A Tale of 3 Benches

**Garrett in Cda** · 24th October 2004, 10:38 AM

When we bought a house and remodeled the kitchen in 1997, I salvaged some of the old oak cabinets. One set was quickly transformed into an urgently needed bench with a top made of 2 pieces of ¾” MDF laminated together. With a couple of Record vise clones installed, it served me well. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com

ffice

ffice" /><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Original%20bench.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

However, I always wanted a “proper bench”, and ended up making a pair that meet my needs<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

The first new bench is 60” x 24” x 25” h. <o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Assembly%20cabt.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

Its primary purpose is storage so really heavy duty construction wasn’t a requirement. The case is ¾” melamine particle board faced with maple. The drawers are 5/8” Baltic birch, and the sides attach to the faces with sliding dovetails. The rest of the construction is standard. All 8 run on full extension slides.<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Big%20Drawers.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

The second new bench (70”x24”x35” h) was finished yesterday, and required less than 20 hours.<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Planing.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

I laminated three layers of maple for the legs, and 2 for the upper stretchers. Since my shop is in the basement, the frame members bolt together. A Forstner bit made the holes for the fender washers and nyloc nuts, a mortising machine squared one end of each hole, and a roundover bit smoothed the edges on both side.<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Hole.JPG><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

Before drilling the holes, I had marked center lines to the butt ends of the frames, and that made it easy to transfer the lines to the legs. I made a simple jig to ensure that the matching holes did match, and used a long brad point bit to drill both the legs and the frames.

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Drilling%20straight.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

It was a treat to assemble them and have everything line up. <o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Better%20ends.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

The extra holes in the first end unit are for the Record vise clone in stead of an end vise, because I have two of them sitting idle since buying a patternmaker’s vise earlier this year, and because I also have the Veritas bench top system.

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Bench%20System.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

The more I thought about laminating 26 pieces of maple to make the top, the more attractive laminating 2 pieces of 1" birch plywood seemed. The following day, I jointed one edge, ripped the other parallel, and used my sled to square the two ends.
<o

></o

>
<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Squaring%20ends.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

When that was done, I edged it with 1” of maple. It produced a perfectly good surface, but just doesn’t look and feel “proper”, so I’ll be making the solid maple top one of these days.
<o

></o

>
Installing the Emmert was a bit of work, but not so daunting the second time around. The bench top requires a mortise for the plate easily done with a template and a 3/4” straight pattern bit in a router.<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Pattern%20Cutout.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

Undercutting the top for the Emmert’s short barrel was straight mallet and chisel work. The flexibility of the Emmert makes up for its lack of gentility.<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Emmert.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

I made a bench assistant from a piece of 6” wide x 1” maple and screwed a French cleat (15° bevel) to the face of the front stretcher with a similar piece on the back of the assistant. A spacer block on the back near the bottom holds it vertical by resting against the lower stretcher. The ¾” holes accept a Veritas bench dog. When not needed, the assistant lifts off and stores out of the way on the end of the bench, hanging from another piece of cleat.<o

></o

>

<o

> </o

>

<img src=http://members.shaw.ca/glia/Bench%20Jack%201.jpg><o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

The finish is a couple of coats of thinned poly as a sealer, sanded to 150, followed by 2 coats of buffed Minwax. <o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

I haven’t yet drilled the ¾” holes for the Veritas bench top system since I’m still working out the ideal locations.<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>

<o

></o

>
<o

>Cheers, Garrett </o

>
<o

> </o

>

<o

></o

>

**gpsmith** · 24th October 2004, 01:33 PM

Congratulations Garrett,
You should be proud of your efforts.
Well done.
I am green with envy

Greg

**derekcohen** · 24th October 2004, 03:55 PM

Hi Garrett

That is a great bench. I'm sure you will enjoy your woodworking all the more for it. Pretty nice vise as well. Do you use it much for angled work?

The one addition I will suggest is a stop for planning, as per the picture below (no, not my bench, but I used this pic to build one onto my bench, today actually). What I like about it is that it is variable in height and its width gives great support.

Oh, and I like the Berg chisels in the background. You are a man of impeccable taste!

Regards from Perth

Derek

**Garrett in Cda** · 25th October 2004, 02:09 AM

Hi Derek

Sharp eyes!

These chisels were among my first purchases of truly good tools. I bought them on impulse and without understanding their worth when I saw them in a small local hardware store in Toronto in 1964. (Wow! 40 years ago.)

The true value of good tools only becomes obvious by comparison and with experience. I have since purchased more chisels, some of them almost as good as the Eskilstunas, but even if the others are closer to hand I almost always go get the Swedes.

Thanks for the tip on the stop for planing. Good idea and an easy addition to make.Cheers, Garrett

**Garrett in Cda** · 25th October 2004, 02:21 AM

The short answer to your question is that I don't use all of its features very often, but I do use some of them enough to justify the cost (US$200 from Woodcraft in the USA) and to accept the absence of the grace possessed by traditional wooden vises. Mine is actually a Taiwanese clone of the old Emmert that went out of production many years ago, but precision and finish are excellent. If you are a Lee Valley Tools fan, they produce a much more expensive adaptation called the Tucker. Wonderful space age materials plus a foot-pedal quick release feature. However, the Tucker doesn't have the accessory internal jaw for awkwardly shaped workpieces. (Although I thought I'd miss the QR function, I don't, becasue the screw on the Emert is very efficient.

Here are some photos of what it can do mounted on the old bench:

Normal position (12" ruler for scale) 4 dogs pull up for odd-shaped objects

Front jaw tilts to either side for non-parallel surfaces

Face rotated 180 to bring small jaws to the top. 4 pins pull out to hold odd shaped objects

Opens to more than 12"

Accessory jaw for angled objects

Angled and rotated for best access to workpiece

Vertical position and rotated

It's a terrific example of engineering from an era long past, but it's one of those ugly ducklings one loves. Or not.

Cheers, Garrett

Thread: A Tale of 3 Benches

Thread Tools

Search Thread

A Tale of 3 Benches

Congrats!

Berg Chisels

Patternmaker's Vise - Lots more Photos

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions