down the broad inside face, 6mm beyond the centre of the thickness. A second router fence stops my router from wandering and a piece of scrap stops my holdfasts from marring the workpiece as well as acting as a stop.
















Then I adjust the fences and reduce the cutting depth:






Then glue in a patch to give me a straight, square hole in the end:






Now I need a cavity for the nut and washer, and I also need to to be big enough to get my fingers and a spanner into it. So I made a simple template with a rectangular hole in it. The hole is 17mm bigger than I need, because 17mm is the difference between the diameter of the cutter and the diameter of the bush.

Swap the fences for a guidebush and rout to half the diameter of the 24mm washer beyond the centre of the thickness.











To stop the rail from twisting, I'm going to insert a couple of short dominoes





Finally, to ensure that it tightens up securely. I relieve the very end of the board with the same template. I had to modify it a bit, but I would not had to do that if I'd put the dominoes a tad further apart. Still, it didn't take long.






The cutter was not quite long enough because of the thickness of my template






But a quick whizz with a flush-trim bit sorted that out


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## Steve Maskery (12 Mar 2020)

So apart front cleaning up the arisses and sanding, etc, the long rails are done.


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## MikeG. (12 Mar 2020)

Dominoes to stop twisting? Wouldn't a traditional joint have been a better bet?


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## Steve Maskery (12 Mar 2020)

I want this to be knock-down, Mike. Whilst I don't expect I shall ever have to dismantle it, someone, someday, will. The dominoes are just loose. They could just as well be dowels, but doms are easier to line up. Those mortices are only 30mm deep. They are just to keep the rail oriented vertically, they are not structural at all. The bolt will be the muscle.
I've used this technique on my last two benches and on every bed I've ever made bar the first one. It works, it's never let me down. So if it ain't broke...


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## Doug B (12 Mar 2020)

I do a similar joint on beds for where the rails meet the headboard & baseboard, works very well though I use the domino 700 to cut all the slots rather than the router.


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## Steve Maskery (12 Mar 2020)

Have you got a picture, Doug?


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## Doug B (12 Mar 2020)

These are the only photos I have Steve but show what I do for small rails, the pocket was cut with the domino just plunged in on maximum width setting then moved forward & plunged again






As this was a small rail I made an aluminium template as a drill guide to drill down into the pocket, but on larger rails the domino can be used instead of the template & drill






I used the template again to drill the leg 







The leg joint part, the bolt is a wash hand basin fixing screw thread one end machine thread the other


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## Steve Maskery (12 Mar 2020)

Thanks Doug. That looks quicker than my way, though I don't think you have as much bolt length as I have. Is that bolt stainless?
For the lsat couple of beds I have made I have embedded a stainless steel nut inthe leg of the bed and veneered over it. I can re-saw a piece to give me, say, two 4mm veneers that can then be glued over the nut, bookmatch style. My former bed was maple and I put a piece of black veneer between the nut and the cover veneer. When it was all shaped it looked like black stringing all round.
I think I do have a picture, but I really don't want to look at it. Previous life and all that.


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## Inspector (12 Mar 2020)

You gents aren't a fan of barrel nuts eh?

Pete


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## Steve Maskery (12 Mar 2020)

Barrel nuts are fine, but I don't think I've ever seen one as big as M12 (1/2" to you, I think  )
That doesn't men they don't exist, and I don't think I've ever actually looked for one, either.


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## Inspector (13 Mar 2020)

Yes I have actually and as I have a metal lathe and milling machine I could make them too if I really really wanted to. But I don't. :wink: 

Almost the first ones I found. Get a load of the ones in the second picture. https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 72e4cQiFOx

Closer to you but not cheap. https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-b ... 2-ax364429

Pete


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## Orraloon (13 Mar 2020)

For others doing a bench with knockdown frame it can be done with normal nuts and bolts to save some money. I was going to make my own barrel nuts but came up with this instead.


