Bench, maybe?

[DaveL]

I am making a bench, honest. (hammer)

This is my one allowed work in progress picture. There will be more unless the cheque arrives (Noel please make sure you sign it :wink: ).

I am trying to make a David Charlesworth type bench in ash. I blame Bean for this, as last summer at the Good Timber sale weekend he suggested that the 3" ash would be a good bench top and the idea just rang on from there.
I bought two 8' boards, they are the large bits on the left now machined to 2 3/4" * 10". I had to go back and get another board and a half for the stock for the legs. I just happened to have a part sheet of 1/4" MDF in the shop left over from another job, so thats the man made bit for the bottom of the tool well. :wink:
Progress has been slower than I hoped. The Wadkin with the tenoning jig, mitre guide and dado head have all been used to great effect. :tool:
A new blade was called for on the band saw, not Dure Edge but nice and sharp anyway and with a small jig I cut the wedges that are needed for the wedged tenons. 8)
The thing that has slowed me right down is the little mortiser, it really does not like cutting 1" * 2" holes through 3" ash. 8-[ In fact work stopped this evening as while cleaning the penultimate mortise I managed to slice my thumb, trouble is I am quite good at sharpening and the cut bled really well.

Well I hope to get a bit more time on this during the week so the completed bench maybe posted next weekend. [-o<

 

[AndyBoyd]

I just posted about this, wouldn't you know!

Can't wait for the photos

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

About time too!!!!! :wink: :lol:

 

[Keith Smith]

Dave I don't want to slow the work (hammer) down but this is the Advanced section so you can post as many pictures as you want.

Hope you get it finished on time.

Keith

 

[DaveL]

Dave I don't want to slow the work (hammer) down but this is the Advanced section so you can post as many pictures as you want.

Keith,

I wish you had stated this more clearly. :x
I spent some time doing a post on Saturday night with four more pictures and lots more words.
On Sunday morning I had the "RULES" brought to my attention and not wanting to spoil my slim chances of entering, let alone wining the competition I blow the post away. ](*,)

Back to the shop, the thumb is no longer throbbing. :-({|=

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dave

Keith, I wish you had stated this more clearly.

I'm very sorry but by trying to be helpful my pm contained the rules from the main forum. I did not realise that they had been changed for the advanced section.

The blame lies squarely with me and not Keith.

Sorry again,
Neil

 

[Keith Smith]

Neil I have just looked at the rules in the general section and they have not been changed so it is my fault not yours.

I did write a "Welcome to the advanced section" thread with the rule change because there was a general consensus that it would be a good idea for the advanced section to be able to post more pictures ; but I have obviously forgotten to change the main page (which I will do now).

I can only apologise to Dave.

I might be going to Woodmex on Sunday where I can grovel in person.

Sorry about this

Keith

 

[DaveL]

The bench is finished. Well the build is. 8) Most of it has finishing oil on it, but a few of the small bits need a quick coat, so as the time has been extended I am off to bed. :roll:

A quick rush round with the oily rag and then take some completed pictures to post in the morning.

I hope to see lots of you at Woodex 05 tomorrow. \/

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dave

The bench is finished. A quick rush round with the oily rag and then take some completed pictures to post in the morning.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

I hope to see lots of you at Woodex 05 tomorrow. \/

And looking forward to seeing you and the clogs again.

Cheers
Neil

 

[AndyBoyd]

Talk about keeping us hanging on!

Still can't wait

 

[DaveL]

Sorry but this is going to be a quick dump the finished pictures, I should be on the road by now. :shock:
From the left end.

As straight as I could get.

And the right.

As you can see not a lot of room in the shop, someone has stood a large bench in the walking about space.
I will post work in progress picture tonight when I get back from Woodex.

 

[Chris Knight]

Dave,

It looks very good - and big! It dwarfs your old one. I shall be interested to hear how you get on with the central tool tray.

 

[AndyBoyd]

Nice work Dave

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dave

Good to see you again.

The photo you had with you at Woodex didn't do the bench justice. It looks excellent.

