Workbench pics

[MJS]

Well folks it's been three months and I am pretty well finished ! I am very happy with the results, in fact it turned out better than I thought it would. :eek:
There were many things I did for the first time, and so was unsure as to the way things would turn out. I still need to spend some time flattening the top (I still don't have a plane to do it!) and then put some kind of finish on the top. The base has been given 3 coats of Bondall polyurethane, I thought I might do Danish Oil on the top. The vise faces, end cap and bench front are lined with Tassie Oak. The only power tool I used was my Triton cordless plunge drill which enabled me to get nice straight holes for the vise bolts etc.

I can't wait to get stuck into my next project !

Michael

[bennylaird]

Great work, what brand of vice is that?

[Wongo]

It looks great mate. With no power tool and no plane, what tools did you use?

[NewLou]

Very very nice well Done!!!

Regards Lou:D

[keith53]

Fantastic job. This will be a nice addition to your workshop.

I'm betting someone will ask you "where did you buy that?"

Cheers,
Keith

[Bodgy]

Well done Michael, great Traditional bench. Always gotta admire a man with the patience to cut square dog holes. I regret taking the easy, 19mm route now.

Two things; I think you're gonna need more dog holes, and, secondly I wonder if the vise will rack, it being mounted relatively low?

What! No tool well?

[DPB]

Superb! A greeny is on its way.:)

[silentC]

Nice job. Good to see the continuing popularity of the traditional style benches.

One thing you might find is that with the end vice screw not being in line with the dog holes, it will rack a bit when you tighten it up. It's probably not a big problem with good quality hardware but it might contribute to a bit of slop over time. Just keep an eye on it.

[Andy Mac]

Super job, hours of fun to be had! What timber is the base?

Cheers,

[TassieKiwi]

Top job mate - it will make the bench envy dudes envious. Whack 4-5 coats of shellac on the top - don't forget to do underneath too, only need a couple of coats here.

[Auld Bassoon]

Nice work Michael!

Looks four-square and sturdy.

[BobR]

That's one hellova bench - worth a greenie. Though I belive pictures of workbenches should be banned - causes me to become discontented.

[MJS]

Great work, what brand of vice is that?
The front vise is a large Veritas I got from Timbercon. The collets were a pain to install, but I guess they will add rigidity to the whole thing. The end vise is 10 inch Dawn that I salvaged fro my Dad's bench. I used his bench for many years and wanted to have something of it on my new one.

Cheers
Michael

[MJS]

It looks great mate. With no power tool and no plane, what tools did you use?
I used my #4 Stanley to even up the top as best I could, but really needs a 6 or 7 to flatten it off properly. Saving up to get one !

[Gumby]

super effort. ;) green prize sent. :)

[MajorPanic]

Outstanding Work!!! http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon14.gif http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon14.gif

Without a plane - You are a hero my friend!!

You deserve 2 greenies for that :D :D :D :D

[redwood]

I used my #4 Stanley to even up the top as best I could, but really needs a 6 or 7 to flatten it off properly. Saving up to get one !

:D :D :D M J, just love the bench :D :D :D The dark mob can look away now, but a belt sander is the go for flattening the D :D :D

[Harry72]

Nice work, greeny awarded

[Al B]

Awsome looking workbench, Nice job, it looks nice and solid. Well done Michael.

[Fella]

Now that was a bench worth making. I especially like the joins you used for the legs. It would appear to be the same way that you fit an axe head, yes? How much did this cost you. I have not got a bench yet and am envious of anyone who has. Just wish more people would post there’s just to give more ideas. And to point out what not to do from experience.

[TassieKiwi]

Now that was a bench worth making. I especially like the joins you used for the legs. It would appear to be the same way that you fit an axe head, yes? How much did this cost you. I have not got a bench yet and am envious of anyone who has. Just wish more people would post there’s just to give more ideas. And to point out what not to do from experience.

OK then. They're wedged tenons and it is like the axe head. They really tighten up and show no signs of ever moving. If I did it again I would:

Order the Lee Valley twinscrew with the clamp order like I almost did and put it on the end
Have the legs closer to the front of the bench
Have the dogholes closer to the front - no more than 50mm to the centreline
Have it a wee bit higher - only 20mm, but you notice (I have it on packers now)
Make sure when I'm laminating the top that everything is flat - I was careful but still somehow set a slight warp in that I had to plane out
Plan the dog hole spacing so that the holes miss the vice and the stretchers:o easy fixed by using benchpups. Oh - I like the round dogs BTWOther than that I love using it, and wish I could use it more. Work sucks.

