Workbench build - WIP - Almost finished and a small treat!!

[Phil Pascoe]

I suspect you'd find the slot in the middle would be a nuisance, and much better at the back. If you set your vice down 12mm -15mm from the top, you can put cover strips on top of the cheeks which will save the accidental tool "dings". On a similar open bench like this I inset a strip of Spur shelf support down the right leg so a short bracket can be set at any height if you need to hold large boards, doors etc.
There are loads of threads and YouTube video's on bench builds - I apologise if I'm telling you things you have already seen or know.

 

[Zeddedhed]

Phil.p - love the spur shelving idea - may have to nick that one.
With regards the vice I intend to set it so that the rear jaw is 15 back from the edge of the bench so that once a false jaw is installed it comes flush to the front.
Again, good idea about setting it down as well - I hadn't thought of that

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, if you wish to keep a flush surface on the whole front, the strip definitely needs insetting. (Do it before you make the frame up)

 

[AndyT]

Slot question - like Phil P said.

Your tool well needs to be easy to sweep shavings out of - ramps may be ok; I just left mine open, with a box wedged below it at one end, ready to catch shavings.

Looking at your picture - I'd be wanting to put a shelf across the bottom before very long - that space is too valuable not to use, in my workshop at least. If you know you will never want to do that, the side to side rails don't have to be level with the front to back rails, making the joints a bit simpler.

 

[Paul Chapman]

The piece of wood you have running along the front of the bench top - I would have that running the whole length of the top and not stopped short as you have it.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Zeddedhed]

Paul,
not sure exactly which piece you are referring to.
Are you suggesting that the end 'caps' are inside the front pieces as opposed to the way I've drawn it?
If so, what is the reasoning for this?

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Slot question - like Phil P said.

Your tool well needs to be easy to sweep shavings out of - ramps may be ok; I just left mine open, with a box wedged below it at one end, ready to catch shavings.

Looking at your picture - I'd be wanting to put a shelf across the bottom before very long - that space is too valuable not to use, in my workshop at least. If you know you will never want to do that, the side to side rails don't have to be level with the front to back rails, making the joints a bit simpler.

I staggered the joints for simplicity and added a couple of cross pieces in the same plane as the two longest cross members afterwards to carry the shelf. It helps keep the joints stronger.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Are you suggesting that the end 'caps' are inside the front pieces as opposed to the way I've drawn it?
If so, what is the reasoning for this?

Yes. The reason is that there will be differences in the direction of movement as the wood expands and contracts if you have it the way you've drawn it. Most of the wood along the front of the bench is long grain but the two bits at the ends are end grain. You will tend to get a slight step at the ends as the wood expands and contracts.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Zeddedhed]

Ahh. makes sense now.
How do you deal with this when making breadboard ends on a dining table?
This is something else I'm going to be making soon out of 180 x 30 oak boards.

Pete

 

[Paul Chapman]

How do you deal with this when making breadboard ends on a dining table?

You can't. With breadboard ends on a table, you just have to accept that there will be a step between the breadboard ends and the rest of the table, and that the size of the step will vary depending on the level of humidity. The only way to avoid it is not to use breadboard ends.

If you decide to use breadboard ends on your dining table, be sure to construct it in the correct way which will allow for the uneven expansion and contraction and avoid the top splitting.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[custard]

How do you deal with this when making breadboard ends on a dining table?

Be proud of that tiny shrinkage step, it's a stamp of authenticity and every time you run your fingers over it you'll reflect on what a wonderful material wood is.

 

[Zeddedhed]

Leg end frames glued up and in the clamps.
Tomorrow the rest of the under fame and then later in the week work can start on the top.

I've just noticed that this thread is in the General Woodworking forum. Did I put it there?
I thought it was in the projects forum but it could be that on editing the title I've inadvertently moved it - if so apologies to the Forum Gods!!

 

[Zeddedhed]

I'm having a bit of a "dither" over the issue of a tail vice and would appreciate some advice.

