WIP - Recycled Hardwood Bench

[Christos]

The great bench tour of 2011.

Organise a bus.

I'm in.

[Sawdust Maker]

Waddya mean "I'm in"

you're drivin'

[Groggy]

We will need a minimum of 12 so that we can lift Groggy's top into position.

May I suggest a hearty breakfast too

[NCArcher]

Now that the Great Bench Tour is over and done with, and didn't we have a ball, too bad all you blokes that missed out. You won't believe what Christos and Nick did when we got to......what happens on the tour, stays on the tour, back to the bench.

Got a bit of time in the shed this weekend and continued with the vice fitting and the endcaps.
Had to recess the rear jaw of the tail vice so used the Stanley 71 to make it all neat after a bit of chisel work. The router plane is a great bit of gear. I can see myself using that a lot in the future. Second pic is the completed rebate.
Third and fourth pics are temporary installation of the end caps and vice jaws just to show how they will go. The face vice will have another thickness of jaw, which I glued up this afternoon before I packed up.

[Christos]

Now that the Great Bench Tour is over and done with, and didn't we have a ball, too bad all you blokes that missed out. You won't believe what Christos and Nick did when we got to......what happens on the tour, stays on the tour, back to the bench.

Definitely a very quick trip. Pity Groggy wasn't home we could have helped with his bench top lift.

I know what you mean by the router plane. I have used this instead of an electric router with great effect.

[Sawdust Maker]

Now that the Great Bench Tour is over and done with, and didn't we have a ball, ...

I don't believe the amount of work you've done since we left your place

Nice

[Claw Hama]

Wow, I ride my pushy to work for a couple of days and you guys have been on a bus trip. Its ok my Mum wouldn't have let me go anyway, not with such a seedy looking bunch.

[Groggy]

Pity Groggy wasn't home we could have helped with his bench top lift.

Actually, I am stuck at the moment until I can flip the top, I could have used the help!

Bench is looking great there NCA

[Sawdust Maker]

...Its ok my Mum wouldn't have let me go anyway, not with such a seedy looking bunch.

the seedy one is/was Christos

[Claw Hama]

Yeh he does have a bit of a shaddy nurvous laugh.

[artme]

Good grief!! I turn my back and this is what happens!!

A bench for the ages NC,, Looks great!1 Now for some production of phine phurniture,

[NCArcher]

Actually i have quite a bit of radiata phine

[NCArcher]

Getting closer to the end. I can see it in the distance. I think.
Glued up the jaw for the face vice and finished hand routing the tail vice jaws.
Cut a slot in the ends and end caps for a loose tennon. You may notice a couple of Beadlocs in the end of the bench. They didn't go in in exactly the right place so they were glued, cut off and abandoned.
Then drilled some holes through the caps into the top and flipped the top over again. I used ratchet straps instead of the rope this time. A bit easier.
Had to flip the top to cut the mortises for the nuts that will hold the end caps on.
Should finish the nut mortises tomorrow then I need to redo the bit that holds the guides for the face vice. It wasn't sitting quite right and I wasn't happy with it.
I've decided that the bench needs to first and foremost, functional and solid. Looks will have to give way to functionality. So it's not quite what I pictured when I started but it will still be a teriffic bench. I hope.

[Astrodog]

Bench looks great! I do like the router plane, I've done similar lately, with a router - the plane seems a civilised alternative....

[NCArcher]

Finished the nut mortises and attached the end caps.
Then over she goes again and down. Maybe for the last time. But probably not.
A bit of flattening and true up the ends. It almost looks like a bench.
I still have to make up the guide block for the face vice but that can wait for another day