Thread: Jarrah Workbench

This is a pic of the drawers. Purchased Eurojig only to find it was crap, then got Leigh jig.
Now veddy happy man!!!

Originally Posted by sandman

I also would like some advice on drilling perpendicluar holes in top for bench dogs.
Regards Sandman

aaaaaarrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

The thought of drilling through that bench makes my blood go cold. It's beautiful....don't you dare lift a hammer or anything else anywhere near it !!

I'm jealous....gonna log off and go have a sulk in the corner.

Used h/d locking castors on all legs & it doesn't budge when locked yet I can move it to wherever I need it to go.
Finished in triton oil- burnished finish.
Need to know if it would work using router with 1/4" drill bit to drill perpendicular holes through top to acommodate bench dogs, or would it be too many RPM'S??? (or too dangerous??)
Look forward to your response.
Regards Sandman.

Great work sandy

As far as I know you dont actualy want them perpendicular, but actually on a 2 or 3 degree slope towards the tail vise.

But I agree gumby, it's going to take courage to drill through that sweet looking top with a spade bit. Any reason you didnt put some square bench dog-holes in?

I could use a metal detector myself. I recently hit a nail with a painstakingly sharpened/tuned old wooden smothing plane. snik snik snik sn.......clunk.

Addendum:
And I notice the little green kids trolley and plastic ball in the background. You managed to find time to build that bench with the little tackers running around?! Do they still recognise you?

Seriously attractive piece of furniture.

How thick is the skirt, and the jaw liner for the vice ?

I'm just retinkering my bench, and adding a skirt so am curious of yours and others ideas.

Also i notice your skirt is under the bench top, I thought it was more traditional for the skirt to come to the top of the bench.

The only advice I can offer is to remove castors and place the whole thing indoors, it's way too good for workbench!

Originally Posted by outback

Also i notice your skirt is under the bench top, I thought it was more traditional for the skirt to come to the top of the bench.

After taking another look at your avatar, I'm not surprised you think the skirt should come to the top of the bench! :eek: What do you get up to out there in the outback, outback?

Need to know if it would work using router with 1/4" drill bit to drill perpendicular holes through top to acommodate bench dogs

Sandman

That is one beautiful bench!!

It is certainly worth the while to do the benchdogs correctly.

I would NOT attempt to use a 1/4" drill bit in a router. DON"T TRY IT!!!! :eek: DANGEROUS :eek:

In any event, you do not want 1/4' bench dogs. You want 3/4" holes. This way you can use both ready-made dowels or all the Veritas accessories (which use a 3/4" round rod).

Either drill with a portable drill press, or plunge with a router.

Their arrangement depends on the placement of your vises.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Sandman,
You would have made life much easier for yourself if you had drilled the holes in the boards for the top on a drill press before fitting them to the bench. As Derek says, you can now either use a portable drill press to drill the holes with a 3/4" forstner bit, or else you can rout them. However, ordinary 3/4" straight router bits are not suited to drilling deep holes. You need a spiral bit, but, as far as I am aware, a 3/4" spiral router bit is not available from Australian suppliers. You can get one from Lee Valley though, see code 86J01.42 at

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...71&ccurrency=2

You could perhaps just drill them freehand with a forstner bit; it probably wouldn't be disastrous if they are not precisely vertical, but I think that with such a handsome bench it would be worthwhile to do the job properly.

Rocker

You can get one of those drill guide attachments for your handheld drill that can be set to any angle from Carbatec for $25.
http://www.carbatecvic.com.au/shop/c...35&cat=&page=1



Alternately, you could make a guide block from a thick piece of Hardwood on the drill press at the correct (slight) angle and use it to guide the bit.

In any case, I would be doing quite a few tests before attacking that lovely, lovely bench. Very very nice work mate!!

Sandman, that is one seriously lovely piece of work.

Are you really going to use it as a workbench? IMHO it should be inside the house, not in the shed. I think you should reconsider.

Certainly worthy of a green dot.

Cheers

Thanks for all the input folks, I really appreciate it!
To answer some of your queries: the skirt is 28mm around the top & bottom,
I was only planning to use 1/4" drill bit to start the holes in top as I have already purchased the bench dogs etc from MIK and am ready to install.
I don't plan to do spray jobs etc on the bench as I have the crappy old mobile bench (8'x4'x1 1/4" mdf) to do dirty work on.
depending upon what I use bench for, I place an old sheet 3 ply on top first.
I think maybe the drilling guide from Carbatec maybe the go!
Regards Sandman.

Sandman,
My advice to you is to hit it with a hammer - get it over and done with

Eastie

Here follows my 2.2 cents worth......

I'm in the process of (slowly) making my own work bench and will be drilling all my dog holes as close to vertical as possible, the reason for this is that (i believe) having your holes angled is to resticting.

You won't be able to use any of the veritas products because they are deigned to work with straight holes (they angle the face that contacts the work, instead)

Having straight holes will allow you to clamp from any direction and off either vise on your bench.
Angled allows you to use only one vise and clamp in one direction.

In addition to a couple of Veritas dogs I'll be making my own out of some 19mm dowl I got from Bunnings.
Start with a square piece of wood, say 50mm x 50mm x (thinner than your work piece) angle all the sides slightly down, drill a hole in the middle for your dowl, glue the dowl in, done.

In addition the 'square' piece of wood can be shaped to match the curve on the job your making, the possibilities are endless (long piece of wood, two dowls to make a long dog. Jigs, bench hook, shooting board, etc just need two dowls to locate and hold on bench....).


If your going to get one of those drill guides from Carba-tec, make sure you check it well, I have one that is almost the same, and it's no help at all, I can do way better by eye (especialy with one other person watching from the side) I'm not that good, the guide is cr@p . Carba-tec's is the new model and may be better.


That may have been 4.4 cents worth.

Ben.

Thanks Ben.
I will check the drill guide first if I go that way. My alternate method is to use the Variable speed router to plunge a pilot hole first on lowest speed of course and then to finish off with 3/4" bit as you suggest- not angled!
If I suspect the router's slowest speed (Makita 3612c) is too fast, I won't do it that way. If I do use the router to plunge pilot hole, what is best method of ensuring router doesn't skate across timber top????
If this were to happen, you would hear me from where you are!

Maybe the good old hardwood block(pre drilled) is the go eh?
Regards Sandman.