Vince Lok
11-02-2009, 6:47 PM
Hi guys, I'm new here! I wouldn't count myself as a "woodworker" just a "Handy Dad" with an uncontrollable urge to buy tools. I think my "shop" is probably better equiped than most DIYers but it's a far stretch from being a real shop.
So here is the extent of my newbish-ness, I'm sure some of you can appreciate this!
I've been building a little step stool for my kids to reach the sink. Pretty simple design. But here's the funny part. After assembling it, I notice that it rocks a little bit, so I figured out which leg (foot, rather) was a touch long and planed it down. I used the workbench to figure out the wobbliness. Well after a lot of planing and sanding, I got the step to sit nice and flush with the top of the bench. So I move put it on the floor to see how it looks and ... it's not flat anymore!
In fact I tried it on a few surfaces (a coffee table, the floor, a kitchen table) and it wobbles! The brutal thing is that ... the leg that I sanded down is the leg that is too short! My WORKBENCH TOP is not flat!!
Argh!!! Ah well...newbie mistake number one ... and counting ... :p
The workbench was one I built from the back of a Black and Decker home repair book. After using it for a couple of projects I've decided that (aside from not being flat!) that it doesn't have enough overhang for clamping and I have no way to mount my nice vice to it.
I'm thinking of building "Tom Caspar's torsion box workbench" next.
Vince
So here is the extent of my newbish-ness, I'm sure some of you can appreciate this!
I've been building a little step stool for my kids to reach the sink. Pretty simple design. But here's the funny part. After assembling it, I notice that it rocks a little bit, so I figured out which leg (foot, rather) was a touch long and planed it down. I used the workbench to figure out the wobbliness. Well after a lot of planing and sanding, I got the step to sit nice and flush with the top of the bench. So I move put it on the floor to see how it looks and ... it's not flat anymore!
In fact I tried it on a few surfaces (a coffee table, the floor, a kitchen table) and it wobbles! The brutal thing is that ... the leg that I sanded down is the leg that is too short! My WORKBENCH TOP is not flat!!
Argh!!! Ah well...newbie mistake number one ... and counting ... :p
The workbench was one I built from the back of a Black and Decker home repair book. After using it for a couple of projects I've decided that (aside from not being flat!) that it doesn't have enough overhang for clamping and I have no way to mount my nice vice to it.
I'm thinking of building "Tom Caspar's torsion box workbench" next.
Vince