Thread: WIP - Andrew's Workbench

You won't know yourself with a full size bench. Watching with much interest.

Originally Posted by andrewr79

.... More happy snaps on the blog if you want to see my terrible joinery skills in detail!

Your right.

No different to mine.

It's been together about 5 hours and hasn't fallen to bits yet so can't be too bad after all

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Chrism3

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.

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!.

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.

Looks like a nice and sturdy workbench, nice work

Originally Posted by Chrism3

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.

What did you end up buying?

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?

Originally Posted by Christos

Andrew that's a very quick build on the work bench. Looks to be very practical.

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!.

Originally Posted by Christos

I have one question with the location of the vice, how come it is so much lower then the top of the bench?

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.

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 more

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

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

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 more

My better half says she couldn't have stood hearing about it for longer than the weekend so the violation had to be sorry!