Byron Black Workbench [Beginner] Final Submission [Complete]

[Keith Smith]

Very nice job, I have to agree routers can be pure evil at times.

Like JFC I have a large MDF top that goes on mine primarily to allow me to cramp up doors but it also goes on if I have anything particularly messy to do

 

[DarrenW]

Damn that bench looks good! =D>

Your way ahead of me on the making front! Need to pull my finger out, though doubt my table will look as good as this.

Again.... excellent stuff.

Darren

 

[Mike.C]

Nice one Byron, if anyone deserves a medal for pure determination its you =D> =D> It looks really great.

The thing I will remember about your bench is you had the guts to show the world your mistakes and how you put them right. Well done mate

Cheers

Mike.C

 

[ByronBlack]

Well, thank you all for your kind comments! It's much appreciated, I'm dreading the judges comments though !

Mark - The bandsaw is excellent, I did a mini-review a few weeks back on the thread where I was trying to decide between the tablesaw and bandsaw, it's identical to the Jet except in the fence setup, everything else is the same, but it's a bit cheaper which is nice ;-)

Jason - I went to the effort of flattening both sides of the worktop, so when it gets too mangled, i'll flip it over and use the side, when that also gets mangled, i'll-replane it back to smooth, although I don't anticpate this happening for many years yet, as all my hand power-tools and assembly/glue up will be done on the MFT where the MDF top is a lot easier and cheaper to replace.

Philly: I think you're right, it's difficult to do anything accurately with handtools without a sturdy bench, so i'm hoping this will improve things.

Mark: As for whats next, I've got a whole bunch of small side tables planned. A couple will be made from Iroko staves, another will be an arts & craft inspired sycamore and oak and I have recently drawn up a plan for a table that will use a nice large piece of spalted maple as the top.

TonyW: The finish was about 4 coats of Colron Antique Pine Danish Oil (It was the palest I could find) and will have a coat of wax on top. As for the F clamps, mine are the cheap ones from Screwfix. I can't recommend them, they often buckle and break, they deflect the wood too much and need a lot of correction. I've started to replace these with the slightly more expensive but still affordable Axminster ones, and these are much better. The sash cramps I've used on this project caused a lot of problems, and these are the real budget ally ones from Axminster, these are heading towards the nearest bin as soon as I can afford decent ones.

Thanks again to everyone for the positive feedback, it's always nice to get that back from your peers.

 

[OLD]

I notice you follow the wood wisperer he uses staves (wood lengths with parcel tape on one edge) to align strips for glueing (the kitchen cutting block) this could be worth a try when next doing one of those stressful glue ups.

 

[Alf]

Ah, the avatar explained. Good-looking bench, BB, and what a triumph given all the vicissitudes. I concur, routers are definitely evil, but at least you don't have to worry about making the first ding in the top?

Cheers, Alf

 

[ByronBlack]

OLD - thanks for the headsup on the wood whisperer, I re-watched that episode and agree that the method would be useful in the future. As it happens I have an up coming table top that will be made with Iroko strips, so this will come in handy!

ALF - Extra house points to you for the use of the word: 'vicissitudes' !! Well done! Had me running for the dictionary (if you can call googling it running ) Aye, no worries about marking the top, I have to admit that I've never really been worried about damaging the top during use, as I flattened both sides, so I can flip it over eventually, although all the messy/damaging work will be done on the MFT so this puppy is more of a luxurybench than 'work' bench

 

[Chris Knight]

Well done Byron - a worthy competitor!

 

[Good Surname or what ?]

Byron,

I am very impressed by both your bench and your determination. Glad to see your mojo's working again.

You get my competition vote.
cheers
Phil

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks Phil, that is very kind of you!

 

[OPJ]

Fantastic work, Byron! I'm always intrigued to hear why people who build their own benches don't often include a tool well of some sort, even towards the rear of the bench? I find them pretty damn useful - although the one on my bench is dead-centre; but I guess that's another job for the future! :wink:

How does the combination of Danish Oil and Wax work as a finish? I wouldn't have thought you'd want it too smooth or your work will be sliding off the ends! :wink: Does it help prevent any unnecessary dents or damage?

What exactly happened with the Triton router then?! I had a similar problem trimming some half-lap joints with a Silverline trimming cutter - it wasn't until it was digging in too far that I realised the the bearing on the end of the cutter had dissapeared! :evil: :roll:

 

[ByronBlack]

Hi Olly,

The reason for no tool well is because I really dont like them, they take up too much space for my liking and I dont' like having to clean shavings out of it. So, instead of the tool-well I've routed a number of slots towards the back of the bench to hold chisels, rasps, mallets etc..

I didn't use any wax in the end, and I've since sanded the top down to remove some of the danish oil, so I have a smooth but not glossy slippery finish.