Bench build ( might be of use for members with disability or injury)

**Redbog** · 13th February 2015, 06:27 PM

Not sure if this is correct spot for this thread? Maybe Safety? Anyway, this thread is dedicated to Fletty for sharing his fingerectomy drama for all our benefit, and also to Glenrob, who continues to battle on heroically.

A year ago, unbearable pain in L arm, and no feeling in L hand and fingers, led to a diagnosis finally, of bone spurs growing within vertabrae C6&C7, into the nerves that operate L hand and arm. The only solution is an operation where they go in, remove the disc, bore out the bone spurs, and place a titanium wafer in place of the disc. The C6 and C7 naturally grow exterior bone in self defence, which fuses the 2 discs. The operation is an ACDF, ( as opposed to ACDC!), anterior cervical discectomy & fusion. Surgeon said, "no lifting, no physical work, or else"! Had wanted to build my first real workbench for years, and figured that 8 weeks in an Aspen collar, and a long rehab period after, would be the perfect chance, if I could only figure out how to do it, while basically buggared.
Long research showed mortice and tenon to be the go for frame, but how to do, when too feeble to be bashing out mortices? Wanted to use pine, ( workable, light, forgiving, and available, plus my blokes at the landfill had pulled about 20 lengths of 90 by 45 from a dumped pack for me!).
Eventually figured out to glue-laminate 3 layers of 63mm by 19mm radiata, ( with suitable gaps to act as a through mortice) for the posts, and 3 layers of 130mm by 19mm ( with the 2 outer layers shorter than the center to act as tenons) for the rails.

Had the op, ( character building in the extreme), followed by 6 weeks in an Aspen collar, ( the H.D. plastic jobs - no fun). Eventually got out to the shed, and family helpers hung a 500kg capacity handy billy, ( a.k.a. come-along or lever action chain block ) from the roof frame for me. The posts were ok, light to mark and cut. Used Titebond and good quality G clamps with pads, due to being feeble. Rails weren't too bad either. Daughter's boyfriend helped me assemble frame, used 1/2" dowels, pointed, and draw bored the joints. Did not need to clamp.
Family helpers, ran the 90 by 45's through the thicknesser to remove the grooving, and stacked them on the frame for me. Glued them a couple at a time, so I could handle by sliding them without lifting. TitebondIII again, and screw type clamps. The overhead lifting gear was grouse, as when the top was finished, no one could lift it!
Photo 1 shows the bare frame, the "bridges" on the rails, are to elevate the top, to allow clamping below, and also a gap to easily fit the pair of Record vices.
Photo 2 shows the top, thick and heavy as per research showed was needed, after the belt sanding fairies had been
Photo 3 shows the general finished article with Moxon style vice ( ex Benchcrafted, supply your own jaws - mountain ash and jarrah) for dovetail work.
Bench is hardly up to Derek Cohen standards, but I'm very happy with it given the state I was in. The thought just occurred to me that someone else battling physically, might benefit from the laminating idea. Cheers, Harry (Redbog)

Bench build ( might be of use for members with disability or injury)-bench-frame-view-jpg

Bench build ( might be of use for members with disability or injury)-bench-frame-view-jpg

Bench build ( might be of use for members with disability or injury)-bench-moxon-vice-jpg

Bench build ( might be of use for members with disability or injury)-bench-top-jpg

**Cliff Rogers** · 13th February 2015, 07:40 PM

Good on ya for the forza di volontà.

Don't let the cook see it, it will end up in the kitchen.

Nice job, better looking work bench that a lot of blokes have in their shed.

**rwbuild** · 13th February 2015, 09:18 PM

Gee, that's superb for someone who has been through what you have.

Imagine what can be done when your not hindered.

**Sawdust Maker** · 13th February 2015, 09:48 PM

great

heaps better than my bench build!

**Pac man** · 13th February 2015, 09:52 PM

Very nice.

(Got a link to that bench build Nick?

)

**Sawdust Maker** · 13th February 2015, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by Pac man

Very nice.

(Got a link to that bench build Nick?