[Waldo]

G'day Michael,

It's always great to see how others have made their bench. I bet everytime you walked into your workroom/garage/shed you stood there for a few minutes just looking at.

Top job and well done. Now we just need a perve in the your workroom/garage/shed.

[MICKYG]

Michael,

A very nice bench, one you can be proud of . Hope you get many hours of enjoyment making projects with you new found joy. Top stuff.

Regards Mike:D

[zenwood]

MJS: I'm officially jealous of your beautiful bench. I want one!!:)


You need a meet and greet so it can be properly christened. We could help you plane it flat, hehe.

Greeny on way.

[jaspr]

... what a beautie - I want one!

[MJS]

Two things; I think you're gonna need more dog holes, and, secondly I wonder if the vise will rack, it being mounted relatively low?

What! No tool well?

All very good points Bodgy ! I looked at so many books, read so many threads and web sites my head started to spin. I stayed within all of the parameters for the vise so I'm hoping for not too much racking, but I guess time will tell. Having no experience with dog holes I wasn't sure what to do. At present I am happy but I've not done a lot yet so I will have to wait. Tool wells just look like a repository for anything and everything ! I'm bad enough at keep my bench clear of tools let alone a tool well.:D

Michael

[MJS]

Super job, hours of fun to be had! What timber is the base?

Cheers,

It's just plain old pine 45 x 90 and 45 x 190 glued together for beefiness. This was the first time I had glued anything together in this form. I pretty much followed Bob Key's construction methods for the base and top with a few of my own modifications.

Michael

[silentC]

Just something to keep in mind for next time, it's best to try and have your dog holes inline with the screw on the vice so that when you clamp something between them, the jaw doesn't want to twist to one side or the other. This is why the traditional tail vise is popular because the screw is very close to the front of the bench, which allows you to have your dog holes along the front instead of in the middle somewhere. Some people like to put a twin screw end vice on, which allows them to have two rows of dog holes, one at the front and one at the back, for clamping wide boards.

[MJS]

Now that was a bench worth making. I especially like the joins you used for the legs. It would appear to be the same way that you fit an axe head, yes? How much did this cost you. I have not got a bench yet and am envious of anyone who has. Just wish more people would post there’s just to give more ideas. And to point out what not to do from experience.

Fella, The joints in the base were mostly through mortise and tenons which were then wedged with hardwood wedges. The cost of timber was around $180 for the top and $80 for the base. I went out and bought the wood for the base first and built that, then I bought the wood for the top over about three weeks gluing one or two pieces at a time. It was slow, but it took the stress out of gluing and fitted with my budget. The Dawn vise I already had and the front Veritas vise I got from Timbecon as it was the best price around. The Veritas vise was about $140 delivered with handle. I guess all up with hardware and bits and pieces it would be close to $500 but spreading it out over the three months made it affordable for me. If you wish to see any more pics please let me know as I took photos through most of the construction. As this was my first real project I wanted a record of how I did things as many of them I had not done before. This bench is a culmination of ideas from books, the internet and particularily this forum. The wealth of knowledge in the forum should not be underestimated :D As I really have no one around me who has this woodwork bug this forum has been somewhere to share and cherish in all things wood (wiping tear from eye) As an example when I proudly showed my wife my new bench she said - what was wrong with the old one !

Cheers
Michael

[zenwood]

If you wish to see any more pics please let me know as I took photos through most of the construction.
YES! Let's see 'em alllllll!!!!!!! We want all the gory details.:)

[redwood]

when I proudly showed my wife my new bench she said - what was wrong with the old one !

Cheers
Michael

Reasonable grounds for divorce in my opinion:(

[TEEJAY]

Michael, Wonderful looking bench.

Personally I prefer a bench you can bash things upon, splash paint everywhere, over run a drill upon and hack up with a saw.

