PDA

View Full Version : Workbench WIP P6



Dust Mite
1st August 2006, 05:01 PM
I didnt go to work today, didnt get a lot of sleep.
I thought I had ruptured a vein in my right leg just above the knee. Very sore and felt like I had been bruised hard.

Turns out old age is finally starting to catch up with me. The diagnosis was varicose veins in the medial leg area both above , around and behind the knee. I had been doing a lot of kneeling and squatting down at work yesterday and this coupled with years of heavy lifting has caused some vein damage.

By lunch time I was bored silly so decided to wander out to the shed for a bit of a muck about. Anything to kill the boredom.

I did this over a period of a couple of hours. After that I started to get a little sore again and stopped.
The vise jaw and back plate are made from jarrah. A chap I did a job for donated it. I said thanks, but until today didnt have a use for it.

The vice is old. I have yet to identify it as it has no markings and doesnt bear any resemblance to the vises produced in the last 50 or 60 years. Would love to know where it is from. The cabinetmaker that gave it to me is Swedish so it may be a european vise.

I decided to fit the hardware for the vise


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/KiwiGremlin/workbench%202/bench014Medium.jpg


All bolted down and aligned

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/KiwiGremlin/workbench%202/bench017Medium.jpg

I placed the jaw face in place and meaured the full opening. With the vice face 50mm thick it left 180mm of travel. Plenty for all but the biggest jobs.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/KiwiGremlin/workbench%202/bench021Medium.jpg

And heres a view right side up

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/KiwiGremlin/workbench%202/bench026Medium.jpg

Wood Butcher
1st August 2006, 05:14 PM
Looks great, sorry to hear about the leg though.

Where did you get the vice from. I've never seen one like that before.

Dust Mite
1st August 2006, 06:45 PM
I got the vise locally at Raglan on the west coast of the North Island, about 45 mins drive away.

It was lying around in a heap of rusting almost unidentifiable lumps of steel and iron.These had been stored away by the cabinetmakers over the years and had obviously been updated or forgotten until I asked where to get similar vise gear.

In the corner of one room at the cabinet makers was the pile of ironware.

I should mention the room itself. It was the owners inner sanctum so to speak, secluded, not too well lit, with a very old workbench somewhat along the lines of this one but very well warn and neglected.
http://www.workbenches.com/

I really wish I had taken a photo of this room but alas I didnt have the camera that day.

Harry72
1st August 2006, 07:50 PM
Nice job on the bench, so whats the 1st project to be made using it?

Hope the leg heals soon.

Dust Mite
2nd August 2006, 04:29 PM
Well there is a project or ten that I have in mind. But as we have just brought a new house the LOML has asked for some more bookcases, but I have decided that a pair of these http://www.craftsmanhome.com/furniture/hile/HS0010.html will be the first project for the new bench, oh and in all likelihood a couple of easels as well.

I'm gonna be a busy boy for the next few months as the new garage workshop is somewhat smaller than what I have now.

So I will be studying all those piccies here of smaller workshops.

RufflyRustic
2nd August 2006, 04:41 PM
Nice job on the bench, so whats the 1st project to be made using it?

Hope the leg heals soon.

An ottoman so Dust Mite can rest his leg :rolleyes:

Veryvery VERY nice vice and bench.

Great photos - Thanks!

Cheers
Wendy