Sharing the journey – workbench [Archive]

Wongo

11th October 2005, 11:45 AM

Ok I am sorry. I was trying to be funny. :p

Let’s try again.

I saw a picture of a solid workbench on the cover of the “FWW Tools & Shops 2003”. I loved it and I bought my first ever WW magazine. So for 2 years, I have been planing, thinking and collecting wood for the project.

The old bench was a “Homer Simpsons” kind of project. It did the job for me but it is time to go.

So here we go,

The base:

It is made from recycled Oregon. I spent a whole day to machine the wood. It was messy and I certainly gave my jointer and thicknesser a good workout. I used a crosscut sled to cut the timber to length.

Cutting 16 sets of M&T is not fun at all. The tenons were cut with a tablesaw and bandsaw and trimmed to fit with a chisel. I used a drill press and coping saw to cut out most of the wood and a chisel to finish the mortises. (it was hard work).

I made a simple jig on the crosscut sled to cut the wedges (5 degrees) and the slots.

…… to be continued :)

Andy Mac

11th October 2005, 11:57 AM

G'day Wongo,
I thought you was having a lend of us, knowing your normal standard of work, and I did spy the frame of your real project in the corner of the first photo.
The bench is looking really good. Look fwd to photos of completed item.
Cheers,

Ticky

11th October 2005, 12:43 PM

That is great work Wongo, I like that it is Recycled too. Every thing old is new again.

I was just wondering, will you pin thye M/T joints, or will the glue be strong enough? (for my own future reference.)

Ticky

Lignum

11th October 2005, 01:02 PM

Looking good so far. Ihave seen the bench in Tools & Shops 2003, and when you have finished it will be a pearler of a bench... The one thing in your pics that disturbes me greatly is the car in your workshop... Get rid of it... A garage is no place for such a thing... Chuck it out side where it belongs and make more room for tools, wood and stuff.

gazaly

11th October 2005, 01:04 PM

And here I was thinking, "the poor bugger, I'll give im a Greenie to make is day!"

Oh well good get Wongo........ya basket!

As for the new bench, keep the pics coming, you owe me!

Wongo

11th October 2005, 01:35 PM

Ticky, Glue and wedges together made it extremely strong. You should not need to pin it. :)

Gluing the base was quite stressful :mad: as usual (but its nothing compare to gluing the top). The legs are so heavy and it is hard to put them together by one person. You want to do it quickly and you need to spread the glue, put the clamps on, drop the clamps, make sure everything is square, etc….. :mad:

I thought it was a good idea to finish the base before working on the top. I put 2 coats of ployU with the first coat thinned to 50%.

The bench

I still don’t know how I had enough of wood to make the top. Many times in the past 2 years I had to ask my wife and daughter to sit at one side so I had room to put a piece of old timber into the car. :D

They are Australian hardwoods mostly Tas Oak, Blackbutt (SilentC, do you remember the stinky timber I talked about a while ago?) and possibly Brushbox, Bluegum and more. It is amazing what people throw away.

It took 3 days to dress the wood. I feel sorry for my tablesaw, jointer, thicknesser and DC. :(

It would make life easier to drill the dog holes first. The dog holes are ¾ in. big and 14cm apart.

…… to be continued :)

silentC

11th October 2005, 01:49 PM

SilentC, do you remember the stinky timber I talked about a while ago?
Ah yes, what did we decide caused the smell again?

I bought a bench for $100 at a garage sale on the weekend. It has a tail vice and a leg vice but the screw of the leg vice is missing. Made from Mountain Ash. Has been out in the weather for a few months, so not in good shape but should clean up OK. Only problem is it's left-handed. Still it will save me some time building benches for the new shed.

Wongo

11th October 2005, 02:09 PM

Ah yes, what did we decide caused the smell again?