I am not jealous, I am not jealous, I am not jealous :rolleyes: :D

Cheers

[Wood Butcher]

If you wish to see any more pics please let me know as I took photos through most of the construction. As this was my first real project I wanted a record of how I did things as many of them I had not done before.
I'm with zen, where are the piccy's???

MJS, the bench looks great and I'm sure that you are going to have a lot of fun using it. Well Done!!!:D:D

[Driver]

Great bench, Michael. Well done! (Greenie on the way).

It looks to be quite long. What are its dimensions?

Col

[Fella]

OK then. They're wedged tenons and it is like the axe head. They really tighten up and show no signs of ever moving. If I did it again I would:
Order the Lee Valley twinscrew with the clamp order like I almost did and put it on the end
Have the legs closer to the front of the bench
Have the dogholes closer to the front - no more than 50mm to the centreline
Have it a wee bit higher - only 20mm, but you notice (I have it on packers now)
Make sure when I'm laminating the top that everything is flat - I was careful but still somehow set a slight warp in that I had to plane out
Plan the dog hole spacing so that the holes miss the vice and the stretchers:o easy fixed by using benchpups. Oh - I like the round dogs BTWOther than that I love using it, and wish I could use it more. Work sucks.
Fantastic response, it’s a pity about the photo posted…it won’t open very big at all.:confused:

[JDarvall]

Brilliant work Michael !..... no stopping you now... Don't hold back though.

I mean, don't worry about dinging it up ! The first scratches are the hardest. ;)

[routermaniac]

good work there michael. The bench will be invaluable, even when using your power tools such as routers, sanders, etc. woodworking is much easier with a decent bench!

The next step is to start putting some dents in it :)

[Yawally]

That is one great bench. I have been looking and reading about benches etc for quite some time now and I am biting the bullet and will start making one starting today. I would love to see more pics as well:cool::D

Yawally

[MJS]

Thank you everyone for the very positive feed back. Please don't worry, I will be using the bench, it's not just for display :D
I will start with some photos of the bench base construction. They are pretty self explanitory, but please ask if you want more indepth descriptions etc. I am more than happy to help any newbies like me if they want to have a go.
Picture 1 is the tenon with slots cut to take the wedges. I drilled a hole at the end of the cut to supposedly stop splitting, the camp seems divided as to if they are necessary or not but I thought they couldn't hurt.
Picture 2 is the joint wedged and glued.
Picture 3 is the leg assembly glued and clamped.
Picture 4 are the wedges cut from Tassie Oak ready to go.
Picture 5 is a close up of the bridle joint used at the top of the leg assembly.

More to follow..........better do some work now !

Michael

[TassieKiwi]

Fantastic response, it’s a pity about the photo posted…it won’t open very big at all.:confused:

Search for a thread called "The Bench" - heaps if pix and further discussion there.

[MJS]

Great bench, Michael. Well done! (Greenie on the way).

It looks to be quite long. What are its dimensions?

Col
Driver,
Its 2.2 metres long and about 750 mm wide. Initially is was going to be 1.8 metres long but when all the timber was laminated I thought I might as well use it all, it allowed my vises to be outside the legs and hence level with the end of the bench.

MJS

[MJS]

This next lot of photos shows the cutting of the dogholes.
Again they explain themselves. It was good practice cutting them by hand. I used a knife to mark the saw lines instead of pencil and got much better results. As the picture shows the fit was tight. All holes are sloped at 88 degrees toward the end vise. This was the best part of a days work, but went very quickly.

MJS

[MJS]

These next photos show the cutting out of the notch for the dog and the doghole strip being glued into the bench top.
MJS

[Crom]

Fantastic! Keep up the progress reports mate - this is invaluable. Cheers.

[Shedhand]

As an example when I proudly showed my wife my new bench she said - what was wrong with the old one !

