Workbench Progress
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Great benches all over here! I started to read this thread the day before yesterday and it took me quite some time to come through. Might be the longest so far? Well, thanks to George I spent half of the time reading in Richard Maquire’s Blog and I really like his approach to the classic joiner’s bench many of us have built in a less complicated way. The one illustrating his post on people telling him that his benches are almost too pretty to work on is the one that makes me daydreaming since. What a beauty!
The head with the handle of the wooden screw of the front vise stands prominent a lot more than the head of the record type vise. I know that the wooden screw head has to be as big to withstand the mechanics. What I wonder about is if this could present an obstacle to the workflow. I know we stand left or right of the vise most of the time and seldomly in front. Well, just a thought.
20 March 2013 at 12:10 am #9632When I saw Paul at the Columbus woodworking show I took note of his bench set-up. My shop is very small, 8ft x 9ft, so I need all the storage I can get. So I added a shelf and a drawer. Real happy with it so far…this was my first attempt at half blind dovetails and drawer construction.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.20 March 2013 at 10:37 am #9652Great idea Gregory. I will put this on my to-do list. Am I right to say you also attached a back to close the shelf and drawer?
27 March 2013 at 3:21 am #10077After seeing all the great work in this thread and getting fed up with my old bench, I’m about to embark on building a new bench. I’m trying to reduce the amount of boards I need to laminate (just trying to reduce steps). My question is this: how far can I push this lamination reduction?
It seems like the work surface itself will benefit from the stability of lamination. I plan to use laminated 4x4s (actual measurement 3.5 x 3.5) for the work surface (half as many boards to prep).
But what about the aprons and tool well? I was thinking that I could use 2x12s (which actually measure 1.5×11.25) for both these components. Any foreseeable problems? Anybody tried this?
Thanks,
Justin
27 March 2013 at 12:06 pm #10085You can use solid timbers without a problem providing they don’t change shape while in storage. Bigger boards move more than smaller ones. I think the reason Paul uses 2×4 and 2×6 timber is because it’s more readily available here in the UK.
If you get the bigger timbers to reduce laminations, make sure that you reduce the chance of it bowing/cupping between you buying it and using it. Make sure you store it out of direct sunlight, and put stickers (thin pieces of timber) between the boards so air can circulate freely around it. If one side loses or gains moisture quicker than the other, the board will change shape and you’ll have to spend some time getting it flat again!
I may be building another bench at some point this year and I’ll do the same as you – get the biggest timbers I can.
George.
27 March 2013 at 2:44 pm #10099Thanks, George. You confirmed what I suspected: no big problems with warping/twisting/movement once installed, just an initial flattening problem. I live within walking distance of the lumber yard, so I suppose I could laminate the top, assemble the legs, and then, only once I’m ready for them, I can go buy the flattest, straightest 2x12s I can find, and install them that day. Should be easy enough to time it right (fingers crossed).
Justin
Anonymous27 March 2013 at 7:30 pm #10102IMHO holdfast are extremely handy to have as additional means of fixing workpieces in place on the bench top or apron face as you work. They’re available in either traditional “hammer” or screw down format from various suppliers.
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