Hallelujah!

[PeteG]

A month after I started making the BIG pine drawer, it's now complete and in place. This drawer has been a real learning curve, from all problems I had setting up the router for tongue and groove, and then again for the corner lock joint. Buying my first plane and making a shooting board to get the sides square, not alternating the boards/grain when I put them through the router and glued them, and also learning that PAR can be neither straight, flat or square. I also buggered up the first lot of I timber which doubled the cost. It's still not perfect, besides it bowing at some point in the future, the last lot of test pieces I ran through the corner lock cutter, the resulting joint was perfect, not so perfect on the final joints. Still, I'm quite happy with it, after all I have managed with a little help and advice :wink: to make something in solid wood. The other four drawers, I had made up in a day [excluding fascias] using pocket holes. I'm hoping a little wax or varnish will bring the pattern out on the fascias, I also used a roundover cutter on these.

A wise man once told me not to use screws on MDF, well I forgot, I made an upright jig and then knocked it off the table. The crews literally popped out and the MDF had delaminated. I made a replacement yesterday from 3/4" ply, glue and screwed. I read something about rubbing the bottom of jigs with Dubbin, so I did.

 

[RobinBHM]

Great workbench =D>

Corner lock cutters are really tricky to set perfectly. I use a trend one for a spindle and it always takes a few set ups to get right and even then not perfect. I think for drawers a dovetail jig can be quicker and a budget one like the axi is not too much money.

I see there's a red theme going on! Does that mean any future machinery purchases have to match (Id steer clear of Dewalt then....)

 

[PeteG]

Great workbench =D>

Corner lock cutters are really tricky to set perfectly. I use a trend one for a spindle and it always takes a few set ups to get right and even then not perfect. I think for drawers a dovetail jig can be quicker and a budget one like the axi is not too much money.

I see there's a red theme going on! Does that mean any future machinery purchases have to match (Id steer clear of Dewalt then....)

Thanks Robin. I used the Rutlands corner lock cutter, part of a set that was on offer last year. I haven't made any dovetails yet, I've watched lots of videos on them being cut by hand, with a table saw, a bandsaw and a jig for the router. Knowing how much trouble I had setting up the router for the tongue and groove and corner lock, I'm tempted to try dovetails by hand! Should be fun.
Regarding colour theme, the bench set the ball rolling last year, but I got a little carried away with the table saw and router table stand. Looks a bit like "Noddys Workshop".

 

[Self Taught]

PeteG,

I like it, looks worth effort. I'm sure it will serve you well, and I love the colors!!, very cheery. You just can't have to much color in the shop!!. Jamey

 

[NickWelford]

The pieces look great but the workshop is altogether far too clean and tidy. Put most of us to shame.......

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I would use microcrystalline wax or Briwax on your jigs rather than Dubbin - Dubbin might rub off on something you wish to polish...

 

[PeteG]

PeteG,

I like it, looks worth effort. I'm sure it will serve you well, and I love the colors!!, very cheery. You just can't have to much color in the shop!!. Jamey

Thanks Jamey I do like a bit of colour here and there, and it's a nice bright workshop, although I drew the line at painting the mitre saw station. At some point I'd like to give it a coat of varnish.

The pieces look great but the workshop is altogether far too clean and tidy. Put most of us to shame.......

Hello Nick, I gave it a quick clean beforehand, looks a total mess again tonight. The bandsaw was delivered today so I've been cutting scraps of timber up for fun No doubt I'll end up cleaning it again tomorrow!

I would use microcrystalline wax or Briwax on your jigs rather than Dubbin - Dubbin might rub off on something you wish to polish...

Hello Phil and I appreciate the advice. Haven't heard of those waxes before so been having a read up. I might use the Briwax instead of varnish on the mitre saw station, thanks again Phil.

 

[PAUL_TDI]

Great looking workshop! Almost temps me to add a splash of colour to my grey workshop.

Workbench looks great, very purposeful.

I like the look of your drill stand, is that a modern drill in it or an older one?

 

[PeteG]

Great looking workshop! Almost temps me to add a splash of colour to my grey workshop.

Workbench looks great, very purposeful.

I like the look of your drill stand, is that a modern drill in it or an older one?

Thanks Paul The bench plans, minus the drawers are from the Kreg website, along with the potting bench I built our lass. Pretty much the same really. Although the potting bench has had an upgrade since, I made a frame for a picture that now fills the big gap in the back!
I bought the drill about two years ago, may be a little less, as it had the collar to fit in a stand. I think is was one of the ex-display models from http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/ they seem to have regular offers on. The stand was my Christmas pressie off our lass

 

[PAUL_TDI]

Thanks for the link, certainly ads another option to gaining a pillar drill.

Speaking of the drawers though, where did you get your runners from? I've bought runners like that from BnQ years ago for a keyboard tray on my old PC desk, I'm guessing yours are of better quality and probably cheaper!

Got to keep the Mrs happy! For all my time spent in the workshop shes kept sweet by a bird table recently.

 

[PeteG]

Hello Paul. Our lass has been asking for a bird table, a squirrel proof one, that's if it's possible to make anything that's squirrel proof.
The runners are from screwfix http://www.screwfix.com/p/ball-bearing- ... 00mm/55282 very sturdy and smooth.

 

[Wizard9999]

Thanks Jamey I do like a bit of colour here and there, and it's a nice bright workshop, although I drew the line at painting the mitre saw station. At some point I'd like to give it a coat of varnish.

Pete

It all looks great, particularly interested in the mitre saw station, it looks like it might have folding wings on both sides (right one p and left down in picture?). If that is the case would love it if you cold post more detail, as I' interested in any good space saving designs.

Terry.

 

[PeteG]

Hello Terry Here's the post from last year mitre-saw-station-wip-t74540.html The image in this thread was taken last week so it's pretty much the same. I changed the brackets on the wings a few weeks back, as the ones fitted last year had started to bend and pull away the weight. To fit the new heavier brackets I had to remove the drawer and sliding blade storage and then the inside panel. I then bolted the replacement brackets, something I should have taken in to consideration the first time round. I also had to grind the bottom of the new brackets off to allow the wings to close again. I looked at a sliding support arm coming off the wings, you'll see what I mean in the last image in the link, but they would have taken up a lot of space once extended. As it is with the just the wings it'll hold 16 foot lengths without a problem. For cutting equal lengths I pull the saw down and place a steel rule up to a tooth and then clamp the MDF block to the fence.
Last year I bought a 30T Nilfish from Machine Mart to fit inside, it's 1800W same as the saw, the salesman said it would work fine plugging the saw in to the vacuum, but every time I turned the saw on the electrics tripped so it went back. Shame really as it would have been ideal.

 

[PAUL_TDI]

Hello Paul. Our lass has been asking for a bird table, a squirrel proof one, that's if it's possible to make anything that's squirrel proof.
The runners are from screwfix http://www.screwfix.com/p/ball-bearing- ... 00mm/55282 very sturdy and smooth.

Thanks for the link, will have to get some when I mod the workbench.

I think squirrel proof ones tend to have fairly small mess surrounding the table or you have a cone on the pole going up to the table which they can't get past. Thankfully we don't get squirrels in our garden, although so far we have only had a dove and a robin use the table.

 

[Harbo]

I made a bird table but hang squirrel proof feeders from it.
Birds have to be able to peck through the netting or holes.
Anything made from wood with food inside will be eaten through.

Rod