YAWT (yet another workbench thread)

[Jerome Hanby]

Finally got off the fence and started my workbench project. Tool my little girl to the Georgia Aquarium, purely a coincidence that it's about two miles from IKEA;). Came home with a beech counter top:

NUMERÄR

Length: 73 1/4 "
Depth: 39 3/8 "
Thickness: 1 1/2 "

Plan is to route a slot across the entire width in position for apx half the depth (and all the width) of the all thread to reinforce a shoulder vise (Thanks Zahid, for trading me the shoulder vise screw!). Routing a half depth rabbet for the splines to reinforce banding. Then slicing the counter top in half length wise, so I can glue it back into 3" thick top about 19 1/2" wide. Hopefully I can work out the cut so that after I flip the top over, the laminations will not line up. I've heard that the glue job is not great on these counter tops, so maybe that will help hold everythng together.

Local Hardwood place had a stack of European beech on "sale" a few weeks back. It looked pretty, hopefully I can aquire enough of that to build the base, banding, and vise parts.

If I can figure out the details, I'm thinking of building a Nyquist tail vise. Barring that, I'll probably build some deriviative of a wagon vise (think that's what Chris Schartz style benches often have).

Since nothing happens without pictures I'll try to snap a few shots.

[harry strasil]

FWIW, I got a Shoulder Vise Screw from Lee Valley for my bench Wagon Vise and not wanting the screw to stick out when the vise is open. I machined a groove in the screw and made a Brass Garter for it.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/Nubnch11109003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/Nubnch11109004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/Nubnch11109005.jpg

I just don't like things sticking out to run into. and I have added 2 more screws on the right side of the garter.

If I were to do it again, I would just use a piece of cold rolled flat strap screwed to the bottom of the sliding part and machine a pair of gibs to screw onto the sides of the sliding part instead of machining out grooves in the bench top for the vise sliding part to slide in.

I did use dowels as a slide to help prevent residue build up in the groove tho.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/vicegibs.jpg

[Jerome Hanby]

I guess the building instructions make a lot more sense once you realize that cold rolled bar stock also comes in square bars, not just round:D

[harry strasil]

flat bar stock, at least 1/4 thick and two inches wider than the sliding part

[Jerome Hanby]

Harry, I went back and re-read your original reply, very good ideas there. Thank you!

[harry strasil]

There is one drawback I forgot to mention in my original post tho. The handle has to be turned clockwise to open the vise and counter clockwise to close it, Just backwards of a normal vise.

[Jerome Hanby]

Another question.
Seems like I saw some technique for cutting the relief on a workbench's sled foot with a jointer. Any clue where I ran across that? Or maybe better, any suggestions for cutting that relief that require little skill on my part:D?

[Billy Chambless]

Another question.
Seems like I saw some technique for cutting the relief on a workbench's sled foot with a jointer. Any clue where I ran across that? Or maybe better, any suggestions for cutting that relief that require little skill on my part:D?

It might have been on page 75 of "The Workbench Book" by Scott Landis. ;)

[/URL][URL="http://http://books.google.com/books?id=dDbKtdJAZU4C&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=trestle+feet+jointer&source=bl&ots=6eWnwnLCgK&sig=DUU2sUh1xIJJlExVkMD5R8uQQ8A&hl=en&ei=iMnkSajEONmLtgexvaS2DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1"] (http://http://books.google.com/books?id=dDbKtdJAZU4C&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=trestle+feet+jointer&source=bl&ots=6eWnwnLCgK&sig=DUU2sUh1xIJJlExVkMD5R8uQQ8A&hl=en&ei=iMnkSajEONmLtgexvaS2DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1)
Another idea would be to cut it with a bandsaw.

[Jerome Hanby]

Pretty embarrassing since that book was about 18 inches from me when I made the post. I may try that jointer technique if my little jointer will let me adjust the tables to be level.

I had considered the bandsaw, but that requires some skill on my part. :eek:


It might have been on page 75 of "The Workbench Book" by Scott Landis. ;)


Another idea would be to cut it with a bandsaw.

[Jerome Hanby]

I headed down to the hardwood place in Alabaster intending to pick up some European Beech that I had seen on sale there (about $3.50 a Bd Ft for 6/4). Got there and no more beech (at least not at that price). They did have a nice stack of 4/4 FAS/1F Ambrosia Maple for $2.50 a BD Ft. Called my wife and her Google the stuff just to make sure it was what I thought it was. Took home 44 Bd Ft to build my base.

$2.50 is about what I see folks here paying for Hard Maple, so maybe not a great bargain in the grand scheme of things, but pretty sweet for Birmingham, Al!

As I understand it, this stuff is Soft Maple (soft compared to what:eek:) that's had fungus tracked onto the green wood by the Ambosia beetle resulting in the interesting spalting (I think that's the term). My plan is to cut all the sled foot, uprights, and tops in triplicate then glue them up three abreast. This should let me create through mortise and tennons by leaving stratigically placed gaps in my middle boards of the feet and tops, an longer pieces in the middles of the uprights sticking out each end. Same trick with the short strechers betrween the legs on each end. I'm planning on 4/4 thick long stretchers about 5 inches wide mortised into the legs and secured with bench bolts.

All of that sound feasible with Ambosia Maple? Kind of feel bad for hiding something that pretty under a Workbench, but the only thing cheaper was Poplar and I felt this Maple was a pretty big upgrade from that.