It was DaveInOZ. :D Where is the bastard now? :D :D

Ticky

11th October 2005, 02:10 PM

Ticky, Glue and wedges together made it extremely strong. You should not need to pin it. :)

Wongo, As you cas see, I have been showing off all of my shinny in-experiance again. Having read your reply & having a closer look at your pics, I can see what you mean. I have read you guys talking about wedges in M/T joints but that is not how I imagined youy used them.

Steve

Wongo

11th October 2005, 02:27 PM

By the way, are you left handed?

Nope, why?

Aren't they supposed to be clever? :eek:

AlexS

11th October 2005, 02:42 PM

Nice job Wongo - may I come down & do some chiseling on it? :D

BobR

11th October 2005, 07:02 PM

Wongo, it is going to look great. I have had my eye on this design for some time now. Suspect that it will be in that state for some time yet. Remember this thread - you were the first to respond.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=14945

Can I suggest a BYO christening when it is finished :D

Auld Bassoon

11th October 2005, 07:07 PM

Er Wongo - did you "run it in" before taking the pichttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif

Looks nice and solid. Now all you need to buy is a scraperhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon11.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif

Cheers!

junkboy999

11th October 2005, 09:02 PM

Great looking bench Wongo. Keep the Pic's coming

Only problem is it's left-handed. ......

Dont you just hate that Silent C. I bought some used ViseGrips the other day at a flea market. When I got them home I found out not only where thay left handed but Metric too. Bugger I have to throw them away.

Sturdee

11th October 2005, 10:35 PM

When I got them home I found out not only where they left handed but Metric too. Bugger I have to throw them away.

You can send it to me and when I find an imperial one I'll return the favour. :D

I hate it that nearly every measuring tool here has both types of measurements.

Peter.

Wongo

12th October 2005, 12:28 AM

Ok it is game time.

Did I say gluing is stressful? It is a 2 steps process. First glue the wood into 2 slabs each 33cm wide. Run them through the thicknesser and glue the 2 slabs together.

Flood the wood with turp before passing them through the thicknesser. It will soften the wood and give a smoother cut.

…… to be continued

rick_rine

12th October 2005, 12:36 AM

Flood the wood with turp before passing them through the thicknesser. It will soften the wood and give a smoother cut.

…… to be continued

Does this turps idea work with all timbers , I have a big run of wet macracarpa comming up in 50cm wide slabs and it has proven slow on trial samples .
Rick

ryanarcher

12th October 2005, 08:15 AM

Looks absolutely great Scott! I'm getting butterflies in my stomach just imagining it finished. :D do i presume correctly that you will use a veritas twin screw vise as the end vise? keep up the great work! it's going to be beautiful. :D:D

Harry72

12th October 2005, 08:24 AM

Thats gunna be a nice work bench Wongzo

NewLou

12th October 2005, 08:51 AM

Yup ..............looking great Wongo!!!! .........keep us posted on your progress!!!!

REgards lou:D:D:D

Wood Borer

12th October 2005, 09:07 AM

Great Scott. :)

Well made and it should be a pleasure to use.

I think we might need to test it out next week.

silentC

12th October 2005, 09:40 AM

Dont you just hate that Silent C...
The funny part about it is that the guy I bought it from said if he made another one, he'd put the leg vice on the left hand side because he's left handed and found it awkward to use on the right. I told him it is a left handed bench because the tail vice would normally be on the right. Oh well, will make a good fumping bench anyway...

zenwood

12th October 2005, 09:50 AM

Looking fantastic, Wongo.

Wongo

12th October 2005, 09:54 AM

Does this turps idea work with all timbers , I have a big run of wet macracarpa comming up in 50cm wide slabs and it has proven slow on trial samples .
Rick

I am not sure mate but it should give you a better chance to get a clean cut. The idea makes sense to me anyway. :)

do i presume correctly that you will use a veritas twin screw vise as the end vise?

