Thread: WIP Shaker Workbench with Split Top

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Surely, Mike, as a toddler, you discovered that drawers could be used as a stairway to bench tops?

Mate, we were too poor to have real furniture especially ones with drawers (What's that ?!?!) particularly when I was at furniture-clambering age. I'm not even joking. We were so poor Mom had to cut holes in my pockets so that I'd have something to play with. That's actually a lie......."pockets" ?!?!? What are those ?!? They must be for rich folks. Poor people don't need pockets when you've got nothing to put in them.

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It's safe to say that Rob Cosman's crown (or whoever's the current dovetail/bow tie king) is safe !!! Yuk !!! Especially the one on the back face. Purpleheart has a tendency to darken quite a bit with some finish and with age, and I'm hoping that will make the "repairs" less prominent.

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“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Samuel Beckett

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Cheers,

Mike

Absolutely gorgeous!!!

Wow what a piece of art!

Keen to see how the tools drawers fit out comes along over time

Cheers
Nathan

Originally Posted by delbs

Wow what a piece of art!

Keen to see how the tools drawers fit out comes along over time

Cheers
Nathan

Thanks Nathan.

Yep, me too. It's gonna take some time 'coz I just realised I'll have to first complete my sets of tools before I can French-fit them into the drawers like Derek has, and that is gonna take some coin.

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Absolutely gorgeous!!!

Or too pretty to use? I'd hate to scratch it!

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Or too pretty to use? I'd hate to scratch it!

Too late, Graeme. It already has plenty of battle scars from 21 months of hard use....


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....for example, I didn't exactly place these heavy rough-sawn Blackbutt boards on the bench with kid gloves. For the photos, all I did was lightly sand the top with 320grit on my ROS (taking care not to introduce any low spots) in order to remove any glue splatter I may have missed and to rough the surface up a bit so the 2 new coats of Osmo Polyx had something to bond to. Other than a coat of paste wax afterwards, all I did to the base was a quick spit-polish with a damp rag and actual spit on the stubborn stains. I spent more time on the new Shaker doors for the overhead cupboard in the background then I did on the benchtop, and I'm still not happy with it.


It's a testament to the durability of the well-seasoned Spotted Gum that the top looks as good as it still does. There's a never ending debate on whether it's best to use softwoods or hardwoods for a workbench. I'm obviously firmly in "the harder, the better" camp. I'd use ringed gidgee for the top if I could!! I guess I should qualify my statement by saying that I use my benchtop as a reference surface for planing and as a great big clamping caul for glue ups, and the softer the wood, the more prone it will be from damage to the point it will be of no use as a reference surface. At least that's my dos centavos on the matter.


Cheers,
Mike

Originally Posted by KahoyKutter

It's a testament to the durability of the well-seasoned Spotted Gum that the top looks as good as it still does. There's a never ending debate on whether it's best to use softwoods or hardwoods for a workbench. I'm obviously firmly in "the harder, the better" camp.

Cheers,
Mike

Mike

We are in agreement on the Spotty and hardwood. I have some drying for my bench; Since 2013! Should be dry soon.

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It will need quite a bit of jointing and thicknessing. If it comes up even half as well as your bench, I will be well pleased. I also have to live long enough.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Mike

We are in agreement on the Spotty and hardwood. I have some drying for my bench; Since 2013! Should be dry soon.

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It will need quite a bit of jointing and thicknessing. If it comes up even half as well as your bench, I will be well pleased. I also have to live long enough.

Regards
Paul

That's the added bonus of using reclaimed timber, Paul, it's already well-seasoned. The downside is you gotta fill in nail/screw holes and make sure there's no embedded nails and screws of course. DAMHIK. But even with pristine Aussie hardwoods, often you have to fill in gum veins and superficial cracks/checking anyway. 10 years is a long time. How many more years to go do you think it'll take before it's ready to use?

Originally Posted by KahoyKutter

That's the added bonus of using reclaimed timber, Paul, it's already well-seasoned. The downside is you gotta fill in nail/screw holes and make sure there's no embedded nails and screws of course. DAMHIK. But even with pristine Aussie hardwoods, often you have to fill in gum veins and superficial cracks/checking anyway. 10 years is a long time. How many more years to go do you think it'll take before it's ready to use?

Mike

In truth even the heavy billets intended for the legs were ready after about four years. It is me that is not ready. There were too many other projects including rebuilding every room in the old house. I am currently on the last two rooms (or would be if I was not typing here). After the house is rebuilt, I have to construct the shed and then it will the time for the workbench.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by KahoyKutter

Too late, Graeme. It already has plenty of battle scars from 21 months of hard use....

Great!

Reminds me of my late grandmother who had a highly polished red cedar table in her front room. It was always covered by a heavy green cloth - looked like a billiard table top - that draped almost to the ground and there was a white lace cloth on top of that. Every Tuesday she removed the cloths, polished the table and replaced the cloths. The table looked brilliant, but no one ever saw it because it was always covered by that damn cloth.

When asked she would say something like "Cannot be too careful with you nointers around" - even when I was around 40.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Mike

In truth even the heavy billets intended for the legs were ready after about four years. It is me that is not ready. There were too many other projects including rebuilding every room in the old house. I am currently on the last two rooms (or would be if I was not typing here). After the house is rebuilt, I have to construct the shed and then it will the time for the workbench.

Regards
Paul

It definitely sounds like you have a lot on your plate, Paul. And thanks for clarifying how long it takes to season Spotted Gum. I was starting to think that perhaps the current price of timber was quite reasonable after all.