Thread: (Another) Workbench WIP

Originally Posted by Alastair

Good day all,

After a loooong time of thinking about it, I have finally succumbed to “bench fever”, and am in the middle of a build.

Hi Alastair,

Well, you know what the rules are. No pictures then it didn't happen. WIPs need photos and we all like photos.

So keep us updated.

P.S. I like the hall table by the way, great dimensions. Well done.

Cheers,
Pops

Good day All,

As Poppa said, no pics—didn’t happen!
However, I have been spending my time doing, not snapping. I’ll try and rectify with some retrospective pics as I bring the build up to date, and document more as I go along, once caught up.

Stock I had was various lengths of 110 X 35 oregon, and 2 off 4 m beams of 170 X 45 oregon, one of which was very knotty. To get the size I wanted for the top and bottom rails, and to simplify the joinery, these were laminated up from the 110x35. I made up dummy tenons to suit, and wrapped them in clingwrap, before aligning by feel, and clamping up. After the clamps came off, and the tenons were knocked out, instant mortices!! One face was then jointed by hand, and the pieces then sized through thicknesser, (110mm for feet, and 85mm for top rails. (pic 1)

The stiles were laminated up from the 45mm stock, using the bits between the knots, ripped down to 85mm. I then drilled out waste for 20mm wide mortices in one of each 2 laminations, before glueing, aligning and clamping up assemblies. Again the laminated edges were hand jointed, and the stiles then machined to size. Tenons were then marked out on both ends of the stiles, a squidgen oversize for the rail mortices, and cut on the bandsaw. (pic 2) These were then individually fitted with the shoulder plane. (Oregon is a b*gger to plane cross grain!). As these joints will be wedged for rigidity, stopper holes were first drilled, and then slots for the wedges cut on the bandsaw. (pic 3). Trial assembly showed something approaching square, at least. (pic 4)

The (previously drilled) mortices in the stiles were then chiseled out to size. It was then time to convert the remaining lengths of 170x45 into the stretchers. (Slightly oversize) full width tenons were “nibbled” out on the tablesaw, and edge cheeks on the bandsaw. The tenons were made shorter than the mortices, to allow them to be drawn up by bolting. This was done to allow future disassembly for moving or storage, and also for strength, and to facilitate “taking up” any slack or racking which might develop with time. The tenons were again fitted for easy insertion in the stiles.
The stiles were then drilled for 5/16” bolts on the drill press. After assembly, I used these as pilot holes to drill the holes into the ends of the stretchers, before disassembling, and deepening the holes to depth.. The 30mm cross clearance holes were drilled on the drill press, and then squared off by chisel, to take the nut and washer. (pic 5)

more to come

Looks good Alastair, and as Pops said, realy like the hall table, obviously working on your old bench didn't impair your product too much.

Hi Alastair,

Looking good.... I'll keep my eye on this thread, my bench build is coming up soon.

Also very much like your hall table, I hope you don't mind if I put this in my "one day" folder.

SD

That oregon looks terrific, beautiful straight grain and large sections as well.

Well think about it this way, a chipped blade is all you paid for the timber. I think it was well worth it.

Will you be making draws underneath the bench inorder to increase the weight of the workbench?

Looking good. Really like the hal table. I use Henry Bros. to sharpen my blades - very happy with them.

Hi Alastair,

Well,.. That is more like it, lots of photos of workshop activity. I knew you were busy with the 'doing'.

I like Oregon for frames, fairly strong and lightweight. Smells good when worked too. The frames are looking great. Good write-up too.

Thanks again. We will be watching for more.

Cheers,
Pops

Thanks for the compliments, all

I do need to make sure that credit goes where due for the hall table. The design came from the beautiful piece originally by Major Panic, and as adapted by Rocker, who both kindly consented to me doing as a WIP in "General Woodworking" earlier this year.

Thanks Bob; I get BS blades from HB, so am delighted to hear that they can sharpen as well. For the moment, have reversed the blades, so OK.

Timber; No not at this stage, but have planned the stretchers slightly lower, to allow a loose (say 2 drawers high) cabinet to be dropped in on top of them in the future.

regards

Next installment, from a number of evening sessions:

Next step was to the bandsaw to cut the radii on the ends of the top and bottom rails, and use the disc sander to fair them off. The recess for the feet was also cut in the bottom rail. (pic 1). I then machined chamfers on the stiles and the exposed edges of the rails.
I cut wedges for the stile tenons using a shim on the bandsaw. (pic 2). I then proceeded to the glue-up of the leg assemblies, which I expected to be a big task, and so it proved. Liberal application of glue, followed by gentle “persuasion” from my mallet got them together. I then found that it took more muscle than I expected to get them up onto a work surface to apply clamps. Two of these snugged up the joints, and then it was time to hammer home the wedges. This was a first for me, and I was impressed with how solidly the joints locked up. (pics 3 & 4) Following glue clean-up, (pic 5) I was pleasantly surprised with the final fit, considering I had not been particularly anal in the final joint adjustment. (pic 6) (some cheating here; I was able to choose the best from 8 for the pic!!!)
After that wrestle, it was time to do it again with the second set.

After these had dried, the wedges were cleaned up by chisel, and it was time for the acid test---- assembly with the stretchers. No problems here, and after bolting together, the final result is VERY solid, with no wind, and a difference of 3mm on the long diagonal, which was better than I usually expect. (pic 7).

More to come.......

Great work there Alastair, coming together nicely.

Thanks Groggy!

Slightly different interpretation to your build, which I am following closely as well........

regards

Major difference so far is mine connects directly to the top, not to a top rail. The reasoning for this was to minimise under top clutter that may obstruct holdfasts, bench dogs or clamps. Like most things with benches though there are few "rights" or "wrongs" once the basics have been achieved.

It looks like a very stable design, mid-height stretchers and the top to brace it, it won't be moving much at all..

Hi Groggy,

Top will just rest on top rails, located by (large) dowels. If you feel the weight of the (part) top to date, it will not need securing. Only area which will be unavailable will be the area directly over the top rails. That will need some lateral thinking for dogholes, and vice etc.

regards

Just lovely.