Ryan bro,
Nope, I don’t really like the twin screw vise. Instead I am using a pair of wonder dogs and bench dogs. I think they are just as good. :)

Gumby

12th October 2005, 09:56 AM

Stunning work Wongo. That is going to be one heck of a bench. :)

Wongo

12th October 2005, 10:29 AM

So where were we?

Ok it is time to cut the ends off. I used a straight bit to cut about 2/3 of the thickness of the bench, cut the waste off with a circular saw. Turned the bench upside down (did I say it is hard to flip the benchtop by one person? :o ) and used a flush trimming bit to finish it off.

The Vice:

I bought the Veritas large front vice from the 2004 Sydney show. Mounting the vice is probably not that difficult but I was very nervous. I did not want stumble right at the end. I added leather to the jaws to protect work piece.

Too be continued……

gazaly

12th October 2005, 10:30 AM

Simply magnificent Wongo. Its an absolute credit to you. Well done.

Wongo

12th October 2005, 10:31 AM

zenwood

12th October 2005, 01:39 PM

Gorgeous.

Andy Mac

12th October 2005, 02:18 PM

Looks great Wongo! I'm sure there will be some fun times ahead, using the bench.

Cheers,

DaveInOz

12th October 2005, 05:40 PM

It was DaveInOZ. :D Where is the bastard now? :D :D

Wow - Silverside and boiled cabbage for dinner, and I contaminate wood in Sydney, :eek: :o sometimes I impress myself :D

BTW your stinky bench looks good, smells bad, but looks good.

boban

12th October 2005, 06:28 PM

It looks as though your Chinese blood has been infected with a lot of Aussie my friend. Sarcasm by the bucketload.

When I first saw the post my wife was sitting next to me and said, "is that his dream bench?" and my reply was, "we dream differently". Smart bum.

It looks good mate. Are you going to put the shelves below for all that Veritas gear you got?

Auld Bassoon

12th October 2005, 06:53 PM

Wongo.

Absolutely wonderful - well done!

Greenie coming!

Cheers!

Wood Butcher

12th October 2005, 06:59 PM

Good job Wongo,

Guarantee you'll have a ball using it.

Wongo

13th October 2005, 12:51 AM

So after 2 nights of battle the front vice is finally in place. A big thank to davidt for the router bit.

Ideally the benchtop should be perfectly flat but it isn’t. It is only less then 1mm out, no big deal but it is enough to bother me. So let’s get busy again. Close but no cigar.

…… to be continued

Ticky

13th October 2005, 01:24 AM

Nearly a mm out. I think we should take him out & shoot him for such shoddy workmanship.

No really wongo, I keep coming back to this thread to watch the progress of your bench. I am very happy with the one I made, designed it myself & it was my very first project, but If I was building one now, you & I would be having quite a conversation.

Congrats on a spectacular job.

ticky

ryanarcher

13th October 2005, 05:21 AM

looking good!

Q's:

1 why did you not extend the dog holes to the end of the bench?

2 did you really do all this in one day, or is it really done and you're just posting the pictures in installments?:D

bennylaird

13th October 2005, 08:01 AM

I want one!!!!!!!!!

You inspired me to do something about it.....Thanks!

I intend to do the one in Aussie Woodsmith so bought the mag to work to sort out my list of timber.

TassieKiwi

13th October 2005, 10:26 AM

Top job Wongo, you can be proud of yourself! I chose the wonderdog route too. I think in a lot of instances a tail vice would be more efficient and powerful, and I may retrofit one - one day! Very versatile system though. The first time you 'have' to drill another hole is hard, but hey, its a workbanch right?

It is a wonderful thing to select a workpiece, march up to the bench, whack it between the dogs or vice jaws and work! No wriggling workmate, slipping bits, clamps, wedges, screws, jigs etc. You will love it. (I bet you've had a go already?)

Wongo

13th October 2005, 10:30 AM

Are you going to put the shelves below for all that Veritas gear you got?

Maybe not at the moment I really want to keep it simple.