Cheers
MichaelMine would have asked,"And how much did that thing cost?". Women are truly philistines when comes to man's shed.:mad::mad:

[Waldo]

Mine would have asked,"And how much did that thing cost?". Women are truly philistines when comes to man's shed.:mad::mad:


G'day Shedland,

Should've seen SWMBO after I spent $500 on timber for my bench and then I spent $37 on a box of 3" coach bolts! She wasn't too :) The question on everything for the bench after the bolts was "do you need that, do you really ned that for the bench, can't you buy something cheaper?", so she started coming with me to Bunnies to try and find cheaper bits. :eek:

[9Fingers]

G'day Shedland,

Should've seen SWMBO after I spent $500 on timber for my bench and then I spent $37 on a box of 3" coach bolts! She wasn't too :) The question on everything for the bench after the bolts was "do you need that, do you really ned that for the bench, can't you buy something cheaper?", so she started coming with me to Bunnies to try and find cheaper bits. :eek:

You gotta play the shoe card. If your SWMBO is anything like mine, the subject will change real quick.;)

[MJS]

OK, so once the bench top was glued together I sawed the ends off so they were straight - pics 1 and 2.
I then flipped the top over (no easy task on my own !) and took to it with my #4 Stanley to flatten it as much as possible. Once I was happy - pic 3 it was time to fit the end vise. For this I used my Dad's Dawn vise that I salvaged from his old bench - pic 4. Pic 5 shows the back of the rear jaw. Because of it's supports the bench needed a bit of cutting out,which you will see in the next lot of pics.

Cheers
MJS

[MJS]

Picture 1 shows the cut out needed for the Dawn vise, Picture 2 shows the packing needed, Picture 3 shows the rear jaw fitted into the recess, picture 4 shows how it all ended up. Lastly picture 5 shows the dog that I fashioned out of Jarrah. All seems to work pretty well ! There is a bit of racking of the vise due to the fact the dogholes are off centre, but most things hold well against the dog without having to tighten the vise too much. You will notice on the front jaw I have fashioned a stop for use with the dog, this has three Jarrah dowels that fit into the jaw making it very strong. This can easliy be removed when not in use.

Cheers
MJS

[Jill]

Hi MJS - thanks so much for the progress shots. In a few months, when we finish our house, and can finally convert this shed to being our workshop, I'm going to find this thread again for reference - incl. the changes you would make, to make our workbench! Great stuff & thanks again.

Cheers,

Jill

[Jill]

Mine would have asked,"And how much did that thing cost?". Women are truly philistines when comes to man's shed.:mad::mad:

Not some of us, Shedhand ;) :D

[MJS]

Hi MJS - thanks so much for the progress shots. In a few months, when we finish our house, and can finally convert this shed to being our workshop, I'm going to find this thread again for reference - incl. the changes you would make, to make our workbench! Great stuff & thanks again.

Cheers,

Jill

Hi Jill,
I am glad that you find them useful. I am trying to put something back into the forum as I gained so much from everyone when I was researching my bench. I know from experience that sometimes you see just one small thing in a thread that makes it all worthwhile. Thanks for the feed back.

Cheers
MJS

[zenwood]

Great progress shots, mate. Not allowed to give you any more greenies, though. Thanks anyway. You're the Aussie Bob Key!

[Auld Bassoon]

You gotta play the shoe card. If your SWMBO is anything like mine, the subject will change real quick.;)

Hmm, I did that once. On a trip to London, just before Christmas, she "required (:eek: )" that I come with her to get some shoes. The West End of London a few days before Christmas - hell on wheels (well, feet)

Have you any idea how many shoe shops that exist along the entire lengths of Regent and Oxford street in that city? Well, we visited every blasted one:mad: - and then returned to the very first one for her to buy the first pair that she saw.... Claimed that she wanted to be sure that there "wasn't anything better elsewhere". Cor!

[Auld Bassoon]

Picture 1 shows the cut out needed for the Dawn vise, Picture 2 shows the packing needed, Picture 3 shows the rear jaw fitted into the recess, picture 4 shows how it all ended up. Lastly picture 5 shows the dog that I fashioned out of Jarrah. All seems to work pretty well ! There is a bit of racking of the vise due to the fact the dogholes are off centre, but most things hold well against the dog without having to tighten the vise too much. You will notice on the front jaw I have fashioned a stop for use with the dog, this has three Jarrah dowels that fit into the jaw making it very strong. This can easliy be removed when not in use.

Cheers
MJS

G'day MJS!

Lovely job, blerry well done.

I'll bet that the hand sawing of the top gave you a bit of a smile in that it isn't hardwood;) Nice job on the plane smoothing too http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon14.gif wouldn't be especially easy with a #4...