Thread: WIP - Groggy's Workbench

Terry, thanks mate. I just posted that I have found some timber in 3m lengths that I will use. An 1800mm span needs something very rigid and the connection to the legs is by tenons (which are already cut). I also want a carriage vise and chipboard won't suit as well as timber. The front vise will be a leg vice.

The fun part of getting second hand timber is making sure you get all the nails and metal out before you ask your mate to feed it through his thicknesser, that way you get to keep your mates

A couple of steps to make sure the nails are all found:

1. blast the surface with compressed air to get the crud off.
2. carefully go over the surface with a metal detector and mark each nail with chalk.
3. knock out the easy ones with a nail punch or drift.
4. for the ones fired in by a nail gun, first curse the woodworking gods for abandoning you, then go and get a drill, bit, needlenose pliers and some multi-grips.
5. drill around the nail, blow the waste out with air then grip with the needlenose pliers.
6. Grip the needlenose pliers with the multigrips and lift the nail out. Curse the woodworking gods again then repeat for the next nail.
7. When complete, re-scan each face to make sure they are all gone.

All the nails pictured came from one length of timber. I originally saw only 1/3 that many.

Groggy, you'd do well to invest in a decent nail puller. I don't know who sells new pullers in Australia, but second hand ones crop up on eBay every now and then. Maybe one of the second hand tool dealers might have one.

Hi Groggy,

Holy smoke mate, did you say 140mm thick? Roubo eat your heart out. This is going to be one solid bench. Can't wait to see this one go together. Just love bench threads.

Cheers
Pops

HA, the fun of pulling nails

Telephone poles are fun too

Originally Posted by Woodwould

Groggy, you'd do well to invest in a decent nail puller.

Agreed, but the spare cash went on the metal detector and timber. I had a look at the nails and decided I could get away with using tools I already had to get the nails out.

Originally Posted by Pops

Holy smoke mate, did you say 140mm thick? Roubo eat your heart out. This is going to be one solid bench. Can't wait to see this one go together. Just love bench threads.

I think it will end up being 120mm depending on what happens when I work out the cutting. There are some notches and other bits that I may need to plane away depending on which side ends up facing up. Fortunately the grain appears to be pretty straight with very few knots.

Originally Posted by DJ's Timber

HA, the fun of pulling nails

I forgot to invite you along for the fun, I will remember next time

I'll have to wait a few weeks to get more done as my son's 21st is next weekend.

I forgot to mention, where I have bored holes to get nails out I will use the Domino to patch them. I just need to make some dominos out of the same material.

Originally Posted by Groggy

I forgot to mention, where I have bored holes to get nails out I will use the Domino to patch them. I just need to make some dominos out of the same material.

Oooh! Very tricky.

A whole arvo (I'm guessing) pulling nails ...

Groggy you should have set the kids to do the menial stuff - that's what they get older for, at least that's how I served my time many moons ago.

All part of the process. The kids can help with concreting and painting

Now that lot should make a suitably gnarly an grizzled top!!!. Pre-stressed too!!

Fun time today docking the posts to rough length. They are pretty heavy and I have a lot of jointing and thicknessing to do so I thought I'd cut off the excess. Days like today I am glad I have the 12" saw, even so it barely made it through in one cut.

I have to admit that the $5.50 300mm blades that I bought from Saw And Bits were one of the best buys I have had in a long, long time. The blade pictured has already cut a fair bit of timber and it cut through these posts without a worry in the world. I was a bit concerned the blade may heat and bind, but no, it left a beautiful finish and the saw didn't even slow down.

You can see in the pic how the blade barely makes it through the top. Cutting these posts is the first time I have felt my 300kg saw move. The sliding table was feeling the weight too.

Thanks to Kiwibrucee for helping me to move these big suckers around

Interesting work so far.

Great thread Groggy, it's taken quite a while to work through it all. All your pics have really brought your bench to life. I'd hate to be around the first time it takes a ding!

I just found this forum - you'll see my post count isn't very high - while looking for ideas on fitting out a new shed. A workbench is high on the list, so I'm casting around for ideas. I'm really impressed with your clamp storage. Like all good ideas, it's pretty obvious in hindsight. If my shed layout will give me room at the end of the bench I'll be "borrowing" your idea!

Having used your WOB for far too long, what are your thoughts on hardwood vs softwood as a bench material? The purist in me wants to use hardwood, but the practical part of me is saying I should go with cheap pine for my first. Guaranteed there will be something about it I don't like, and if I use expensive/good timber in it I'll end up using it anyway for too long. I have a fair amount of old treated pine, but I don't want to use that either, it's nasty stuff. Hmm, just had a thought - a timber place not far away has a huge stack of old railway sleepers. That might work. Be interesting trying to work with it though when I have no bench.