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## Doug B (13 Mar 2020)

The bolt isn’t stainless Steve but is plated as it’s designed for humid areas, After drilling the hole in the leg I apply araldite to the inside of the hole before screwing the bolt in.
The first bed I did like this was for my son when he out grew his cot & he’s nearly 18 & the joint s still going strong even if just thinking about how that time has flown is making me feel old & weak :shock: :lol:


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## MikeG. (13 Mar 2020)

Running the risk yet again of coming across as an old fogey, a pegged mortise and tenon joint is a knock-down joint if no glue is applied. And of course it resists twisting better than any other solution.


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## deema (13 Mar 2020)

I’m with Mike, another ‘old fogey’ a Tusk Tenon would be a great solution for resisting racking and be knock down.


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## Steve Maskery (13 Mar 2020)

Each to his own, gentlemen, each to his own.


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## deema (13 Mar 2020)

To go with the iron mongrey, rather than dominos a couple of home made dowels drilled with the stretcher bolted in place with give you a really strong alternative and since you can make the dowels c1/3 the thickness of the stretches and any length provide I believe a more ridged solution than dominos.

I’d wedge the dowels on the legs


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## Doug B (13 Mar 2020)

Steve Maskery":g7l63tp9 said:


> Each to his own, gentlemen, each to his own.



Exactly, any joint only has to be up to the job in hand, my bench is dominoed & has withstood every thing I’ve thrown at it over the last 10 years of regular use & without doubt will last me out.

Meant to say thanks Steve for passing my number on to Charlie, I think he’s happy with the work I’ve done for him


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## colinc (14 Mar 2020)

On the subject of barrel nuts, Benchcrafted sell a set of four 1/2” x 8-1/2” bolts and barrel nuts for $35 but haven’t seen them retailed in Europe. They do sell a full set of nuts, bolts etc for their bench design here: https://www.classichandtools.com/acatal ... l#SID=1825. Not cheap but saves messing around. I made my own barrel nuts by drilling and tapping some 25mm ms bar. The hardest bit was drilling the hole on the centre line. I achieved that by boring a short length of bar in the lathe then used that as a guide by clamping it over the barrel nut blank in the drill press. 

Colin


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## Steve Maskery (26 Mar 2020)

The next step is to cut the other half of the joint in the leg assemblies.




then drill a load of dog holes in the rail





Ready to go, a good, strong, 3-point joint.





Then bolt it all together









I thought I'd taken a photo of me screwing the top down from below, but I am mistaken. I'll try to fake one tomorrow.


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## Steve Maskery (26 Mar 2020)

I made the apron a few weeks ago, but if I had not, I would not bother, as this is rock solid without it. But I have it so I may as well use it. An apron adds massively to the anti-wracking properties of the bench. So I clamped it all in place and marked where the housing are to go.






Then they are roughed out with a router and jig and finished with a chisel.






Then the rearmost row of dog-holes is glued to the apron, being careful to ensure that the dog-holes line up properly with the front section of the top.






Then trim the apron to length and cut off the corners. It is traditional and is one less corner on which to bash my thigh 






Finally the apron is counterbored for plugs and then screwed to the legs






It's beginning to look a bit like a bench.


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## Doug B (27 Mar 2020)

Looks excellent Steve & certainly substantial =D>


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## Steve Maskery (29 Mar 2020)

Time to fit the vice. It's not an old vice, I bought it new about 20 years ago. My previous one was my granddad's Parkinson, but it was not in good condition.

The vice needs blocking out a bit, so I glued a block of wood to the underside of the bench. Note the cut-out so as not to block one of the dog-holes.





With the bench on ts back I screwed the casting in from the front then used coachscrews from below.





Then the rear jaw can be screwed into place. It can easily be replaced if it gets worn or damaged, or I can swap it out for a specialist jaw very easily.


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## Phil Pascoe (30 Mar 2020)

I put counterbored coach screws down through the top for mine, but otherwise it's exactly the same.
If I screw anything (bench wise) together now I put two or three washers under the heads - if it ever moves or needs to be moved, the washers can be removed allowing another bite when they're done up again. My existing bench started it's life with three on the brackets holding down the top and is down to none - it seems to work.


