My version of a work bench.
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The first two legs are done apart from cutting to length. Now it’s time for a mundane task: lapping together scraps to make one lamination for each of the rear legs. With studs for two-bucks, it’s a senseless economy. However it lets me practice some more skills including the router plane.
This Hem/Fir is plenty tough, as I found out. After the crosscut, a chisel split out most of the waste from the end of the lap. Some years ago I inherited a Stanley 71, but this was the first time to try using it.
To support it over the distance, 2x4s were lined up next to the work piece. Some of the time it was with the grain other times across the grain. Often across worked better than it’s the grain. On the first piece, a couple of knots prevented the router from cleaning everything up. A block plane took care of that, and the surface looked pretty good.
The second piece was just tough. I gave up on the router, and largely used chisels, again both with and across the grain. With the grain was really hard on this piece. And the block plane was only good for the very final cleanup. This piece wasn’t as pretty when finished, but the fit up between the two was good. We’ll see how it looks when the clamps come off.
Started my first mortise on one of the rear legs. There is wane on the edge where the boards are glued up. Wasn’t sure if this s/b a problem, but it wasn’t.
Now on to the tenon and fitting the two together
I’ve completed my first real m&t joint. The next one will have cleaner lines around the edge, but this one has a nice snug square fit up.
My tenon saw may make look a bit odd, but the first two picture are really about clamping up material without a vise.
There is a Klemsa style long jaw clamp above, and below, the table surface. The jaws extend just beyond the work surface. The Klemsas are held in place by a pair of metal bar clamps squeezing the Klemsas’ fixed jaws together against the work surface. This Rube Goldberg rig held the stock more rigidly than it had a right to. I my be channeling my inner Paul.
Long cuts offer plenty of time to think, and I was reminded of Bob Davies. He was a finish carpenter, nearing retirement, who worked for my father in the mid ’50s thru the mid ’60s. I was a young boy, even in his later years, and have no memory of the 50s. But I do remember that Bob had a trick or an aid for just about any task and if I was around he loved to show me. He didn’t have much use for power tools. Back them I think power tools were mostly limited to saws for framing. I remember my Dad had a Delta overhead radial arm saw mounted on a trailer chassis to be towed around to the where ever the framers were working. So I’m not sure many of them even used regular Skil Saws.
Anyway, Bob had a lovely stroke when sawing, even a young boy could see that. It seemed effortless and flew through the wood. And in my mind, I was trying to mimic Bob’s stroke while cutting that tenon. It was a nice memory.
Rick G.
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This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by
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This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by
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This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by
You must have been listening when Paul said to use what you got and make it work. Good job.
Thanks Dean. So much to learn, so little time.
A little more progress
More mortise action
I was having trouble getting the ends of my mortises as clean as I’d like. So I started with the knife-wall and grew it into a chisel-wall per below. We’ll see how this turns out.
I also completed the first set of legs (except trimming the tops). Not the neatest, but square and plumb with snug joints.
Bad planning located a mortice through a knot. Lesson learned after very many tiny cuts.
In other news, the legs need to be trimmed for length, and mortice cut for a rear stretcher. Then I can start fitting the top. Meanwhile, I’ve started to fit a vise on the end.
Looks good so far, looking forward to seeing the finished product.
I had similar bad planning problems with my mortises and housing dados. Not sure I’ve learned my lesson yet though!
I’m starting to fit the main vise (old Wilton QR) prior to fitting the front apron. The hole is cut in the apron and I plan to turn everything upside down so I’m not struggling to hold up the roughly 50 lbs of iron in ackward positions.
Meanwhile I’ve scored a few nice saws on eBay included a 5-1/2 point rip, two 14″ backsaws, a nice panel saw that was listed as x-cut but appears to be rip, and a newer but still nice crosscut. So it’s time to start sharpening.
Consequently, I made a simple saw vise to fit in my end vice per the picture.
The vises have been hung, but need some fettling. As part of this, the front apron was fitted using lag screws. The rebates for the legs aren’t yet cut, hence it’s not yet time for glue, but that will come soon enough.
Meanwhile, there have been lots of little side projects. The small vise now has 1/2″ oak (because it was on hand) jaws, with one face fitted with suede. I’ve finished my simple saw vise except the suede lining. The jaws got a coat of oil today, so the suede can be glued tomorrow. I made a strop from a piece of poplar and some more suede. And I’m working on some holiday gifts. Picture is roughing out a spatula.
Rebates and vise hole are cut. Now the front apron is gluing up.
The stringer on my legs will set directly on top of the rail. Under consideration is tying it to the posts with a large dovetail. The question is can I get the length accurate enough to match the rails? Or should I use a method that floats atop the rails?
Time to ponder.
Holidays are over and I’m slowly gearing up on the workbench.
A few pictures of progress are attached.I freehanded the stopcuts for my leg as a test. After eight of them, only one was measurably out of square and then in one dimension only. I was pleased with the result.
OTOH you can see in the final picture that one of the legs has a Dutchman near the top.
Cheers to all,
Rick G
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