Workbench Progress
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- This topic has 367 replies, 51 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by Mexiquite.
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Anonymous25 December 2012 at 11:14 pm #5622
Once the the motise and tenons are done, I think we will be well on the way Kevin. I look forward to seeing some pics of your bench, when she is all done. 😉
27 December 2012 at 8:28 pm #5643Hi Ken
I can recommend the Irwin Record 10″ quick release vice No 53ED that I fitted to my bench . It cost £164 . It is a very heavy solid bit of kit
I was also getting withdrawal symptoms went to B&Q yesterday and bought the wood for the tool tote , now built just needs a coat of finish
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Anonymous27 December 2012 at 11:47 pm #5651Hey David
Thanks buddy, I have also been looking at some vices here. Quality seems ok going by the reviews, but a fast difference in price……..http://www.axminster.co.uk/vices–woodworking-dept208032_pg1/?sessionid=cca350f84b07da895590420e79eecba7eba68815
I have starten a new thread for vice’s hear…………https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/topic/workbench-vice/ HaHa no stopping you buddy, I have got nothing done today. Still by the time my bench is finished, I will have plenty of projects to go at. 🙂
Ken 😉
Anonymous3 January 2013 at 8:31 pm #6115Finally got started on chopping out the mortices. The first one was slow going, but the next one was quicker. Working from home I only have limited times that I can do the chopping out, I don’t want to upset the neighbours.
3 January 2013 at 10:57 pm #6120I can identify with that Ken. My first mortise was pretty ugly. Taking the time to regrind a square edge across my chisel helped quite a bit for the second one, I don’t have a 1/2″ chisel for my main set so I was using a home center type I’ve had for years that was a bit off square, and sanding a bit of texture onto the plastic handle helped even more in preventing it from twisting. I have to be sensitive to my neighbors as well, I’m hoping a heavier, proper workbench will help reduce the noise level of tasks like this. I did finish finish fitting the mortises and tenons on one of my leg assemblies today, and they got progressively better on both aspects. Like most projects, about the time I’m finished with this one I’ll be able to say I know everything I need to make the next one perfect. Unfortunately, there rarely is a next one 🙂
Thanks Juryaan.
My bench is 92ins (2.33metres) long – (2.4 metre lengths glued together then ends trimmed off).
I bought PAR timber. £3 per metre (inc. VAT ) for 50mm x 100mm (2 x 4) from my local timber yard was not much more expensive than the rough sawn timber from B&Q. Turning 2.4m boards round in a 2m high, 2m wide garage is not easy, so buying PAR timber made a lot of sense for working in Autumn and Winter.
The worktops are 12″ (30cm) wide including the edge of the apron, the aprons and well are 11″ (28cm) wide, and the top of the bench is 37 1/2″ high (95cm) high. I like that height, – it is much better for my back, and I am much closer to my work for marking etc..
I’ve fitted the legs 9″ (23cm) from the ends. I did consider putting the legs closer together, but I did some sketches to see how the bench would look. It didn’t look right!
The cramped space in the garage makes it even more important to fully rehearse the gluing and clamping. I was caught out a few times by not rehearsing properly!
The Axminster aluminium clamps are fine. I think the aluminium is thicker on these compared to some of the cheaper ones I have seen. I haven’t yet fitted the wood strips inside them, but will do one day. They do torque as they are tightened, so you need to use one hand to keep them straight.
I have found the Axminster bar clamps to be very useful. They can be tightened with one hand whilst the other hand holds the work. They are much more versatile than the aluminium sash clamps, and have a bigger throat depth, but they are also more expensive.
6 January 2013 at 3:24 pm #6183Great work Jeff. I also want to start building a workbench using Paul’s design. On his Artisan woodworking book and videos both show the workbench that you are building with one very thick bench top on one side and the well board on the other. So the bench will be heavier on one side. On this heavy side is where the vise will be added making it even heavier on one side where one will be cutting wood, pounding on wood etc. I’m sure the workbench will not tip and will be sturdy enough but on looking at Paul’s projects, like episode 1 on the wall clock, I see that his workbench has two bench tops on opposite sides and a well board in the middle. Also on his YouTube videos he laminated two bench tops but hasn’t posted putting the workbench together yet. I think that having two bench tops on either side with a well board in the middle would make a more balanced workbench even if you put a vice on one side. It may not make a difference one way or the other but I would like to hear from others on this before I getting started. Thank you.
6 January 2013 at 3:53 pm #6186Rod…I built my workbench per the book. It is very stable and solid and has been a joy to work on. I believe that the two top version is to accommodate two people. If your bench is going to be against the wall the single top version is the way to go. However, if you have the room to put your bench in the middle of your shop floor, then you should consider the two top version. It comes down to a question of space and/or application not stability. Either version should serve you very well. Look forward to seeing your completed bench.
7 January 2013 at 3:42 am #6206Thanks for the reply Greg. I will move forward with the single bench top design. Around where I live there are not a lot of places to buy wood except big box stores and I have not been happy at all with the quality of their wood. I found a local place last week that only sells hardwoods and found their prices quite reasonable but they sell mostly large planks and quality plywood, no 2×4 lumber etc. and no pine like at the big box stores. The typical red oak planks they sell are approximately 1-3/4”x14”x12’. I figure I could cut a plank in half, plane it dead flat and glue the two halves together. This is a bit different than the way Paul laminated his bench top. Any thoughts on laminating planks? Never done that before. Thanks.
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