Firstly, is it possible and also relatively trouble free to retro fit a tail vice?
If the answer is 'yes' then I'll quit worrying and get on with building the rest of the bench.

If the answer is no, then what do people think about the various options - shouldered, full width, twin screw, wagon vice (?) etc?

I've got absolutely no idea how to fit one and having looked at various images am none the wiser. I'm thinking that if I go for one maybe the Veritas model below.

I don't really want to get into loads of Dovetailling and the like for fitting a vice - I just want to get on with it. I'm not at all concerned that the bench is a showstopper visually speaking. More that it is rock solid.

The leg end frames in the previous post weigh 32.5kg each, so I'm happy that it will have plenty of mass once the top has been installed.

As stated earlier front vice is a record 53 1/2.

If I decide to retro fit then I'll hold off on dog holes and wait until I've fitted a tail vice. I've got a good drill stand to ensure I drill the dog holes vertically.

All help and opinions gratefully received

 

[Phil Pascoe]

An easier way to drill your dog holes if you've a bench stand is to get a length of 4" x 2" and put a few perfectly perpendicular holes in it on your press, then just line that up over your marks, clamp it down and use as a guide. It's easier to move a couple of feet of 4" x 2" every time than a drill press. If you have an auger in a power drill, just push it through the scrap, *** the lead screw into the bench and push the scrap down, then clamp it - it'll keep your bit on target.
I believe it was Dangermouse's bench (or it was one of them) that had a 53 fitted as a tail vice - have a look. How easy it is to retro fit a 53? Don't forget it's underslung so you need a fair overhang of the frame for it to fit, or the cross member on the end set down far enough for it not to interfere.

 

[Zeddedhed]

UPDATE!!
SWIMBO has seen me perusing the web and the forums and enquired as to what exactly I was doing.
When I told her that i was trying to solve the tail vice conundrum without spending loads of dose she replied that as it was a long term investment and was important to get it right I should forget the cost and go for what is best for the job.

Once I'd scraped my jaw from the floor I remembered seeing this beauty:

After a bit of checking and looking through the Veritas instruction leaflet online it would seem that i can easily fit this to my bench without having to overhang the top at the RHS.

I mocked it up in sketch up (it's amazing that you can download models of things like this particular vice) and it would look something like this:

I realise that I'd probably have to hack a bit out of the top of the leg frame but it's already 112mm square so I can't see that hurting it.

Any thoughts?

Pete

 

[marcros]

personally, i think that i prefer the wagon vices, but it depends a great deal on the intended use.

 

[Zeddedhed]

personally, i think that i prefer the wagon vices, but it depends a great deal on the intended use.

Marcros, could you expand a little on that please. Which type of vice is better for which type of use?

I'm a total newbie to benchwork so need some guidance here.
Going by SWIMBOs earlier statement I could go for one of Richard Maguires wagon vices. I guess i may then need the overhang at the end but if ultimately it's going to be a better option then so be it.

 

[marcros]

well, for me, I would prefer to be able to trap a piece flat on the top, trapping it between a bench dog and the wagon vice. The tail vice is more for holding work, an alternative to the face vice. The Chris Schwarz book covers the various details in depth, i think. But my copy is buried in my workshop at the moment. I will try to get to it tomorrow evening.

I havent read the full thread- what do you mean by overhang? I presume that is an issue?

 

[Zeddedhed]

Thanks Marcros.

From what you've said I think that for my needs the Twin Screw is probably the best option. Mostly it will be used for holding pieces but can also be used like a wagon vice if the moveable jaw has a dog hole or two drilled into it thus allowing me to trap a board between dogs or even use it for glue ups.

Regarding the overhang I was referring to the fact that on my current design the legs are located very close to the ends of the bench. From what I can make out a wagon vice would require me to mount the RHS leg frame about 18 inches in from the end of the bench.

Hope that makes sense.

Pete

 

[marcros]

ah i see now.

i think that the twin screw would be easier now too. If you were at the design stage, there wouldnt be as much in it, but it sounds like the twin screw will be more useful to you anyway.