1 why did you not extend the dog holes to the end of the bench?

I just don’t think I need that many dog holes. If I do need to clamp long pieces then I will find ways around it. It will be a rare occasion though. I don’t like dog holes in the front jaw because it can easily fill up with dust.

Keep it real simple

2 did you really do all this in one day, or is it really done and you're just posting the pictures in installments?:D

Nice try sunshine :D and no it is not finished.

numbat

13th October 2005, 10:08 PM

Nice job Wongo. Can you please clarify if the benchtop is made from one type of timber is it a mixture.

BTW - flat to 1 mm is very good (for me anyway)

Cheers

Wongo

14th October 2005, 12:41 AM

While I am still saving up for the 30” thicknesser I might have to use the dark side method to flatten the top. The LV LA smooth plane is perfect for the job; just plug it in and away I go. :D Wipe some turps on the wood to calm down the cranky grain. I think I better shut up otherwise WB might think I want to be one of them. YUCK. :D

Fill up all the nail holes with epoxy before final sanding and finish it with a few coats of minimax wipe on poly.

The end is just around the corner. :cool:

…… to be continued.

Wild Dingo

14th October 2005, 11:15 AM

Soooo Wongo yer repodated copyer of names and such... whats it gonna be? a workbench or a workofart? You gonna use it or show it off?... sorry ol son I just cant seem to get over just how anul some of yous blokes are getting with your workbenches!... work meaning bang chump chomp slash burn belt knock etc etc... now really after doing a masterpeice for a "workbench" will you REALLy use it to make stuff on? :p

No see I reckon for a workbench yer just need a few 4x4s rough as guts as they should be then some 2x4s for rails rough as guts again then a couple of 8x2 boards say 2mtrs or so long rough as guts again... give em a quick plane and level bung em together and WHAAAAAAAAAAHOOO work bench worthy of bein belted the livin crap outta stained with googe and goop chumped and chipped without fear or favor... a real mans workbench :cool: none of this airy fairy farty arty oooh sooo precious "workbench" caper

So comeon Wongo me ol china plate make a flamin workbench you can be right proud of!! one yer can belt the livin bejeeezus outta without goin "ooohhh no Ive made a mark on me loverly workbench" :p One that you can belt and say "cop that yer mongrel basterd!" BAM! "aaaahh now I bet that hurt didnt it? yer so cop this one for good measure!!" BELT!! "so yer sick of bein that color? no worries let me whack a drop of epoxy here an oh what about a nice spodge of blue paint there a tad of varnish is always good"... you know that manswork sorta thing :D (apologies to the sheilas! they are as manly with their work stuff as the best of us! no worries... and Ive seen some pretty messy workshops belongin to sheilas to so theyre equal to us blokes :cool: )

okay sorry bout that mate had a wee momentry lapse and thought you were makin a workbench :rolleyes: :D ... ahem back with it ol son :o :cool:

By the way... its lookin bloody terrific :cool: shame I cant get quite so anul about me workbenchs but hey its fantabulously flamin beautiful mate... Id show it at my sisters art galery in Broome no sweat! :cool:

Cheers!

junkboy999

14th October 2005, 07:00 PM

Snicker :rolleyes: snicker. Funny Dingo

Great looking benck :) Wongo. I have seen and a wood mag an attachment you can put on your vice jaw to give it a flip up stop. This way you will not have to drill a Dawg hole in you jaw.

Auld Bassoon

14th October 2005, 07:14 PM

Great Scott. :)

G'day Rob,

Just re-reading this thread - that wouldn't be a pun in hiding would it?http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif
Cheers!

Wongo

16th October 2005, 12:27 PM

And finally…… :cool:

Wood Butcher

16th October 2005, 12:32 PM

Great Job Wongo, leaqt you will know that it will stand up to being jumped on.:D

Hope you have lots of fun using it!

