Thread: Dowelmax workbench

Awesome. I have a lamp thats on a base but could be detached and used in a dog hole. It has a magnifying lamp.

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One of these? Very handy moving it around. I plagiarised the idea from a friend

Yep. Wife owns a hair salon and had one that didnt need after she wasnt doing beauty anymore. All mine . Mate ur workbench is a work of art! Mine looks like a dogs breakfast!! I still have to finish things off. I didnt pay a thing to make mine. Maybe the next one I make will look better as ill buy the materials lol

Delbs, just had a thought.

If you put dogholes in the bench, you could mount the potential new mini lathe in them, socket it in place and keep it from moving around. Make them metal posts and screw them down from underneath and you'll get the whole bench as weight for the big wobbly turnings.

Something like the Veritas Bench Anchor: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/pag...54&cat=51&ap=1 or a modification of these from Seneca: http://www.senecawoodworking.com/products/clamp-block

Hmm thats one of the best ideas ive heard in a while Ev. When I put timber under the top on the rails there is enough room to house a m305x for sure. Hmmmmmmm good idea!

Nice work on the bench. Was it going against the wall or freestanding? Will it move when you plane on it, or hold still?

Will look a million bucks when it's done. Not sure I'd put wipe on poly on it though. I'd leave it eu natural.

I used a 3/4 fortsner on my bench. Worked a treat. Did it with a cordless drill and a couple of bits of timber to get the holes plumb. Be sure to put dog holes down the legs too. ThEn you can clamp a long board in the face vice and hold the other end with a holdfast or a bench dog. You want to be sure it is 3/4 so all the standard bench dogs and other stuff fit well.



Trav

I remember you telling me u used a forstner bit just couldnt remember the size. Thanks. Yeah I plan to put it down the right hand leg to clamp long boards.

At the moment its freestanding dont plan to put it against the wall. Nah its not going anywhere when I plane it weighs roughly 200kg and no racking. Very sturdy. Just got to dress it up and clean up a few things then will look better.

How about a sliding deadman?

Would love to but dont know how to add it in retrospectively and make it slide etc is it a tounge and groove system?

Originally Posted by delbs

Would love to but dont know how to add it in retrospectively and make it slide etc is it a tounge and groove system?

It's a matter of routing a deep recess on the underside front of your benchtop and you add a square running board on the bottom stretcher only the "square" is cut in half on the diagonal forming an upside down V for the deadman to slide along. If you cut a long dado on the bottom it will fill with shavings & sawdust and consequently won't slide. Sorry no time to link anything as I'm (hard) at work . I'm about to make my own sliding deadman. I hope I've explained it clearly enough. I'm sure if you google sliding deadman you get plenty of info to look at.
Deadman[1].jpg

Originally Posted by delbs

Would love to but dont know how to add it in retrospectively and make it slide etc is it a tounge and groove system?

What I did (it was an after thought for me also) was I cut a triangle shaped piece of wood and screwed it to the bottom rail. To the top rail I screwed the opposite shaped piece. Then I cut the corresponding shapes on the wood chosen for my sliding deadman. If you go to my workbench build its outlined at post number 264.

It has been a when since I've been on here properly. I thought id ad some photos of my original dowelmax bench having some work done to it.

Since the original post i have moved house and workshop. Got all new 3phase and 20amp connectivity for the c331 sorted. I then dismantled the bench and re processed the whole bench on the combo machine. I then re assembled and added extra width to fit the veritas twin screw vise to it. Then dressed the sides with cedar all around

I still need to place a shelf below and add new jaws to the Irwin vise. Ive started putting on coats of tung oil and turps. Its bringing everything together and making it look alive I think it looks great. Glad to have a near finished workbench in my garage!

off...thats not a work bench! That is a flamin piece of art.

It is stunning, if I ever get to that stage wow betide the first person to scratch it. himilles!!!

Oh wow that's a really nice thing for you to say thanks mate i appreciate it.

I think its nice but believe me it will still be treated as a workbench thats for sure. Aside from the costs of the two vises and dowelmax and dowels to built it it hasn't really cost me anything. I was given a large portion of the materials so im happy with the costs and how it turned out. I can now move onto actually using it and work on other projects