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## Steve Maskery (30 Mar 2020)

My vice is deeper than the thickness of my bench, so I blocked up that area. The cutout is so that I keep the dog-hole clear.






With the bench on its back (which nearly crippled me, TBH) I screwed the vice to the bench top, countersunk screws through the front of the casting and coachscrews up from below.






Then the wooden jaws.


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## Steve Maskery (30 Mar 2020)

Next, it's the sliding deadman. I've never had a sliding deadman and supporting large panels has always been a pain. I made fixed deadman a while ago and that was a great improvement on the motley collection of blocks and toolboxes I made do with in the past.

The deadman has a tongue at the top which fits in the groove on the underside of the bench top. The bottom edge rides on a rail attached to the top of the front stretcher. There has to be enough clearance to be able to lift it up and out, so I want that bottom rail to be as shallow as it can, whilst still securing the deadman. So I made it with sides cut at a 30° angle. My TS tilts to the right, which makes a bevel rip tricky. I'd need a sacrificial fence and even then there is the risk of the triangular offrip getting trapped in a triangular tunnel of fence, table and tilted blade. It's an accident waiting to happen. So it's better to move the fence to the left. But that means that my guard does not have the support that is normally offered by the shoe on my fence, so I have another shoe that clamps in the mitre slot which then supports the arm again.






So I made a bevel rip, flipped the board over and ripped it again, then, with the saw back in its usual configuration, ripped that edge off to give me a shallow triangular rail. All of which I forgot to photograph.

The matching bird's mouth on the bottom end of the deadman was cut in a similar way, 30° tilt but with a crosscut fence. Again the fence gets in the way, so used my stand-alone guard this time.











I cleaned out the bottom of the V with a fine saw and chisel until there was a good match between the two.











I marked the position of the tongue directly from the groove, which is visible at the tail-vice end.






And planed a piece of wood so that it was the right thickness to fit the groove with a sensible amount of clearance.






Then it was back to the TS and the UTTJ.


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## Steve Maskery (30 Mar 2020)

I developed the Ultimate Tablesaw Tenon Jig a decade ago and I know that when I die, I will have left behind something good for mankind. This one really needs remaking now, two years in a barn did not do it any favours, but apart from using better material, there is nothing about it mechanically that I shall change. It is perfect and the best in the world (until you come up with a better one).

So, using that spacer, I cut the tongue on the top end of the board. And forgot to photograph it. But it looks very much like this photograph from when I made the short rails:






The shoulders were cut using the crosscut fence as before 




.

I glued and clamped the runner in place






and while that was going off it was over to the drill press to drill some 20mm holes






It was quite difficult to get the board in, although it was a nice fit once it was in, so I eased the top of the tongue, which sorted that out nicely.






So the bench currently looks like this:


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## Phil Pascoe (30 Mar 2020)

Copying mine again? :lol:

Mine has a Spur type upright in it to take a shelf bracket.


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## Steve Maskery (9 Apr 2020)

It's been a while, now where were we? Ah yes, the tail vice. This has caused me a few headaches.

There is a steel plate screwed to the bench, which supports the sliding rails which carry the jaw of the tail-vise. This is the plate.






You would would think that just copying something that already worked well would be a doddle, wouldn't you? Well, I would. But I have made things a bit tricky for myself.

I decided that I wanted the foremost run of dogholes a bit further away from the front of the bench than they were previously. The clamping position was usually too far forward from optimum. Not a problem in itself.

But the corresponding dogholes in the tail-vice must also be in line, which means moving them back as well.

There is a dirty great bracket and nut in the middle there...

... a right-angle bracket and the nut for the screw






... which limits how far back the core of the vice can go.






So I've had to reduce that front wall of the core box to about 4mm






I did that on the TS, Two passes and then separated the waste off with a handsaw.






That saw has a screw missing, anyone know where I can get a replacement?