Wongo

16th October 2005, 12:33 PM

Jigs:

A series of blocks (0.2cm, 0.2cm, 0.5cm, 0.5cm, 1cm, 1cm, 1.1cm, 2cm, 2cm and 5cm) are used as stepped blocks to prevent vice racking. The second one helps holding long work pieces on the bench. Together with the wonder dogs, I should be able to perform most of the tasks.

Well I really had a great time building this workbench. Some bits were difficult and some bits were frustrating but overall it was a great project. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and thank you for your comments.

The end. :)

Wild Dingo

16th October 2005, 12:51 PM

Wongo me ol mate!! your workbench is fanbloodytastic!! :cool:

Aint it funny that once we build something like this the first thing we do is get one of the nippers and say "go on dare yer no double double dare yer jump up and down on that! GO ON!" sublime confidence and assurance and of course the nipper bein full of beans and love will clamber up and jump up and down like a demented jelly bean :)

note enjoy the greenie one ol son! ;)

Hadamona

20th May 2006, 06:11 PM

Thought this thread deserved to be bumped, since it's so inspirational.

Scally

20th May 2006, 08:05 PM

Yep.
Good to see it again.

If I thought I could build one in 3 days, I might make a start.
Soon though.

I really like the block used to support long boards. I don't remember seeing this before.

Well done Wongo.

BobR

20th May 2006, 11:41 PM

Looks great Scott! Now we have something to cut the meat on at the next barbie :rolleyes: . Definately worth a greenie.

Maybe another time - the greenie police are at work.

Gympietech

27th May 2006, 08:33 PM

Great looking bench! I have 5 favourites shortcuts to all sorts of benches but none of them show the layout as clearly as the photos in this thread. Its good to know it will be here a while so I can refer to it for my new workbench (gimme a couple of months!).
I'm with Wild Dingo, in one respect. Post a photo of the first big ding - we want to see the scars!
Trevor.

jacko

28th May 2006, 06:33 PM

Great bench WOngo. Your "anti-racking" fillers are great too- I have been trying to come up with a good execution of a solution to the same problem. Good to know that even the Veritas has the same issue as my taiwanese special!
By the way, I did a four row configuration of dog holes and included two in the front vice as well as the end vice. I have never been sorry, they become more useful each day. Must agree that the veritas clamp is a wonder! Very flexible and easy to use. I also have a couple of the plastic clamps (I have seen them (re)labelled as Trend. They have been great as well.
Your point re holes filling up is a good one, hence my holes go through! Needed an extension to my Forstner bit to do it, but worthwhile, particularly when one of the dogs doesn't want to come out!

Andy Mac

29th May 2006, 09:51 AM

Great looking bench Wongo. Your fittings are excellent too, well done!

Cheers,

Hillbillyworker

29th May 2006, 10:02 AM

I'm impressed. I still need to learn a few "Aussie expressions" I see!

Wongo

14th November 2006, 10:43 PM

The bench top has moved quite a bit in the past 12 months. That’s the price I pay for using recycled mixed timber.

I made this jig to flatten the top. It works a like the old dot matrix printer and the result is pretty good. To prevent further movement I add a number of cross bars to the bottom. It should be very stable now.

Lesson well learnt.

Ramps

15th November 2006, 01:06 AM

Very good Wongo still looks fantastic

Bet mine needs a going over ... but it can wait

How long did it take to go over the entire top 1/2 inch at a time?

TassieKiwi

15th November 2006, 09:32 AM

A clever jig. :cool: You could use that for jointing wide boards ready for the thicknesser.

But maaaaaate - by the time you set that lot up and flattened it, those wonderful items on the shelves in the background would've whipped it into shape! I can see their put-out expressions from here.:D

I really got a kick out of handplaning my top. Each to thier own, i guess.

Wongo

15th November 2006, 09:48 AM

I used a large CMT bowl & tray bit and it took a hour to do the whole table.

Ramps

15th November 2006, 10:32 PM