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Thread: Workbench # 2

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
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    Melbourne
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    52

    Default Workbench # 2

    Some years ago I found a very different style of sewing machine base that was thrown into a recycle bin in inner Melbourne. Duly borrowed from the scrap bin and liberated to the back of my 4X4 under cover of darkness, the very heavy and larger than domestic sewing machine stand is plain in appearance with the exception of corporate ornamentation cast into the legs. I have no idea how old it is but being heavy, cross braced, rigid and inherently stable it was earmarked as a good way to start my workbench # 2 project. The other day I realized there will be something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue in the building of it. After getting an early, florid domestic Singer base recently, my industrial base is liberated from garden duties and I have started the #2 bench project officially on my 30th wedding anniversary. Should I call it the wedding day bench ?? Too corny ??

    With the first challenge complete the long earmarked cast iron base was washed and taken indoors to become a small but solid bench for woodwork with a 1300 x 600 x 70 thick top. Like many projects, it took some time to start but I was able to track down the other materials, bench top, front vice, tail vice and cabinet material as I waited. I wanted a plain design with a front vice on the left, a single thickness top so I could clamp right out to the edges and a tail vice on the right with a single row of round dog holes in the front rail. For the top, I planned a laminated 70mm thick fabrication using discarded skirting boards from a house demolition and a solid 70 x 70 front rail. The skirting I scrounged had a small plain embellishment that was easily removed and 3 full strips could be cut from the flat and straight 250mm X 25mm Victorian Ash sections. Last weekend I split them with a hand held circular saw to harvest the 75mm wide strips. The wastage will make some cheap picture frames. I found a slightly bowed 75 X 75 of silky oak at a bargain bin price for the front rail and it is the only new timber used.

    I already have a front vice given to me 30 years ago by family. It is a 7” Carter and was used on workbench # 1 till I converted that bench to do my assembly and metalwork. Workbench # 1 now has a new Record 75mm engineers vice and is a full 900 high. I plan to inset a HNT Gordon tail vice into the front rail of workbench # 2, I tried a few products before finally deciding that this was my favorite. I have plenty of all thread, nuts, straight scraps for clamps and some large RHS to keep it all flat during assembly. I will used a router with sled to flatten the top initially and then use the hand planes. The new base is 720 high so the final bench height will be approximately 785mm – 790mm depending on how good I am with the plane.

    The wood for the cabinet will be harvested from a banged up old lowboy with a bit of history. Originally covered in blue lacquer, it was in my bedroom when I was a kid and served as a home for my toys. It was painted many times before I can remember it, I gave it two new colors myself to match the changing house décor over time. Nan told me when I was a teenager that it was second hand in the 1920’s and cut from a much larger cabinet during the depression. Several smaller wardrobes for the then children of the family were made from the original cabinet, it was how you did things to live back then. When I stripped the history away with the multiple layers of paint including the original blue lacquer in 2005, I discovered it was made from 25mm thick x 450mm single board width kauri pine with a liner of 12mm thick red pine. It is a project to start on after the bench is functional and it may be that the timber will be used in a rolling chest and cabinet. However I use it, the purpose will be to house my special tools, the ones I make or the those of my late father. So before the national trust get started, it is in genuinely poor condition and worthless as furniture. The timber however has considerable value.

    Now you know the background. While it took time to start I have been able to keep the cost down in the process. It will owe me less than $250 by the time it is finished including a new tail vice. Wish me luck. I hope you enjoy the build photos and comments as i put them up.

    regards mgtoolmaker

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    blue mountains
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    Default

    Sounds good. Waiting for the photos.
    Regards
    John

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    52

    Default progress photos

    It was a busy weekend, the wood I stripped into 75mm x 25mm sections last week is now cut to bench length and dressed all round. I made a simple jig on the milling machine to start drilling the holes for the all threads to hold it together during and after the gluing. By next weekend this task should be finished for the three allthread locations and the glue up is scheduled for Saturday. I am going to use Titebond I as I can get it from the distributor about 3km from home.

    I have attached a few photos of the base and work to date... a dummy stack of the dressed timber, the base i am using and everything packed up and ready for the next step. regards mgtoolmaker

    L1001405.jpgL1001400.jpgL1001414.jpg

  5. #4
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    Nov 2007
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    Default

    I am still reading and watching this one.

  6. #5
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    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    Default drill jig photos

    I am making progress, thought I would share some photos of the jigging I used to setup for the holes in the boards. The holes are now either all right or all wrong now !!!!!

    The simple jigs I have made to drill the cross holes for the all threads are made from dressed wood scraps and aluminium angle. The first jig photo is for drilling a hole 125mm ( plus a cutting allowance) from the edge of each board at one end. This hole will become the datum for the rest of the holes drilled in the second and third setup. With the first holes drilled, I place the board back on the jig and against the fence sliding it to the right until I can stick the grey pin on the right through the first hole and down to the jig's hole. I then drill the second hole on each board. By moving the "X" axis on the mill, the second jig with a 545mm pitch will be rebuilt into the third jig with a 380mm pitch for the final hole. There is no change to the fence for first, second or third holes, it is the pitching and end stops that change. The rationale behind the spacing is to have one rod on the centreline of the 7" vice, one in the middle of the bench, and the one on the right in a position to clear the end of the tail vice.....

    Tonight I will drill the third set of holes and the counterbores. If I can buy some suitable glue I will stick it all together this weekend, regards mgtoolmaker

    L1001413.jpgL1001416.jpg

  7. #6
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    Nov 2008
    Location
    Perth WA
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    Default

    Hello MG,

    I like the recycling and the history.