Now that sounds very slim indeed, but it's about to have a dirty great big chunk of wood glued to it. I made the front part of the vice by gluing together some chunks of mahogany (my neighbour's discarded double-glazing - looked horrible until I cleaned it up...) and cutting a row of dogholes using the same jig that I used when I made the top. I didn't need an indexing peg, I just did it by eye.






So the next task will be to fix the doghole chunk (technical term) to the core and hope that everything lines up...


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## MikeG. (10 Apr 2020)

Steve Maskery":3vx03ipc said:


> .......That saw has a screw missing, anyone know where I can get a replacement?...



Thomas Flinn & Co.


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## lurker (10 Apr 2020)

MikeG.":1agtf4tn said:


> Steve Maskery":1agtf4tn said:
> 
> 
> > .......That saw has a screw missing, anyone know where I can get a replacement?...
> ...



Steve,
PM me the size, I have a stash.


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## Max Power (12 Apr 2020)

Dieter Schmid Fine Tools

https://www.qy1.de/img/blackburn-322600.jpg

They do medallions as well, not cheap though


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## Steve Maskery (12 Apr 2020)

I think I'm being sorted, thank you.


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## Steve Maskery (14 Apr 2020)

Unfortunately, the photo I took of the doghole block being glues to the core has not come out properly and it's too embarrassing to post, but the next piece to make is the cap strip. This goes over the top steel rider, so needs a cavity to take it.

I do this on the RT, using a couple of stop blocks to limit the travel, moving the fence back for each cut until I have reached the right width.





















And clean up the ends with a chisel






It's then glued over the core and then the pocket that is created just slips over the top steel rider.






The handle end of the vice is a mish-mash of various bits of face grain and end grain. Also the hole for the screw is much bigger than it needs to be. It's very difficult to work out exactly where it needs to be before glue up, and I can't mark out through the nut, so it is a 35mm hole for a 25mm screw. It's a good job I did leave so much clearance, I needed it.
A cap end, however, fitted with a 26mm hole, can be glued in place, covering all that ugly grain and keeping the screw snug.






I made it a bit oversize, trimmed it back and fitted the split collar.











I also fitted an MDF cheek, well-countersunk so that the screws cannot mar a workpiece.


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## Steve Maskery (14 Apr 2020)

I've given everything a coat of BLO and I need to make some dogs and attach the ramps at the ends of the tool-well, but apart from that, this project is finished. Yippee!











Tomorrow's job is to dismantle my old bench and get it out of the workshop, before this year's little devils decide to make an appearance.


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## Racers (14 Apr 2020)

That looks very nice Steve. 

Pete


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## Doug B (16 Apr 2020)

Looks very good Steve =D> 

I hear you’ve been knocking the racking about at the Woodyard (hammer)


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## Steve Maskery (16 Apr 2020)

Yes, I decided to find out if the RSJs that hold the timber get damaged if you head-butt them. They don't.


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## MikeG. (16 Apr 2020)

Steve Maskery":3fu33rt5 said:


> Yes, I decided to find out if the RSJs that hold the timber get damaged if you head-butt them. They don't.



Not immediately, but the blood, skin and associated gore can cause a spot of corrosion in the medium term. That's one good reason not to headbutt the steel.




Nope, can't think of any others.


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## Steve Maskery (21 Apr 2020)

Just few loose ends to tie up. I've had this in place for a few days now and I can report that I am absolutely delighted with it. It is everything I had hoped for, definitely the best bench I have ever had.

I've made a few bench dogs, of differing heights, so I can clamp






or I can clamp






I have holdfasts, so I can clamp






I have face dogs, so I can clamp
















and because the apron is at the back, I can clamp






or I can remove part of the tool well and I can clamp






I have a configurable tool well, in four sections, so it can be anything from full length to totally flush. Here it is as 3/4 tool well and 1/4 flush






You can see by the SF* level that I am quite pleased with it.






*Smug Factor


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## Steve Maskery (21 Apr 2020)

I missed out the sliding deadman, so I can clamp.






