Bench modifications
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George the bench modifications are coming along great. The drawer looks well done indeed. They do have a tendency to fill up quick though. Keep us posted.
http://hillbillydaiku.com
George you have done some modifications to your bench. I did make a clamp rack on the right side which holds ( 9 ) of the “cheapie” Harbor Freight clamps that have been modified like Paul’s are. So far I like the clamps as they are much lighter than my Bessy’s which in my opinion are to heavy and awkward for the projects I am currently making. Like the chisel boxes etc.
I do want to add a drawer or double drawer but am not sure how the runners are made for the aprons and drawers, by any chance do you have a picture or can you describe what you did.
I also plan on adding Holdfast holes and a bench stop in front of my vice, maybe this week end and am not sure I want to close the bottom in with a shelf or not. So far my bench hasn’t moved or racked which is good and I am really enjoying the solidness and height of this bench.
Steve
Steve Massie, I live in the great State of Florida, US
@smassiesr Sorry for not replying sooner. The drawer just sits on a couple of ash runners screwed to the inside of the aprons – based on what Greg did for his. Photo attached. For the second drawer, which will be deeper, I’m going to do what Paul did for his and plough a groove into the drawer sides and have the runner run in that groove. You can see some photos in this thread: https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/discussions/topic/half-way-through-the-nine-day-course/page/2/
My workshop floor is 19mm spruce boards which are lovely and springy but don’t give a solid base for the workbench so I’ve ended up screwing the bench to a ply base to stop it wobbling when I saw in the vise.
Hope this helps.
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
George thank you those pictures helped a lot and now I will proceed accordingly. I think those features will surely add to all ready very nice Bench which I am pleased with.
Thanks again !
Steve
Steve Massie, I live in the great State of Florida, US
My bench is fairly small and I want to add some low end weight to it. My plan was to add a shelf between the legs to place some bricks, and store boards, etc on top of that.
Would the best way to do that be a shelf with dadoes across the bottom crossbars, or is that weight not a good idea for the crossbars? Is there a better way, or standard way to do something like that?
@jochs99 The way I did it is working out well, Jay. I put a spruce rail between the two leg trestles (pic in one of the posts on the first page of this thread), planed it flush with the trestles, then screwed a sheet of 18mm hardwood ply on top. It’s very solid and should be able to take a good amount of weight. I also cut notches in the leg trestle rails for the spruce rail to sit in – pic attached here.
Hope this helps.
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
George, thanks for the advice. I see what you have done, and I think this makes a lot more sense than what I had in mind. It looks like you have even enclosed the space under the bench on three sides? I like the idea and I’m going to see what I can do.
George, I’ve just finished adding the crossrail. It seems to have added some nice stability to my little bench right away, even without the shelf or added weight, so I’m quite happy about it already. Thanks for the advice. Your pictures were quite helpful.
Glad it helped, Jay. Nice work!
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
I need to raise mine a bit too. The workbench was the first thing 1 ever made, so it isn’t perfect. One leg a little short, top not quite flat and so forth. I think I will just build another one instead of just modifying.
George nice job on the bench, your drawer looks great.
Steve
Steve Massie, I live in the great State of Florida, US
I have been thinking about adding some bench holes to my workbench. Anyone that has done this have tips on layout or drilling? I find myself having to use clamps a good bit to hold things that don’t work well with my vise.
I used the technique in that video for drilling the holes square – it’s a good trick. I couldn’t find a 19mm brad point bit though, so used this one instead:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/armeg-wood-beaver-drill-bit-hex-shank
It worked ok but actually cuts too quickly. It really pulls itself into the wood and if you’re not bearing down on the guide jig with all your body weight (which is especially difficult on the holes at the back of the bench) it can easily go slightly off track. Doesn’t make a huge difference though – my holdfasts still grip well in all the holes.In terms of where to bore dog holes, there’s no right answer. It’s all down to how you want to actually use them. I bored two just to the left of my vise to use the planing stop, then a row of three about 3″ from the front, and the same from the back, at 12″ centers. I chose that spacing based on the reach of my holdfasts as that’s what they’re going to be used for. It’s the least number of holes to bore where I can grip anything with a holdfast anywhere on my bench except for about a 1″ section on the diagonal, which I can’t see myself needing as it’s right in the middle of the bench top. I can always add more if I need them. Attached a photo that might help explain.
Another bench modification I made was to make a simple saw peg using the same technique I used for hanging the shelf unit. Unfortunately, I only have one closed handle saw so will have to come up with something different for my open handle dovetail saw. Pic attached. For the curious, it’s a 14″ 13PPI Robert Groves & Sons saw – absolutely love it! Filed as per the video on here. Zero rake, small secondary bevel on each tooth, minimal set.
Also attached a pic of the shelf at one end of the bench. Just a piece of 18mm ply, screwed into the bottom of the aprons. It’s a nice place for my planes to sit. Picked up the idea from the school, where all the benches have this tweak.
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
George and Ken… thanks for the links and info. I appreciate it.
George, I noticed your saw bench in one of the pictures… that’s a project I will be working on soon.
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