    It is interesting to see the mill being used for woodie stuff. I need to do a very small bit of wood milling . Easy stuff with a slot drill and ball endmill but I only have a top speed of about 2000 rpm. I'm wondering if tearing becomes a problem with non router cutting speeds? Then there's the issue of dust and oil.

    How comfortable will you find a bench 790 high?

    BT

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    52

    Default the top is glued

    The glue up of the top went reasonably well, no clothes ruined, tabletop unharmed, no unplanned attachments and only one lamination in back to front or upside down (aka wrong way). The glue has cured finally, the last several days have been very cold and wet. Probably could have used a shade more glue as not all joins were oozing out but it was a clean job. The glue up took 45 minutes start to finish and i used 1 litre of Titebond III.

    Next photo shoot when the top is looking better and garage tidier, I promise I will include piles of wood shavings for those who like that sort of stuff.

    I have started planing the underside with a hand held Makita and Stanley #3. The top is out of flat by 2-3 mm as a crown and the bottom 4-5 mm as a dish.

    Bob, thanks for reading the thread, I am a standard 6 foot tall but i have found that working with a plane on a 900 high bench doesn't give me much purchase or control so that is why i am happy to be a bit lower. My back is still in good shape for a 55year old sedentry ex tradie and while I have a bit of extra padding, I am still flexible enough to enjoy manual work given i stretch and warm up properly.

    I have not found a problem milling the odd bit of wood at 3200rpm, and for large diameter cutters, down to 600rpm with sharp tools and positive rake. Go negative or use a blunt edge, totally different result. Also i sometimes put a sacrificial edge piece with the workpiece on the out path for the tool to prevent tearing. Wood has this funny unpredictable thing called grain. As to wood dust clogging up the works, I wipe the machine down before i cut wood and I vacuum up as soon as i finish. Once a year every machine gets a Christmas superclean.

    regards mgtoolmaker

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    Default planing started, more photos

    Hello all,

    A progress photo, the work is continuing and the assembled top is getting planed flat. I am using my old 900mm level as a straight edge for the moment. The 6 stubs of the all thread have been hacksawed flush to the edge and the dremel will get them ground down below the surface so I can true and square the edges. There is still about 50mm - 60mm extra on the length each end to come off but the bench is starting to look like a bench. I have tested a moving 113.5kg weight on it without issue. I am using the base as the support for planing the top. The silky oak is a dream to work, the Vic Ash is behaving

    regards mgtoolmaker

    L1001427.jpg

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    52

    Default vice is on

    Hello all,

    Almost there........a few spare hours over the holiday break and the iron base is properly attached to the top now. The top is as flat as it will ever be, the ends of the bench have been squared off and the 7" Carter vice is mounted ready for timber jaws. I set the vice 20mm lower using packers and I am making the timber jaws next. The timber jaws will be 4" deep and the 1-1/2" thickness of each jaw will be rebated to enclose the 1/2" thick metal jaws. I am going to put dog holes in the timber jaws when it is all done.

    regards mgtoolmaker
    L1001543.jpg

  11. #10
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    Default

    I have been following the progress of this and do have a question regarding the location of the vise. Would it be better to have it further from the end of the bench?

  12. #11
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    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    Default vice position

    Hello Christos,

    The position of the vice on my bench was dictated by the existing base and my requirement to have as small an overhang to the left and right of the base as practical. The vice is outboard of the base and i only have 40mm clearance before the guide rods and rear jaw would foul the outside of the base. If you had a bench with the leg outboard of the vice you could slide the vice to the right easily but then it would be harder to have it at the left extremity. It is all about compromise and what you prefer.

    If i moved the vice to the right i would need a longer overhang to clear the guide rods underneath and this would affect the visual proportions as much as getting closer to the bench tipping if you loaded up the far left,

    Thanks for the interest, hope it has answered the question

    regards mgtoolmaker

  13. #12
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mgtoolmaker View Post
    .... hope it has answered the question...
    Yep, it has.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    52

    Default Not all went to plan......

    Hello again,

    Despite a pretty picture of the vice on the bench, not all went to plan with the vice install. I was absolutely busting happy at how I managed to flatten the top and it was a great afternoon with my father in law a retired joiner, so picking up a few tips on the way and having a BBQ made it a good Sunday. Then I let my guard down and tried to rush the vice install. A few things, I used packers that were the same thickness but as I found out whe it came to the detail, they were tapered. So I took them out and sat the vice in again, not as deep in the jaw, but much better. I also discovered that my planing had been a bit gung ho on the front rail and it was a bannanannanna. So next job is to set up the straight edge and get the bow out. Apart from that, no problems. I hope to bring the build to a finish next week when I get my HNT Gordon tail vice. The new jaws for the Carter will be in as well,

    regards mgtoolmaker

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    52

    Default The HNT Gordon tail vice install

    Hello again,

    nothing like work away to slow progress. I have roughed out the cavity and then trimmed up the slot to fit the body of the vice. Main tools used, circular saw, chisels and the mallet. Hope to complete the cover plate this week end, photos of wood shavings attached.

    regards mgtoolmaker
    Attached Images Attached Images

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    52

    Default it finished and it works

    Well the weekend was mine in the shed. I did 4 things and they were

    Cut and trim cover plate
    Drill holes in cover plate
    Join the dots in cover plate
    Drill the dg holes in the front rail.

    Yes, the work is done, tonight I will have the screws in to hold the cover plate down. Time to brew some more beer, then on to the next project, thanks for reading the post.

    regards mgtoolmaker
    Attached Images Attached Images

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