Thread: Hardwood bench panel insert

Think I’ll go for a rail and stile formation with some ironbark and tallowood. Made a start this afternoon

Your workbench looks great, please let us know how it turns out.

Nice work. Keep us all posted.

Just a couple pics to update the thread

Managed to build the panel with perpendicular upright to form the carcass for the final two or three smaller drawers

Disregard the tongue on the upright front facing panel that was trimmed off after I had a good dado fit. 2200 festool and track were perfect for this cut and then trimmed the panel with the HNTmoving fillister. All installed now and runners screwed in. Onto drawer dimensions

Oh boy has this plan gone to cr@p. My benchtop started to pull apart due to poor glue up and jointing by hand in one or two areas

Going to take the opportunity once they’re jointed again to insert a 1800x600 mft top likely from form ply recessed within the hardwood frame. Should give me more functionality and versatility on top of the drawers for tool storage

Originally Posted by delbs

Oh boy has this plan gone to cr@p. My benchtop started to pull apart due to poor glue up and jointing by hand in one or two areas

Ouch!, today seems to be full of disasters, between you and John Samuels post on his veneering job.

Originally Posted by delbs

Oh boy has this plan gone to cr@p. My benchtop started to pull apart due to poor glue up and jointing by hand in one or two areas

My commiserations. Been there and it's awful. What glue are you using? Is your work bench made of our hard, slick feeling timbers like spotted gum (and I see you mentioned tallowwood)? You may be making life hard for yourself, these timbers can be difficult to glue. I've had success with Titebond II and spotted gum, but failure with Titebond I and with a polyurethane glue. The poly glue was my first time using it, so there may be user error there, I will be trying Sika polyurethane glue in the future. But Titebond II - I have boxes, countertops, and a mirror glued using it on spotted gum and no issues at all. The other recommended to me option is Techniglue but it's pretty pricey. You can also try wiping down the to be glued areas with acetone just before gluing.

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

My commiserations. Been there and it's awful. What glue are you using? Is your work bench made of our hard, slick feeling timbers like spotted gum (and I see you mentioned tallowwood)? You may be making life hard for yourself, these timbers can be difficult to glue. I've had success with Titebond II and spotted gum, but failure with Titebond I and with a polyurethane glue. The poly glue was my first time using it, so there may be user error there, I will be trying Sika polyurethane glue in the future. But Titebond II - I have boxes, countertops, and a mirror glued using it on spotted gum and no issues at all. The other recommended to me option is Techniglue but it's pretty pricey. You can also try wiping down the to be glued areas with acetone just before gluing.

Appreciate the thoughts on this, looking back only 18months ago when i built the initial frame and top the workshop was drastically different. I was building it with a priority to have it assembled and usable bench to expand on other areas within the shop and begin making. i also primarily built it with hand tools and i think pva glue as i was out of titebond at the time. I now have titebond 2 along with a new jointer combo machine to help me re-dress these materials. clean up the old glue and re-dimension it before my next glue up, oh also more clamps i have now. Yeah thats right tallowood and stringybark some spotted gum also i think. a bitza

So equipment and capability wise i was in a different place to now so ill take this opportunity to fix the issue on multiple fronts Good idea with the acetone before glueup. i have plenty of titebond II but that Sika poly glue looks alright also.

Cheers,
Nathan

Originally Posted by delbs

I now have titebond 2 along with a new jointer combo machine to help me re-dress these materials. clean up the old glue and re-dimension it before my next glue up, oh also more clamps i have no

Hi Nathan, What jointer combo did you get, also what clamps?.

Sam.

My magic 8 ball says a Hammer C3-31.

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

My magic 8 ball says a Hammer C3-31.

Correct Alkahestic!, a comfort C3-31 combo which ive just wheeled into position to begin this afternoon. More Bessey k-body clamps of varying sizes to glue up the portions together. the hardwood laminated pieces that contain my hnt vices i may keep together and then attach via some recessed hinges another hardwood frame with recessed formply/mdf for the mft top. so i can store some combo machine accessories under for easy access. little harder to write but ill post a drawing of my benchtop expansion considerations

You've got some awesome equipment delbs. I'm lusting after your vice and fillester plane the most though.

Originally Posted by delbs

a comfort C3-31 combo

How much did you pay for that, if you don't mind me asking?

Originally Posted by Alkahestic

You've got some awesome equipment delbs. I'm lusting after your vice and fillester plane the most though.

Ah yes the moving fillister is my one of a kind I love that plane

The combo helps with these aussie hardwoods it has 4hp motors.

Managed to get a portion of the panel back to glue up stage all jointed and glued with titebond 2




Will domino together the frame for the mft insert tomorrow

Cheers
Nathan