Thread: WIP - John's Workbench Mk2!!

Hi Ian

The idea (with the split top) is that you can use it to clamp or add a stop/fence and plane against it.

Personally, I prefer a simple bench.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Mine's going to be split but with a removeable bit in the middle
something like this:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiqG8w_ktXs"]this[/ame]

at about 2:40 in

couple of reasons
1: should be able to move the top(s) around on my own
2: a split top with each top fastened at the outside, the wood movement will be towards the centre - this should negate any problem of the vise clamp shafts moving apart and possibly binding or even damaging the mechanism (I'll be using a Hovarter as an end vise)

I agree that if I had an open bit down the middle then everything would fall through, about 0.2 seconds before it was urgently needed

The clamping (as Derek mentioned) is an extra benefit but not sure I'll actually use that feature, would rather use one of these or these

The 21st Century bench from Popular Woodworking (which I am building) has a split top, but the gap is filled in with boxes flush with the top, that you can remove for clamping purposes, or you could turn them upside down if you wished. Either way they don't leave a gap.
So things won't fall throufgh with this design (except perhaps while you are clamping).
I think this design offers a lot more choices than a plain bench top.

Agreed.

VIDEO – Build the 21st-Century Workbench | Popular Woodworking Magazine


Regards,

Denim

I forgot - one other alleged advantage of a spilt bench is that it allows any lateral timber expansion to take place towards the centre.

I'm on holidays - yay . Here is my progress for this morning. I know it may seem minor, but it's actually some progress...I wonder if I can have the entire bench finish tomorrow?!!

Crap, crap, crap! I had this momentary idea of cutting one of the tenons for the 2nd side stretcher with the router instead of hand cutting & chiseling. Seemed like a good idea, 1st side worked like a treat, then I flipped the piece over...and forgot to tighten the adjuster screw...the router depth changed with these results -



Totally destroyed! Back to the less lazy way of cutting joints...that is after gluing up another board to replace this one

Yairs, we like machines because they are quick. But that means disasters happen quickly too - it takes a lot more effort to do that much damge with hand tools!

Had something similar happen to me a few months ago. I was SURE I had tightened the collet properly, but maybe a bit of sawdust stuck on the shaft. I made a heavy cut on a crucial piece, and the bit crept down about 6mm or more. I was using a reasonably powereful router, so it hardly changed note, & I went a good 200mm before I noticed something wasn't right!

Comisserations.....,

Originally Posted by johnredl

.....Totally destroyed! Back to the less lazy way of cutting joints...that is after gluing up another board to replace this one

Well, perhaps not.

Cut off the offending section and glue on a shim.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Well, perhaps not.

Cut off the offending section and glue on a shim.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Took the words right out of my mouth

long grain to long grain - should be as strong as !

Have you both been talking to my wife? That's exactly what she said! I have glued up another (had some of same timber left over, so no big deal if I don't use it & manage to fix this one), but I do have some 20mm pieces that I cut today from the long stretchers.

Here's a pic. I am starting to wish I had a bandsaw tho...maybe a belated Xmas/birthday pressy (September...too long to wait?!)



Wifey just read this post...now for days of relentless "ha ha told u so's"!!

What strikes me is this word.

Originally Posted by johnredl

Wifey

I would have thought it might have been preferable to use the word honey, darling, enlighten one.

A bit of a stab at my dearly beloved, gorgeous, life partner, who was reading it & is not that fond of 'wifey'...just trying to live dangerously!

Just wondering guys...I was going to have the top just sitting on the legs (for easy removal in case I need to move it).

How do I do this? Is it a mortise & tenon joint, or is there a better way of doing this? Going by the pics, how big should I make my tenons...I assume I should make the mortises in the top a little bigger to allow for expansion?

Thanks for all the advice I've been getting so far, I appreciate it