I've also got onboard power. I've bought a trailing socket that has the outlets at an angle, and this allows me to plug in things that have the cable coming out of the bottom of the plug or the top of the plug without fouling anything else or getting bashed.






All in all, I'm happy.






That was just to emphasise the SF.


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## Doug B (21 Apr 2020)

So not only can you never have enough clamps but also ways of clamping, looks excellent Steve =D>


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## Steve Maskery (21 Apr 2020)

Getting rid of the old bench was harder than I had imagined. My TS is not quite deep enough, so it was out with the handsaw afterwards











I got a couple of barrowloads of firewood out of it






And I think I did the job none too soon. Absolutely riddled...






I have been filming this and usually I edit as I go along, but for some reason I have done no editing, at all, so I think I have a massive amount of work to do.


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## transatlantic (21 Apr 2020)

What have you named her? She looks like a Mandy to me. Or perhaps a Terry


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## Steve Maskery (21 Apr 2020)

Ooh now that's an idea. I'd not thought of a name. I do call my drill press Lulu, as she was built in the same year that her namesake had a hit with Shout!
I shall have to have a think.
I did once know a rather lovely lady (in every respect) called Manda, but that might be a bit too..... something-or-other.


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## Orraloon (22 Apr 2020)

Really great bench you built and a good explanation of everything along the way. I liked those face dogs too. Was a bit taken aback seeing the old bench being carved up until I saw the woodworm. 
Regards
John


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## Trainee neophyte (22 Apr 2020)

I have noticed a disturbing proliferation of hand tools during this build - I hope you are not moving to the dark side.

[youtube]hNv5sPu0C1E[/youtube]


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## Steve Maskery (1 May 2020)

Trailer:
[youtube]yr74Ih7drGI[/youtube]


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## xy mosian (1 May 2020)

Nicely done Steve. It looks impressive and useful.
xy


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## DBT85 (1 May 2020)

Just watched the first ep Steve. Looking good.

Surprised to see you get your sausage out for the Youtube audience though :lol:


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## Steve Maskery (1 May 2020)

DBT85":3tgwqa91 said:


> Just watched the first ep Steve. Looking good.
> 
> Surprised to see you get your sausage out for the Youtube audience though :lol:



It's dog eat dog out there, you have to use every weapon you've got.


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## Grumpy gardener (1 May 2020)

Nice first two episodes Steve. Looking forward to the rest


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## DBT85 (1 May 2020)

Steve Maskery":av90p7xu said:


> DBT85":av90p7xu said:
> 
> 
> > Just watched the first ep Steve. Looking good.
> ...


Ohh Steve I wouldn't go so far as to say weapon!


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## Steve Maskery (1 May 2020)

Speak for yourself...
S


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## Noggsy (1 May 2020)

Great WIP and I’m enjoying starting to work through the videos. It’s brilliant to see you back in the workshop making instructional vids again Steve =D>


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## Steve Maskery (1 May 2020)

Thanks guys, I'm enjoying doing it.


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## Steve Maskery (6 May 2020)

The one about making the top
[youtube]xPC_N0ssO6s[/youtube]

The one about cutting the double mortices:
[youtube]QIN9mSm1o-c[/youtube]

The one about cutting the double tenons:
[youtube]tZpyarY1eXY[/youtube]


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## Trigs (6 May 2020)

Another good build there Steve, just finished watching the videos . Ive just started a new bench build and until watching your vids I've never wanted tool well, but a re-design might be in order


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## Steve Maskery (6 May 2020)

Well (ha-ha, did you see what I did there?), The jury is still out. The first problem I found was that my anglepoise lamp does not sit on the bench any more unless I have it right to the front. I didn't think of that; OTOH I can have that end of my bench flush, with the rest of it having a tool well.
OTW I think I like it it.
S


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## NickM (6 May 2020)

Steve Maskery":3m9ij1pr said:


> Well (ha-ha, did you see what I did there?), The jury is still out. The first problem I found was that my anglepoise lamp does not sit on the bench any more unless I have it right to the front. I didn't think of that; OTOH I can have that end of my bench flush, with the rest of it having a tool well.
> OTW I think I like it it.
> S



I watched a Rob Cosman video the other day about a bench he made. He made a sliding carriage for his lamp so it slides along the top of rear apron to wherever he wants it.


