Workbench…beginnings.
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Projects / Workbench…beginnings.
- This topic has 46 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by Franco.
-
AuthorPosts
-
First look at a nearly finished bench.
I have cut wedges out of walnut which are holding the bench together, I think when I drive them to their ‘home’ position the bench will be solid enough. I have to concede that cutting them was nigh on impossible; hence you won’t be seeing them just yet as they look like they have been savaged by a well-built wild animal! Getting them to depth so I can secure them with a wooden swinging-gate mechanism is also a problem.
There has been a certain amount of frustration getting to this stage, as the working environment and stability of my table is an issue. Still, I’m determined to get to the finishing line one way or the other.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.19 April 2014 at 7:48 pm #56270It’s looking really good. I can sympathies with you, building a bench without a bench has some challenges. But I’m always excited to see someones bench coming together because I know how much a workbench will change the way that they work. Everything seams a little easier. Your almost there.
20 April 2014 at 12:10 am #56275Well done keep up the good work. 😉
I agree with Greg. The stability alone makes life so much easier and combined with a good vice will make things that much easier todo.I seem to have hit a roadblock. As you can see by the photo with the very dodgy arrow, I can only bore through the apron to this narrow bit of the leg, as the apron is too short and doesn’t clear the bearer.
In a bid to keep the bench proportioned, I made the aprons a little short, which I’m wondering now whether this was such a wise choice. I don’t know whether I can land on that arrow to secure a bolt. There’s no margin for error.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.23 April 2014 at 6:59 pm #56374Paul used lag screws in his YouTube series bench. Driven dead center into the leg. That is what I would do in this case.
Part 10 shows the installation of the lag screws.23 April 2014 at 9:05 pm #56378OK I see the issue. You have two choices. Drill the hole for the bolt and be dead on all four times, or glue an additional strip to your aprons so you can install the bolt or lag screw below the rail.
Personally, I would add to the aprons.Adding to the aprons is the most logical I guess, but I didn’t want to entertain it, as it means more troublesome planing on a shaky table. Against my better judgement – and your advice – I may go for the less desirable option. Hopefully it will work out.
Thanks Greg.
Thanks Diego. The bench seems stable enough when I drive the wedges home; I think you may have read about the unstable table I am building on (the grey ugly thing in some of my photo’s). However, I think you’re right that adding to the aprons will make it more stable and is the best way forward. I think I’ll have to mull it over and see which way to go. Cheers.
Hi,
I’m with Greg on this and would take the time now to add another strip to each of the aprons. You’ve done so well up ’till now, it’d be a shame to opt for second best. You’ll have to use this bench for years to come so much better to get it right now. As Paul says:”The penalty for inaccuracy is more work”. 😉 You can plane the aprons while clamping them to the semi-made bench if you don’t want to use the rickety table again.If you really can’t face it though, another couple of options for you might be to either use bed bolts or to cut a channel along the inside face of each bearer and run a threaded bar right through from one side of the bench to the other. If you use say an M10 bar, you wont need to remove much wood and it wouldn’t impact on the strength of the bearer. Just drill through the apron enough to mark the location of where to cut your channel then start cutting.
30 April 2014 at 3:08 pm #56615Jon, the options you suggest are undoubtedly better (and “cleaner”) than using L brackets! Thank you for your reply! Very useful!
I thought that L brackets (installed using bolts) could help in avoiding lengthwise oscillations.[Jon, is the following link a plausible representation for the first option: http://www.finewoodworking.com/uploadedimages/Fine_Woodworking_Network/Image_Resources/Web_Only/align-bed-bolts-01_lg.jpg ? Thank you again!]
PS: obviously adding a strip to the apron is the best choice.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.