SCMS station/bench hybrid

Hello All.

I debated whether or not to post my mitre station / bench hybrid build on here. Firstly, there's more steel than wood. Secondly, it's a pretty straight forward build. Basically, it's a couple of SS tool workbench from Bunnies on a plinth base with the tops replaced and joined by a small 3 drawer cabinet on which the SCMS sits.

I convinced myself that it qualifies as a bench 'coz it has a HNT front vice and will have a row of dog holes. This will be my first bench but it won't be my last. I needed to build this bench before I can build my "serious" woodworking bench. Not only is this my first bench, but this project was my first resin pour as well as my first attempt at resawing. I split a 1mL x 300mmW X 30mm thick bit of acacia. This has been a steep learning curve for me. Hopefully it will put me in good stead when it comes time to build my Roubo/Shaker workbench.

The top is 3 layers of 33mm thick Acacia utility grade panels. These are also available from Bunnies but I actually got mine from Gumtree from less than half the price. If you know of these panels, you'll know that "utility grade" means heaps of knot holes, cracks, imperfect lamination, etc and that's the stuff you get from the big B. Mine must have been "seconds" or rejects because their condition was much worse. What I like about them is they're a hardwood and their colour is very similar to Blackbutt which I'm planning to use for my 2nd bench. In the pics below, you can see how closely the Acacia top matches the Blackbutt plinth. They're both finished in 50:50 mineral turps BLO mix. The top has only had one coat at this stage and the SCMS is just "roughed" for layout and measurements. It still has to be "shimmed" up so it's the same height as the "wings on either side.


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Cheers,

Mike

bugga, just when I was happy with my plans for a bench along same lines you drop this up and make it look so much nicer and easier... who would have thought metal cupboards... back to the drawing board

I was going to go down the "plywood path" and build my own my own cabinets and drawer, but after I factored in the cost of drawer slides, quality ply, and other consumables, it wasn't that much cheaper than this option especially seeing as I got a 40% discount on the tool chests. Plus the HNT deserved a classier bench.

Here's a tip if you decide to follow my route, visit a few Bunnies and look for damaged tool chests. Often the floor models have some major dings. I simply asked to talk to the manager of the tool department and I asked him nicely if he'd consider selling them to me at a discount. To my amazement he said yes. I was expecting a 10~20% discount and was pleasantly surprised when he offered to sell them to me at cost price. Bargain !!!

I'd been scouring Gumtree for the very same tool chests with no luck. The damage to these were on the sides which were going to be covered up by the cabinet between the two so it didn't matter for what I wanted them for.

Moral of the story: It doesn't hurt to ask. If you don't ask, you don't get.



Cheers,
Mike

UPDATE: The bench is pretty much complete. It's had it's 2nd and 3rd coat of BLO/mineral turps and a couple layers of paste wax on top of that. Dog holes have been drilled with a slight mishap (see below), the backboard installed, and the side of the SCMS hood is in place.


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It's times like these I'm glad I have a laser level. It makes it so easy getting the height of the side panels of the SCMS cowl right and plumb. The ply wasn't long enough so I had the brilliant idea of mounting my Woodpeckers 600mm T square on the RH side to make up the difference.


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Drilling out the dog holes. Note the piece of scrap wood under the bench top to prevent tear out. This proved easier than I was expecting and it's definitely the technique I will be using to drill the dog holes on my "serious" workbench.


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Slight mishap when it came to routing a chamfer around the dog holes. The guide bearing on my router bit disintegrated while I was routing one of the dog holes. I don't really know how to prevent this and I'll have to think of a "safer" way for the next bench.


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A couple of pics of the bench in its final location. The reason it's longer than the wall is because there will either be a small "return" bench behind it or that's where I'll put the DE. I haven't decided yet. The other reason for putting it in this location is it allows me to cut really long pieces by sticking them out of the garage opening.

Note the difference in colour between the bench top and the side panels of the SCMS cowl. They're made of the same timber (Acacia) but the top has been finished in BLO + min turps + wax whereas the side panels has been sprayed with satin varnish as has the ply back board. If I had to do it again, I would have finished the side panels the same as the top to keep the consistency.


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I was going to install HNT tail vice on the LH side but I instead opted to use a Veritas Quick-Release Wonder Dog. It has more than 20cm of travel which meant I could space my dog holes 20cm apart.


Things left to do:

1) shim up the SCMS, install sacrificial fence and ZCI
2) install side fences
3) make overhead cupboards
4) make some tool holders to hang onto backboard.

I'll make the drawers when I build my shaker style bench so it's consistent. That's it for now.



Cheers,
Mike

Nice bench, nice vice, nice SCMS! And about that Bosch glide - how are you finding it for accuracy?

Thanks Alkahestic.

The Bosch Glide is indeed a great machine and accurate enough for my needs. The problem I had with it was I had it mounted on the Bosch Gravity Rise Folding Saw Stand and because it's such a heavy saw, I found that every time I folded it away and re-opened it, it would no longer be plumb. It would be out by about a degree. I had to make sure that every time I opened it back up the saw was still cutting perfectly perpendicular. It's caught me out a couple of times but it's a small price to pay for the mobility aspect. The mobility was great when I was building my back and front decks but I no longer need it to be mobile and I can afford to build a permanent home for it.

The other main gripe I have with it is the dust extraction (common to pretty much all SCMS) and I'm hoping to address that with this bench as well. Other than those minor quibbles, I'm very happy with it.


Cheers,
Mike.