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## Steve Maskery (6 May 2020)

Yes, I can see that working.
I like my anglepoise lamp.It was a 21st birthday present from my favourite aunty. It's old and battered now, but still going. A bit like me.


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## transatlantic (7 May 2020)

Watching you panic when you realised things weren't labeled during the glueup made me laugh  ... I can relate!


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## Steve Maskery (9 May 2020)

The one about making the long rails. No wardrobe malfunction in this one, you'll be pleased to hear.

[youtube]XraKlo2aVWQ[/youtube]


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## MikeG. (9 May 2020)

Oi, Maskery. Yes.......you. Stand still laddie.

How have you inveigled your way into my Youtube feed? Every time I look you're the first damned video on the list, when all I use youtube for is to watch Leo building Tally Ho and seeing old Pink Floyd concerts. I've already got a bench and I don't use a table saw, so leave me alone.........

:lol: :lol:


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## Steve Maskery (9 May 2020)

Tee-hee!
I'm gonna getcha...


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## Steve Maskery (10 May 2020)

Fitting the apron:
[youtube]5Lwcq2A2X-U[/youtube]


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## Steve Maskery (12 May 2020)

Fitting the vice and sliding deadman. I had to re-film quite a section. Spot the continuity errors...
[youtube]zvv8SyArhEU[/youtube]


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## Steve Maskery (15 May 2020)

Last up, the one about building the tail vice.
[youtube]V2e_cRnKmyY[/youtube]

Thank you for watching. Until the next time, enjoy your workshop. Cheerio.


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## Neil Swann (2 Oct 2020)

Steve Maskery said:


> Fitting the apron:
> [youtube]5Lwcq2A2X-U[/youtube]


I'm about to start on the aprons for my PS style workbench. I would prefer to use a router to cut the leg housing on the apron. Thinking aloud I will screw battens to the inside face allowing for the distance from the cutter edge to the edge of the router base. The legs are 70mm wide will the router be able to fully cut the housing (three passes for about 15mm depth) in this scenario or am I overthinking it (lack of experience).
Thanks


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## Steve Maskery (2 Oct 2020)

I don't see why not. But if you make a housing jig, you can use it in other projects where screwing to the surface is not an option.
S


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## Neil Swann (2 Oct 2020)

OK Steve appreciate the advice. I‘ll give this a go..


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## DBT85 (2 Oct 2020)

Steven, your youtube links are borked somehow. The tags you've used are [youtube] but ned to be [/media] if you can be pineappled to change them all!

Neil, I did my housings by hand and used a hand router, but your plan should be fine. You could at least be able to do around the sides easily enough, chop out the bulk of the middle with the chisel and just use the router to tidy it up.

Though I only tend to go 10mm at a time if its a full cut (not just an edge).


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## Steve Maskery (2 Oct 2020)

DBT85 said:


> Steve, your youtube links are borked somehow.



Ah thanks. I guess they were all done under the old regime.


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## Neil Swann (2 Oct 2020)

Neil, I did my housings by hand and used a hand router, but your plan should be fine. You could at least be able to do around the sides easily enough, chop out the bulk of the middle with the chisel and just use the router to tidy it up.

Though I only tend to go 10mm at a time if its a full cut (not just an edge).
[/QUOTE]
Yes thanks I was thinking that the middle away from the edges might be problematic. 15mm was the total depth in three passes was my plan.


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## DBT85 (2 Oct 2020)

Neil Swann said:


> Yes thanks I was thinking that the middle away from the edges might be problematic. 15mm was the total depth in three passes was my plan.


Ahh my apologies I thought you meant 15mm per pass. I should have thought really as a 45mm deep housing is probably overkill!

The middle chunk will likely pop out easily enough with the outside done.


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