)

yeah

**Redbog** · 14th February 2015, 07:11 PM

Fellas, Thank you for your kind thoughts, I was just acting on the thought someone else might be battling a bit. I'm not 100%, three fingers in L hand are still numb, but surgeon says the nerves regrow at a rate of 1mm per week, so might be a long while yet! Unbearable pain is gone, so big bonus there. I really won lotto this 2014 year, not! Diagnosed with very agressive prostate cancer while still in the collar. Total prostatectomy,April 2014, back at work now, have had 3 lots of 3 month tests, all clear so far. Being alive is a big bonus, and SWBO and I have been drawn so close by all this, when before we were just drifting along.

Cliff, You had me puzzled with the "forza di volontà". Google is a wonderful thing, but I don't recall Cliff being a widely known Italian name!

A concretor mate of mine let me know about "nel tempo libero", which I think loosely translates as " in my spare time"!My motto at work!

Sawdust maker, rwbuild, and Pac man can have these for free with my thanks for their kind remarks, I have these up in my shed to avoid hubris! ( did anyone else have to study compulsory Latin in 1965??!!) Both remarks attributable to my late dad Leo, on innumerable occasions when "I were a lad".

*Postulo bis incidere quondam.
* Neque enem id facerem, si tibi me.
Thanks to all, frat, Harry (Redbog)

**Cliff Rogers** · 15th February 2015, 01:52 AM

Originally Posted by Redbog

Cliff, You had me puzzled with the "forza di volontà". Google is a wonderful thing, but I don't recall Cliff being a widely known Italian name!

My wife is of Italian heritage. She actually uses a dialect word for it that I can't find with Google.

**fletty** · 15th February 2015, 09:56 AM

Thank you Harry, I am honoured ...and what a beautiful bench!
to have done such work post op is a credit to you!
Will PM later but would love to see some more pics especially of the vise?
fletty

**Redbog** · 15th February 2015, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by fletty

Thank you Harry, I am honoured ...and what a beautiful bench!
to have done such work post op is a credit to you!
Will PM later but would love to see some more pics especially of the vise?
fletty

Hi Fletty,
Benchcrafted, ( USA), will supply a kit for you to build your own Moxon style vice. From memory it was about $150 AUD, and about $50 more to get it here.Their postage rates are A1 compared to others. They supply two ACME threaded rods (3/4"), 2 nuts per rod, 2 massive washers per rod,"wheel nuts", plans, and a length of suede to cut and glue to the fixed jaw and moving jaw, so you don't mar your work when clamping. You supply your own timber for jaws, and the spacing between rods is a little variable. There is 510mm clearance between them on mine
If you carefully mark out the fixed jaw at your desired spacing, you can drill a 20mm hole (rather than 3/4"), for a slight clearance, then through clamp the rod with the two nuts. Mark out the hex shape on the clamping side, and a very sharp chisel will easily chop out your hex shape, to the nut depth plus a tad.
I used a 50mm piece of Vic ash for the fixed jaw, ( because Mathews Timber had an offcut 50mm by 760mm pretty cheap). (After the op, the surgeon had a new wing on his house and all kids off to St Moritz!)

I had a piece of jarrah left from another project, 38mm thick, 700mm long. Just routed the edges for decoration, with lightweight De Walt router. Clamped the moving jaw to to fixed jaw, and drilled through holes with a Forstner bit. Then, ( you have to clamp, and use a drill press), you have to elongate the holes to an elliptical shape, or the moving jaw binds when clamping. I was concerned the workpiece might chatter,when dovetailing, because the clamping surface ends maybe 50mm below bench surface. Not so, it works fine. Mounting was countersunk 125mm bugle batten screws in 360 stainless, ( daughter's boyfriend doing the grunt work again)!

In the pics, (for scale), the Veritas bevel up smoother has a sole length of 11", and the "pencil case", ( with drying crystals inside, I made while crook, to store it in), is about 400mm long, excluding lid.My only criticism of the Benchcrafted kit, is it seems to be cast steel and mild steel, if you are not careful, it rusts in a heartbeat.

Cheers to all, Harry (Redbog)

**Christos** · 25th February 2015, 05:45 PM

Quite a remarkable story, I have a friend who has gone thought similar operation. Very well done on the bench build.

**Redbog** · 13th April 2015, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Christos

Quite a remarkable story, I have a friend who has gone thought similar operation. Very well done on the bench build.

Cheers Fletty, being alive is pretty good!

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Bench build ( might be of use for members with disability or injury)

Thanks for the kind remarks

Moxon Vice details for Fletty

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