Thread: WIP - Groggy's Workbench

Titebond II

How's the glueup now after another day Groggy? Was 28 (!) clamps enough to haul it into line?

Christos, I was at their Auburn office at about 3pm. If you were there, I was the one with the trailer...

That last one was 29 clamps, but who's counting, right?

I have only just got home from work so I'll go have a look, be back later.

Hmmm. The squeeze out is dry but I can still see yellow. It has been cold all day too. The top of it is hard but you can see the base is not completely solid. I'm leaving it another day till the clamps come off, just to be sure.

sounds like a plan!

Last thing you want is to see the boards follow the clamps as you loosen them

Originally Posted by Beetle Shirt

Christos, I was at their Auburn office at about 3pm. If you were there, I was the one with the trailer...

No I was not there.

The daughter had her 18th this weekend and it seems to have sucked up all the time available for anything else. Even if I find some time I think I am too tired for machine work.

The clamps are off and the beams are scraped of glue. I now have only four beams.

3 beams 130 x 180 x 2500 and 1 beam 130 x 95 x 2500.

The small single is the front piece. I need to make a slot in it for the wagon vise and also a slot in the second beam for the carriage to slide in. Fortunately Benchcrafted have changed their design so the slot is now square instead of curved.

Before I cut the slots the top needs to be dressed to final dimensions, then the last parts can be completed. That means packing it all into the ute and driving down to Williamstown. Another weekend. *sigh*

Any progress?

Sadly, not a thing to report. I had a weekend interrupted by moving a lathe and home admin, then most of this week I have been in Canberra (just got back).

I'm hoping to pick up a bit more timber to use as end caps tomorrow.

So this is a big bench weekend Grogs? give us something to watch! Haven't seen the Labrajointer for a while, did you sack him/her?

I have to chase a bit of timber to use as end caps and get a few domestic issues out the way. Sunday I might get to play a bit.

Bench dog is fed and ready for action.

Today the top glue up continued. It is getting to be a lot of 'fun' now, each beam weighs 60kg and I have just glued two of them together so if you pass the workshop and hear a lot of grunting - it is not what you might think!

Gluing these together took 30 clamps, some borrowed from Kiwibrucee and the rest from under the bench and all the rat-holes around the workshop. Technique is to plane the beam with a #6, sand it with 180grit, slop glue all over one face then go crazy with an old credit card spreading the glue everywhere. Grunt as loud as you can whilst turning the piece on its side, race to the end and align the knife alignment marks then fit two handscrews to hold it flat, apply a clamp, then another, and another, another, another, (rinse and repeat 25 more times). Puff, puff....

Earlier in this thread I made a pine deadman as a test. I decided I didn't like it much as it was too light, too thin and, well, it was pine! I hope you are happier with this one Wongo!

Here is the beginning of the final version, just out of the clamps. It is two pieces of timber laminated together. I'd be interested to hear from the timber species experts - what do you think it is?

This will have a grid of holes over it and I may dress it up a little with a curve or two.

I had a bit of a moment today. I've been stressing over the exact placement of the wagon vise so it wont run into the leg. Then it occurred to me to simply put the vise in and move the top along until it clears the leg then do the mortises for the legs - no more worries.