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  1. #1
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    Default WIP - Kman's Traditional Work Bench

    Over two years ago I started planning and decided to build a more traditional work bench. I took lots of advice, read some texts and made some sketches... I even acquired some timbers for the purpose. My eldest was only 10 months old at the time... he's now three and we've had a daughter since then. Where does the free time go?

    I must qualify the word 'traditional' in context, because this one doesn't follow any strict traditional design, but rather features lots of elements of many benches with the aim of satisfying the needs of traditional craftsmanship. Front vice, tail vice, dog holes, planing stops, hold-downs and a sliding dead man will all feature, but there will be some modern elements too.

    One of the keys features, as with any self respecting bench, will be shear mass. Perhaps not 1,200 lb (Groggy!?!), but respectable all the same. I'm estimating about 200kg without fittings.

    So, I now have four legs; 120mm square x 900mm long! And they only took me about a month to laminate together

    I have a feeling that this WIP will be less epic and probably more boring than Groggy's, but then he and Boz have both set the bar pretty high. I'm aiming for practical, functional and inexpensive. So far I've only used scrounged timber for the legs, the top will be laminated from recovered floor boards and the vice fittings are the inexpensive Carbatec variety. My search for decent cheap hold-downs leads me to the conclusion that they don't exist.

    Here's hoping that the remaining work won't take two more years
    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    - Douglas Adams

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  3. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by kman-oz View Post
    My search for decent cheap hold-downs leads me to the conclusion that they don't exist.
    They do, I'll show you some on the weekend.

    A bench that takes longer to build than mine? I'd like to see that! The way I see it, I could have grown the timber in the time it has taken me to make the bench

  4. #3
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    Thumbs up

    Apart from recycled the timber is..........

  5. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Groggy View Post
    They do, I'll show you some on the weekend.

    A bench that takes longer to build than mine?...
    I look forward to it! And I *will* make you eat those words. It's taken two years to begin actual work already.
    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    - Douglas Adams

  6. #5
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    Default

    I love a workbench thread! Keep those pics coming!

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Groggy View Post
    They do, I'll show you some on the weekend.
    Gonna have to show all of us...
    Cheers, Richard

    "... work to a standard rather than a deadline ..." Ticky, forum member.

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by rhancock View Post
    Gonna have to show all of us...
    *Sigh* ok then...

    Here they are being used in anger. Note that the holdfasts are the ONLY things holding all that timber to the bench.



    They are Gramercy Holdfasts which I bought from Michael Connor Woodwork

    Closer view:


  9. #8
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    Thanks for the link Groggy, I'll be in touch with them when the time comes.

    As for my progress... err, I managed to finish sizing the legs and four-squaring before heading out for Father's Day visits on Sunday. I also spent a little time re-working my original sketchs from two years ago to replace the timbers that I don't actually have in my stock pile.

    I've decided to use the best bits of the posts from my old pergola for rails and stiles at each end of the bench. They're only Oregan but at 85mm x 75mm I can happily cut big double tenons from them. These will be the most complex joints I've ever made, but the new table saw will make light work if the tenons and some new HSS forstner bits should make light work of the motices too. Then I can break in my H&S chisels.
    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    - Douglas Adams

  10. #9
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    I may have some timber you can use for rails and stiles that is hardwood. You may need to hunt through the stack a little to find bits that are suitable but that is part of the fun. You didn't see the timber rack when you were here, it is in my blog though.

    The photos are old, there is no longer any space in the racks at all.

  11. #10
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    I suppose charity also falls under the heading of inexpensive, and I'm not above charity!

    The ends I'm not that bothered about, with such short lengths and eight large M&T joints per side I'm sure my Grandfather (The founder of the School of Over-Engineering) would still approve. I have one long board left over from the kids cot I want to use as the rear stile; it's straight enough but had a very ugly knot in the middle. I still don't have one for the front stile where the deadman will run.

    I've still got a small pile of longish boards I haven't looked through yet, so I'll hunt though them first. Failing that I'll clear out the car and call you.
    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    - Douglas Adams

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by kman-oz View Post
    I suppose charity also falls under the heading of inexpensive, and I'm not above charity!
    That's good, can't let pride cometh before a bench they say.

    I had a quick squiz in the racks a minute ago and I have a number of 35x190x1200 and another bunch of 35x190x2400. Some are a bit rough and a bit travelled by wormy whatevers but I reckon we could find a bench frame.

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Groggy View Post
    *Sigh* ok then...
    They are Gramercy Holdfasts which I bought from Michael Connor Woodwork
    Thanks, Groggy, They're just what I want. Now, if I start a new bench this year, I should need the holdfasts in about 3 or 4 years time? Unfortunately my current bench top is about 35mm thick, so I don't think they'd work.
    Cheers, Richard

    "... work to a standard rather than a deadline ..." Ticky, forum member.

  14. #13
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    I decided to take a few cues from Christopher Schwarz and make the rails and stiles for the ends of the frame by laminating some peices together to form the tenons rather than cut them from a solid peice. This seemed like a logical cheat to me because I would be far more likely to get these right. That and I haven't done anything about a tenon jig for the TS yet

    So far I've glued two of the four but haven't done any clean-up yet. I'll post picks when they're presentable.
    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    - Douglas Adams

  15. #14
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    Looking forward to progress.
    My blog: ~ for the love of wood ~ - http://theloveofwood.blogspot.com/

  16. #15
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    Default Sore back anyone?

    Winters in Melbourne are set to get colder it seems. Right now is also the windy season and an opportunity to get warmer next winter presented itself the week before last in the form of a few rather large limbs falling off trees across the road. The council guys managed to clean up most of it at 7AM on a Saturday, and I was kicking myself for not asking mum to bring down the spare chain saw.

    Finally on Saturday just past I got my anxious little hands on the 15"/2HP chain and set to work on what was left of the Eucalyptus limbs... bit disappointed, only about 300kg of usable timber left; all of the larger sections had gone to people with trailers and readily available chain saws it seems. But as luck would have it I spotted another tree which had split at the trunk with what looked like the best part of a tonne of firewood laying untouched a block away.

    Now, I drive a Honda Jazz and I don't have a trailer. Heaps of load carrying space but a load rating of only 400kg. So, two hours, two trips and several cringe-worthy bottom-out moments later I had a large pile of blocks to split.

    I'd considered letting them out in the weather for a couple of weeks to split up a little - most of this timber wasn't just green, but *wet* to the touch - but decided to have at it and get is stacked ready for next winter. Needless to say I'm a little worse for wear but very happy knowing that the first couple of months of next winter will be warm enough in the house. Now I'm just waiting for the other half of the split trunk to fall and I won't have to worry about the second half of winter either.

    So, my woodworking for the weekend consisted of that which can be accomplished with a 15" chain saw and a block splitter. Pretty sad state of progress, but comforting all the same. Here's hoping next weekend will be just as productive.

    Dave.
    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    - Douglas Adams

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