Thread: Bench Questions

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Nice 'ragged' look across the end there.

I got my inspiration from Wicked Weasel!!

Actually it isn't all that ragged anymore, and we've had a bit of fun over the weekend:

Let's start with the patternmaker's vice eh? All those memories of the cheap chinese machinery I once owned flooded back when I went to fit the thing.

I had chiselled a perfect (I thought) form for it to sit in under the bench, mounted it temporarily, and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to sit at 90° to the floor (ie parallel to the face of the bench), I dug a hole right through to the mounting screws, and spent an hour getting the sawtooths out of the chisel before the penny dropped.

The casting was ever so slightly less than perfect.

For one fleeting moment I thought about phoning Carbatec, but realizing that my health could suffer if they answered the phone (I don't have any issues with them, it's just that it was 10.30pm on Friday night!), I took to it with a file, and in a few minutes I had got nowhere!

A few minutes later all was well though, and the photos show
Before The limit of travel on the bracket (upside down) preventing it from reaching 90°
Mark Up The amount of metal I had to take away!
After Now can go to 95°

As I said, I don't have an issue with Carbatec, (it is one of their branded products) and the fix was quicker and a lot cheaper than messing around getting a replacement, but I will let them know for quality control purposes.

Cheers,

P

Of course there were a few other things happening at the Home of the Biting Midge which prevented as much bench progress as one would have hoped, but it's getting closer!

A week or two ago, Rocker kindly offered to assist with the mortices, and it was to be the first time his jig had been used on a larger section, so I bundled up the truck and headed off for a morning of "Rocker Science".

A few hours, sixteen mortices, a couple of sharpened blades, cups of coffee, and general yack later, I was heading home with the legs ready to go!

I have to report that Rocker's mortice jig did a wonderful job. Using a 12mm spiral upcut bit, we (he!) cut one side of all the mortices first, then came back with a slight adjustment (7mm) on a second run to end up with 19mm x 109mm mortices 30mm deep.

I chose not to go deeper, as that would have involved using Rocker's collett extension and another change of bit, although we did a few at 38mm by dropping the bit a little down the collett. DON'T TRY THAT AT HOME FOLKS!! :eek: :eek:

The mortices ended up with a little "tit" at the ends which was easy to pare off in one slice with a 3/8" chisel.

I have not previously experienced this level of accuracy, and I was amazed after setting up the bandsaw to cut the tenons, that all were a firm push-fit first time!

Thanks Rocker...I'll be using that jig forever!!

Cheers,

P

Pics below show trial fit for the Patternmaker's vice, will replace them with better ones on completion. (Vice is on the underside of the bench, so stand on your head to get an idea of what the view will be like installed.)

One further adventure today on the TS; when docking the legs (90 x 90 ) on a sled, the clutch on the saw kicked in and the blade started to lose RPM. Would have been ok if the saw had a clutch!!

I stopped the saw, took the piece out, there was a metallic clanking sound on stopping, but I couldn't see anything wrong, the blade was firm and running properly. Restarted, and the blade slowly built RPM. :eek: :eek:

The grub screw on the trunnion pulley had loosened to the extent that the key had vibrated off the axle and almost found it's way into the DC!! :eek: :eek:

Put it all back together and everything's loverly again!

Cheers,

P

Well you have been a busy Midge haven't you?

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a pattern makers vice used for? (and don't say for maknig patterns )

And what is the advantage it has over an engineers or woodworkers vice?

Simple mind(s) would like to know.

You must be in danger of finishing a job BM.

Midge,

Perhaps I should be a bit more explicit about your warning not to try using a bit without its shank being fully seated in the collet. In order to maximize the depth of cut, I only inserted about 15 mm of the bit's shank into the collet. As a result, the bit worked loose, overheated, slightly damaged the sleeve of the collet, and almost came right out. Fortunately, nothing more serious occurred, but it gave us a nasty fright, and taught me a lesson. The stupid thing is that I knew that what I did was risky, but I did it anyway, just so as to get an extra 8 mm of depth. It is time for me to pull my head in, and avoid pushing my luck.

Rocker

Craig,

Go back to post #13 on this thread for a pic (page1). The vice can rotate through 360°, as well as pivot up through 90° (parallel with the bench top), the jaws have a cam action as well which allows them clamp at an angle in plan, and there is an insert to do the same in the vertical plane.

Basically it can hold pretty much anything, in any position and pretty much suits the stuff I do, which never seems to be flat, square or any of the other things that make holding it simple!

