Thread: A Real Workshop

Now the benchtop is finished I need to continue with the drawers.

On the right end of the bench I have made a bank of full drawers. These will hold some of the daily tools and supplies until cabinets are made above the workbench.

I still have to make a few more pull-out drawers for the systainers.

In the middle of the bench I think I will make two open trays to hold bits and pieces used for a particular project.

I was tired of looking at the unfinished timber so I gave the drawer fronts and the timber in the benchtop a sand and a coat of oil.

They look much better now and the colour of the Snakewood stands out.

The hose and powercord for the shop vac is a nuisance. I wish I could come up with a solution to get them out of the way.

That really is looking the goods!

looking good
is it just my eyesight or is the top drawer a tad narrower?

thanks guys.

It is amazing what a difference a coat of finish make artme.

I knew I should have taken the photo from the other end of the bench Sawdust maker but, yes, one drawer front is narrower than the others.
There was a plan......then it changed.......then it changed again.
The narrow drawer front on the end is one of several errors I have made.

I made the bench to fit pull-out drawers for the Festool systainers. The top row of drawers are for tools and things.
After I had made all the drawer fronts for the top row and then made the drawers, I decided that a bank of deeper drawers would be good on the end. My idea was to put my bench drill on this end of the bench so the drawers would have drill bits and other drilling stuff.
So I decided to make them the full width of the cabinet.
Now it looks stupid.
I might change the "short" drawer front when I make the rest of the drawers. Or paint the edge of the cabinet red so you don't notice it?

When the drawers are all finished I will add a face frame to try to make the front look a bit neater.
I plan to put a few holes in the face frame to support long boards and a track along the top for clamps.

Yeah - I'm pretty good meself at changing plans many times during a project

A few woodworking projects have got in the way of the benches and cabinets.

In the process of rearranging my hand tools into their new drawers I remembered my small cabinet that I made for the tools I used most often.
It was still in the garage but most of the tools were now in my workbench drawers. Convenient but not organised at all.

My plan is to cover most of the shed wall with cabinets above the bench. That will take some planning and a fair bit of time but I would like to have my favourite handtools back in their cabinet.

I thought I could put up some of the French Cleats that would be used for the final cabinets and use them to temporarily hold my favourite cabinet.

I attached a couple of rows of the cleats and attached my cabinet. It is down the end because I didn't want to drop it on the cedar TV cabinet that is nearly finished.

Later I will move it closer to my main workbench.
Now most of the tools are back in their home and I feel good.

Squares, gauges, rasps, chisels, Z saw, hammers and mallets. Maybe my little brass block plane should be there too.

Like the T Square. What Brand is it?

Originally Posted by artme

Like the T Square. What Brand is it?

looks like a woodpeckers - nice piece of kit
linky

Thanks Artme.

The T Square is my latest induldgence. It did have the hole wall to itself until now.

I have had home made T squares and used a cabinetmakers square for years but they just don't do a really good job.

The Woodpeckers TS-600 T square is a solidly built tool. The foot clunks hard up against a board or sheet. The leg is very firm with no movement at all.

A lot of small holes for propelling pencils. The larger holes are at 32mm for shelf pins, hinges etc.

The markings are very easy to read.
It came with its own board and a pair of pencils.

It is expensive but I enjoy using it and expect it will last forever.

I try to find small projects but still end up with big lumps of wood.

Currently I am working on a Red Gum dining table.
The slab was over 4m long, 1 to 1.5m wide and 50-60mm thick. Maybe 150 to 200kg.

It is difficult to lift and move on my own so I rely on strong mates to give me a lift.

I trimmed a bit off the slab and with help lifted it onto a large dolly. Rolling the dolly was fine as long as I made a plywood track across the soft lawn.

I decided to make up a pulley in the shed. An eye bolt was bolted to an L-plate attached with three coach bolts to the 300mm x 75mm LVL.

A visit to the local sail maker produced a couple of pulleys, shackles and advise.

After a bit of head scratching I was able to lift one end of the slab and nudge it onto the bench.

It would have been easier if I had though to have a hook to tie off the rope so I was free to push the slab.

So one end was on the bench but I still needed to lift the other end and move it onto the workbench.

It doesn't look like the rope runs around all four sides of the slab (in a loop) before running back up to the pulley.
Does it?
If not, it might be safer.
... Or maybe a screw a fair way into each edge (with an inch left out) to prevent the rope from slipping forward ... ?
Or both.
Cheers,
Paul

A few other thoughts - which you have maybe already had yourself - pulling heavy things sideways has issues all on its own.

You could pull it from the opposite wall, or diagonally along the line the slab is pointing in your picture ... but you would still have to convince the bench not to move as well.

You could secure the edge on the bench and lift the rear end outside, support it all, and then slide it forward.

I guess the support beam is ok with the bolt-holes through it (?) ... and I know you have plaster right up to the beam ... but I was thinking that with a chain around the beam, you could probably lift a car engine.

Just thoughts.
Cheers,
Paul

Thanks for your comments Paul.

It is a pretty rough set up but I was trying to work out a better system.
I expect the LVLs are strong enough but don't know how much weight they can take?
I hadn't thought about running a chain around it?

The edge of the slab is very rough and there was no sign of it slipping. A screw on each edge of the slab would certainly have been much safer.

My workbench is a big heavy bugger and it wasn't going to move away from the slab.

I ended up putting an Eye -bolt through the pergola beam. The beam is Blue Gum and very solid.

Then I moved the pulley and ropes to the Pergola eye bolt and lifted the other end of the slab.
With a little forethought I would have put a hook on the pergola post so I could tie-off the rope once I had the slab up in the air!!!
I managed to kick a sawhorse under the slab.

A large dowel and PVC pipe made it easy to roll the slab onto the table.

The pullies worked but the process was harder than it needed to be. I am thinking seriously about a winch for the shed.

I got to work on the slab, filing cracks and holes with epoxy and using a router sled to level it.
Turning it over could be interesting.

Hi Scally

forgive me but I'm having an "uh?" moment here.
at 200 or so kg, that red gum slab is its own bench -- a couple of saw horses and you'd be all set.

What will be interesting is how you deliver and install the table