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Thread: WIP - Andrew's Workbench
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10th September 2011, 03:14 PM #1SENIOR MEMBER
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WIP - Andrew's Workbench
I'm in the process of my first full scale workbench build and thought I'd share some in progress pics. The base is pieces of oregon laminated to make it 100mm x 100mm, the top will be a couple of pieces of 50mm thick merbau I picked up cheaply. More happy snaps on the blog if you want to see my terrible joinery skills in detail!
Andrew
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10th September 2011 03:14 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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10th September 2011, 03:20 PM #2GOLD MEMBER
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You won't know yourself with a full size bench. Watching with much interest.
Bob
"If a man is after money, he's money mad; if he keeps it, he's a capitalist; if he spends it, he's a playboy; if he doesn't get it, he's a never-do-well; if he doesn't try to get it, he lacks ambition. If he gets it without working for it; he's a parasite; and if he accumulates it after a life time of hard work, people call him a fool who never got anything out of life."
- Vic Oliver
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10th September 2011, 08:56 PM #3
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10th September 2011, 11:49 PM #4SENIOR MEMBER
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It's been together about 5 hours and hasn't fallen to bits yet so can't be too bad after all
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11th September 2011, 07:57 AM #5SENIOR MEMBER
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Frame completed, top sitting on it. The merbau has a bow so I've had it clamped down overnight to bring it back flat. The frame needs one crossbar trimmed and then a good sand before being coated in BLO, then I want to add a shelf at the bottom and a sliding drawer in the middle.
I've got a quick release vice to go in, and I'm considering a tail vice as well.
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11th September 2011, 02:10 PM #6GOLD MEMBER
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My local timber merchant has tried to talk me out of Merbau, on the grounds that it's hard to see small items (screws etc) on the dark surface. It does seem to have a very nice close grain.
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11th September 2011, 03:29 PM #7SENIOR MEMBER
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Not sure I agree with that - It's dark, but there is a good glow to it with a coat or two of boiled linseed on it and the contrast should probably help more than hinder - silver or brass on dark brown stands out a lot more than it does on white pine so I don't see it as an issue. Time will tell though!.
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11th September 2011, 08:05 PM #8SENIOR MEMBER
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Well I didn't get it quite finished today, but I got the front vice installed, along with a cupboard in the front. The top is partially screwed down.
I have to admit to cheating with the cupboard - my late grandfather made it for my mother about 15 years ago, but its been my parents garage for a few years now as it no longer fit with their redone kitchen so I salvaged it to put into my bench. It adds a little storage and looks nice, but the thing I like most about it is that it's something he made in something I made. Dad's vice and mountings are in there too so there's three generations of the family's work in this one bench.
Still to go - finish mounting the benchtop, put faces onto the vice, put the bottom shelf in then finish a few tidy up bits and pieces.
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11th September 2011, 08:13 PM #9Wood and Metal Enthusiast
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Looks like a nice and sturdy workbench, nice work
Live life to the fullest, you have to go big and do everything with your all or why do it at all?
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12th September 2011, 08:10 AM #10
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12th September 2011, 08:15 AM #11
Andrew that's a very quick build on the work bench. Looks to be very practical.
I have one question with the location of the vice, how come it is so much lower then the top of the bench?
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12th September 2011, 08:26 AM #12SENIOR MEMBER
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My car shares the garage and there isn't really space for an in-progress bench so it was all or nothing over the weekend. It's not the prettiest bench nor perfectly built, but it's square, strong and heavy which is all I could really ask for.
Now it's built I have the extra storage on top and below for things like my portable bench so it all fits quite nicely. I'd been planning it for about a month though so once that's sorted out the actual build was reasonably quick.
I've just planned a board for Dad and even with the bench top still just clamped on the whole thing doesn't look like moving. Was quite a revelation to plane on a bench that stays still while you do so!.
Mostly because the stretchers are quite tall, but also because I wanted a fair bit of depth in the vice for planing edges. It's shown with the old faces on it, I'll build up the back to the same width as the top and put a big front face on it, it will look more normal then I hope.
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12th September 2011, 04:33 PM #13
Well done
But I think this is a code violation, I'm sure there is a shed law around here someplace which says that bench builds have to take a year or moreregards
Nick
veni, vidi, tornavi
Without wood it's just ...
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12th September 2011, 05:40 PM #14GOLD MEMBER
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Christos, re your question, i am still tossing up between Merbau and Vic Ash. I'm awaiting delivery of plans for the split bench, and will then decide based on look and economy.
Chris
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12th September 2011, 09:03 PM #15SENIOR MEMBER
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