Good luck,
Neil

 

[DaveL]

OK then, some work in progress pictures and a few more words.
I bought the first of the timber used for this back last August and I know that Tony and Bean have been waiting for the bench to appear. :roll:
I took David Charlesworth’s design and adjusted it to suit the timber I had bought at a very good price, apologises to David as it does vary quite a bit from his design. I had 3" ash, the two main boards only cost £25 each, I should have bought more as when I went back, another board and a half was £80. :x
I learned that when machining timber this size you need help, large son was pressed into service to man handle timber across the planner and through the thicknesser. Here is another limiting factor, I cut the boards to 10" wide the size of my planer/thicknesser. I did handle flatten the biggest bumps off the boards but I do not have the skill to flatten and thickness by hand.
The sizes where the biggest I could cut from the timber I had. all cut with my Wadkin, with the aid of a 12" blade, an 8" dado set, an Osborne EB3 mitre guide and a Delta tenoning jig. Here is the end from a cross bearer I used for all of the saw setting.

Here are the tenons on the cross bearers being cut.

I had to move the overhead guard while using the tenoning jig. It was quite interesting cutting the tenons on the stretchers.

I have a Draper mortiser, I have only ever used it to cut 1/4" mortises until now. It was hard work, one thing that helped a lot, spraying the chisel with the PTFE lub sold for router cutters and have the dust extractor hose by the hole to help clear the chips away. The stretchers are held in place with dry wedged tenons, here I am cutting the taper into the top of the mortise.

I needed wedges for the wedged tenons. I tried the band saw, the blade wander was hopeless, but with a new blade (not Dure Edge :? ) and a taper jig the wedges were cut.

I glued and wedged the leg frames, the pictures I took of this where hopelessly out of focus, sorry.
So out on to the patio for the first assembly, here is the picture that Neil commented on from Woodex.

My Dads comment on seeing this was how did you move it into the shop? Well I took it to bits again. I then put a coat of oil on every thing before re assembling it, inside the shop. 8) The top is held in place with coach screws hence the ratchet in the picture. Next I fitted the vices, tail one first.

This has ash packing pieces and four more coach screws. I used the end of a stretcher to make the clams.

And used an old #78 to trim the fit as I don' have a shoulder plane.

The face vice has its fixed jaw it a slot in the bench top, cut with a work top cutter in the router.

Once again packing was required. The man made bit is the MDF for the tool well bottom. I have cut two boards, so I can just remove half if required, I only had a 4'*3' bit of MDF anyway. I cut some battens and fitted to the end of each board as handles and to stop tools slipping out of the end to crash on to the floor. I plan to made a set of draws to rest on the stretchers for tool storage, they will not be the full length of the bench. The bench top is 6' long and 40" high. This is from David’s design that the top should be 4" below elbow height.
And if you look back you can see the result, I am very pleased with it. As Chris says it does dwarf the old Clark Woodworker. Just need to take the old one to bits and shuffle the new one back a couple of feet. :lol:

If I have missed anything, just ask, I can bore for England. #-o

 

[DaveL]

Knew I would forget something, there will be round dog holes, I ordered the Veritas dogs from Martin on the BriMarc stand today.

Where I saw Nebie Neil try out a HAND PLANE :shock: :wink:

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dave

That must have been a figment of your imagination. The one I picked up had got a really long tail. :^o

Cheers
Neil

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Dave

Thank you for posting the wip photos. Personally, I find this the most interesting part as I learn so much from watching the way other people have tackled jobs.

Thanks again and good luck on a well executed project.

Cheers
Neil

PS I feel very sorry for the judges as the quality of all of the entries is exceptional.

 

[Alf]

And used an old #78

Phew; just about rescued the whole thing for me from the dados and tenoning jig... :wink:

The bench top is 6' long and 40" high.

Be interested to hear how you get on with it; how tall are you? (if you don't mind me asking )

Where I saw Newbie Neil try out a HAND PLANE :shock: :wink:

Surely some mistake? :shock:

Cheers, Alf

 

[AndyBoyd]

I was just going to post to ask about if you were doing without dogs.

It's a bit late but Ulmia the German maker make round dogs with sprung ball bearings that protrude every 120 deg in 2 rings. These get over the problem of round dogs sticking at the weather gets damper. (Mine do this)
they are not expensive and they can be retro fitted as they fit the Veritas holes, just in case you bump into this problem in the future.