Thread: WIP - Groggy's Workbench

What's wrong with clamping a straight edge to the top of the bench and referencing from that?

The other idea is an extended fence for your router

Blimey! 39 posts giving the poor bugger a hammering, when all he needed was a drilling!

#40 hammering follows: (Wouldwood beat me to it by four days) clamp or prop a backing piece underneath. Start the hole with a forstner and then change to a Twinland Brad point (flute length 130mm $9.50) or a 250mm beam drill (fl 190mm $11.36) or get Juergen to grind down a 400mm beam drill 20mm to 3/4" (he can do it) (fl 340mm $20.22 + grinding). He says he needs a run of 10 drills for regrinding, but I can always ask.

Q Groggy - is it really that critical to use 3/4" or 19.05mm rather than 19mm particularly when it's being hand held? Don't worry, we were all watching like hawks to see if it was kept vertical and.......

The Drill Dill

PS I mention those drills because it's not too late

It has been a long day. I've drilled 4.62 metres through Jarrah today, 140mm at a time. Tomorrow I have another 4.06 metres to go. Then the fun starts, about 20 250mm holes.

I've found that I need to touch up the COLT bit with a fine diamond hone every metre or so. I really should be doing this with a large auger bit in a brace though, the bit gets quite hot, even at a slow speed.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Blimey! 39 posts giving the poor bugger a hammering, when all he needed was a drilling!

Yeah, tough crowd

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

#40 hammering follows: (Wouldwood beat me to it by four days) clamp or prop a backing piece underneath. Start the hole with a forstner and then change to a Twinland Brad point (flute length 130mm $9.50) or a 250mm beam drill (fl 190mm $11.36) or get Juergen to grind down a 400mm beam drill 20mm to 3/4" (he can do it) (fl 340mm $20.22 + grinding). He says he needs a run of 10 drills for regrinding, but I can always ask.

I didn't consider the other drill types in the buy as my funds ran out. Also, I will be finished drilling by the time they arrive so a little more labour won't hurt me. Mind you, it would be nice to have a big 3/4" bit!

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Q Groggy - is it really that critical to use 3/4" or 19.05mm rather than 19mm particularly when it's being hand held? Don't worry, we were all watching like hawks to see if it was kept vertical and.......

I did some test holes at 19mm and 3/4", then tried the Gramercy holdfasts. At 140mm they work better in the 3/4, so I went with the 3/4". Probably not a big difference, your right.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

PS I mention those drills because it's not too late

I'll look at some of the other bits next time.

We were at the Sydney show and so I thought that it would be a good idea to show one of the non-members Groggy work bench.

Kept going back pages before we got to the pictures of the bench. You have quite a following there Groggy.

Groggy, there are many much easier ways to make the bench lighter you know. Like make it thinner! Or is this so you can just run a brush across the bench and not have gather up the dust/shavings? Funds may have run out, but you'll have to get a 3/4 drill to get some peace!

Righto, who's on for hammering #42?

Originally Posted by Woodwould

...snip...An auger bit would run cool with virtually no tendency to wander.

Originally Posted by IanW

Yeah, Grogs - I agree with WW that an auger bit would have been a better choice for a job like that.

You were both right - very much so!

I finally listened and went to the Green box and bought an auger bit. In one hour I completed what took me a full day yesterday. Mind you, the auger bit I had already was not in the same league as the industrial version I bought (Irwin brand). The new auger is about 300mm long and is solid twisted steel; nearly 5mm thick spirals. The other one I had was a single wire with the flutes attached somehow, nowhere near as strong.

The drill I have is nearly 700w with low gearing and I really had to hang on. For the first time in the 30 years I have owned this drill I heard the clutch engage and actually smelt a bit of magic smoke. This from the drill that has spun me around in a circle when drilling in concrete! I had to drill a hole then run the drill without load for a while to cool the motor down.

Good advice gents, thank you. I should have looked at heavier bits earlier. (pics later)

. Good to hear. However, if you chucked an auger bit in a 12" or 14" brace, you'd have done the same work in under an hour and wouldn't have to worry about the drill burning out. You might have to cool yourself with a gockle or two though.

A pic of the auger bit too please

what have you got attached to your deadman in the last photo - can't quite make it out?

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

A pic of the auger bit too please

what have you got attached to your deadman in the last photo - can't quite make it out?

Ditto for me also

Augers well that ends well.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

. Good to hear. However, if you chucked an auger bit in a 12" or 14" brace, you'd have done the same work in under an hour and wouldn't have to worry about the drill burning out. You might have to cool yourself with a gockle or two though.

I have a brace on the way, thanks to the generosity of another woodworker I'll be using it to bore the horizontal holes.

Originally Posted by m2c1Iw

Augers well that ends well.

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

A pic of the auger bit too please

Coming up...

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

what have you got attached to your deadman in the last photo - can't quite make it out?

Just a couple of Veritas bench dog vises.

Noisy afternoon with the routers. I've put a 5mm radius on the holes under the bench and a 2mm radius on the top. The edge of the bench has had a 5mm radius all the way around it. The bench has been sanded down and some sanding sealer applied. Finally, the wagon vise is ready to go, except I still need to remove and replace the block, then fit the leather to the faces.

Next up will be the leg vise.

Who says my workshop is always clean and tidy

Ready to start the leg vise now but will need a short break to do some other stuff.