Echidna,

No danger of finishing..... just a mid- project spurt!! (Although there are so many bits lying around, one day one of them will be finished by mistake!)

Cheers,

P (who has promised to clean out the shed by "The Wedding" on Al's birthday party day, and needs to finish the bench so he can put stuff on it!)

Originally Posted by Rocker

The stupid thing is that I knew that what I did was risky, but I did it anyway, just so as to get an extra 8 mm of depth. It is time for me to pull my head in, and avoid pushing my luck.

Yeah, but the CLEVER thing is that you gave me a turn at EXACTLY the time the machine said enough !!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Thanks Rocker..the warning is a timely one and worth reinforcing,

Cheers,

P

Now Midge, about that glue, once it sets, you are allowed to scrape off the bits that stick out.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Now Midge, about that glue, once it sets, you are allowed to scrape off the bits that stick out.

:eek: :eek: :eek:
I am perfectly happy with my bits that stick out thanks very much Cliff!!

On Carbatec (Brisbane):

I did send an email over the weekend, with a copy of the pictures posted above, advising of the fault with the vice, my repair, and a request that any (future) warranty claim be honoured.

I received a nice reply first thing this morning thanking me for the advice and noting that they will check all others in stock for the same fault.

Hopefully it was a one-off,

Cheers,

P

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

I received a nice reply first thing this morning thanking me for the advice and noting that they will check all others in stock for the same fault.
P

What're they going to do when they see the others are all the same (which seems highly likely, since the piece looks like a casting, designed for minimal (no?) machining)?

I took a cheapie Record 52 1/2 knockoff back last year because the jaws were about 6mm out of parallel (horizontally, not vertically). I could correct it through the cutout in the wooden jaw insert, but thought they might like to know so they could tell the suppliers to smarten up the quality control. The bloke on the desk was most unperturbed, more or less saying well, it was only a cheapie, and what did I expect for THAT price? His manner suggested I wuz lucky that was the only problem! I pointed out the one on display did have parallel jaws, so they obviously could get some right, whatever the price. So he offered to trade, and I went off happy enough, but somewhat rattled at the apparent lack of concern.

I get the distinct impression some of us have gotten over the era of never-mind-the-quality-feel-the-metal, and would happily shell out a few $$s more for the extra minute of setup time it takes to machine a casting properly.
Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

I get the distinct impression some of us have gotten over the era of never-mind-the-quality-feel-the-metal, and would happily shell out a few $$s more for the extra minute of setup time it takes to machine a casting properly.

You're dead right there Ian, and if there had been a reasonable alternative this would have been one of those for me too... at $350.00 this isn't a cheap bit of kit. The problem was minor (but none-the-less annoying) but all else looks fine, we'll tell in use.

I did say that it reminded me of the first Chinese saw I owned... well the dogs are a bit on the rough side as well, as indeed they were on the one I inspected prior to purchase, so I will be dressing them very early in the piece...

At least the jaws move so one can put them in parallel (in parallel to anything really ) without any dramas.

chjeers,

P

Had to post the photo because:

A) It shows progress even on a weeknight

B) The contrast between the new legs, and the legs on the old faithful router table/ lathe bench/ work bench seems a bit extreme. For all those that worry about glued oregon legs racking.... I ain't strong enough to push 45 X 35 pine out of square!!!

C) Flattened the underside of the table a bit (happier now Cliff?) with the borrowed Carter #6. Was an "heirloom" that had been buried somewhere for a bit, spent two hours fiddling with it (it actually had a live mudwasp under the frog!) :eek: then ten minutes to do all it had to do!! Must get one of those for me one day!

Cheers,

P

And you ask is he happy!!??

OK, it's Friday night and I've gone as far as I can till tomorrow!

Picture shows the cutouts for the vice, (the under-table one is shown upside-down if that makes sense) they are a bit rougher than I would have preferred, but the vice covers them all and they are under the table after all. A router would have saved all the chiselling, but I couldn't use it late at night, and I got a bit rougher as it seemed that no matter how much I took out the &*$%$ thing wouldn't fit at 90° (see post above!).

Second picture is of the thing just sitting there! Needs a final sand, then a quick spray of the frame and the underside of the bench.

After that, I'll flatten the top to it's "final" shape, spray it, mount the vice, then start denting it I guess?

P (who is wondering if Sunday night's post will include a pic of it finished)