Work Bench Progress Report (Pics)

[John Dingman]

Hey All,

Well, I didn't get it done as soon as I would have liked to. and I didn't get to build it out of the materials that I initially wanted to. And it's not an heirloom quality bench by any stretch of the imagination, but, it will be functional and I'll be able to beat it without fear of damaging it. Many of us are shall we say.......Shop $ challenged :rolleyes: So sometimes we have to use what we have lying around and make it work. Might not always be the prettiest peice, but it works. And that's what I had to do. I had a set of cabinets lying around, from the same kitchen remodel as the one I used for my router table, so I decided to use it for the workbench as I needed the storage. In materials, I have just slightly over $100.00 invested. All that's left to do now is to install the apron and hang the vises, which is going to happen net week This has been one fun project!
http://www.johnswoodshop.us/Images/Work%20Bench%20Cabinet%20005.jpg

http://www.johnswoodshop.us/Images/Work%20Bench%20Cabinet%20002.jpg

You can see all the dust on the planes from being out in the open in the shop, so this cabinet will be a big help. It also puts them in very close proximity to where the action is :)

Thanks for looking!
John

[Roy Wall]

John,

Hey.......I think it looks pretty good man!!! A smart use of materials, Instant storage - and a Killer top (where it counts)!!! Looks very, very solid!!!

Are you putting a single row of dogholes in the front inline with an end vise??

Looks good - put a little watco finish on it and it will look beautiful!!...

:)

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Roy...killer top! That thing isn't going anywhere without a lot of help! Beautiful bench and great use of the cabinets, too.

[Tyler Howell]

John,

Please tell us about your leg design.
Nice functional tool.

[John Dingman]

John, Please tell us about your leg design.
Nice functional tool.Thanks all! Tyler, the legs are simply there as decoration. The cabinet didn't really need them, I just put them on there to give it some semblance of a traditional work bench base. I used half lap joints on them. Slapped them together in about an hour and a half.

Thanks,
John

[John Dingman]

Are you putting a single row of dogholes in the front inline with an end vise??Roy, Thanks! I am going to do a single row of dog holes. I am going to have a Twin Screw Vise as a face vise and a Tail Vise. I will also run dog holes from the face vise to the back of the bench. The top is going to be laid out like this: http://www.terraclavis.com/bws/fullview2.jpg


Thanks again,
John

[Roy Wall]

Double twin screw vises......that'll get the job done!! I think that's awesome!

Excellent work:)

[John Dingman]

Well, I have spent the last couple of days getting the vises hung. All I have left to do now is put the apron on and finish the top. I love the twin screw vise as a face vise. Maybe one day I'll make a wooden cover for it.



http://www.johnswoodshop.us/Images/Work%20Bench%20Vises%20005.jpg


Thanks for looking,
John

[Mark Singer]

It really is looking great! That is a great vise setup. If you have the space I would move it away from the wall to work around it. Love the bench!

[Jim Dunn]

John how are you going to finish the top? By the way I liiiiike it!

[Tyler Howell]

Real nice John,

Your cooking

[Jim Becker]

That really looks great, John. The vices are a great "finishing" touch, too. I do agree with Mark...if you can get the bench away from the wall, it may prove even more useful since it can be easier and more productive to move around the workpiece, rather than moving the workpiece, itself.

[Ted Shrader]

John -

That is a great bench. Economy, in this case, was a very good thing. Lots of storage, very stable, and the top is outstanding.

Ted

[Jerry Olexa]

John, LOVE your bench AND a great collection of planes. Looks even better now with the vices, etc. GREAT job! Enjoy using it!!

[Roy Wall]

John,

It's amazing how the vises really "dress up" the bench....along with making it HIGHLY functional. It looks terrific!!

It looks like the twin screw vise is centered on the "end legs" section of the cabinet frame. I assume there were no problems since the screws of the vise went on each side??? Also, how long are the screws that go with that vise - I may use one as and "end vise" and need to know the distance so I don't run into a leg support:p

[John Dingman]

John how are you going to finish the top? By the way I liiiiike it! Jim, I am going to use Boiled Linseed Oil, and for the first coat I am going to thin it about 50/50 with mineral spirits. For the second coat I'll use straight BLO.

John

[Jim Becker]

John, rather than thinning the BLO with mineral spirits, heat it to about 135º in a water bath. You'll get the faster penetration without needing to mix it and dilute the oil. I use this technique for furniture work, too. (Thos Moser's operation always applies the BLO heated to their furniture)

[John Dingman]

John, rather than thinning the BLO with mineral spirits, heat it to about 135º in a water bath. You'll get the faster penetration without needing to mix it and dilute the oil. I use this technique for furniture work, too. (Thos Moser's operation always applies the BLO heated to their furniture)Jim, Thanks for the tip. I'll give that a try.

John

[Jim Young]

John, rather than thinning the BLO with mineral spirits, heat it to about 135º in a water bath. You'll get the faster penetration without needing to mix it and dilute the oil. I use this technique for furniture work, too. (Thos Moser's operation always applies the BLO heated to their furniture)


Awesome tip.

[Jim Becker]

I just use a cheap electric hot-plate and a cheap K-Mart pot to hold the water. A simple candy thermometer serves to test the tempurature...I put the oil in one of those "empty" 1 qt paint cans that HD sells, set it in the bath and then it heat to about 135º, which is warm enough to do the job and cool enough not to burn the you-know-what out of your hand during application.

Don't forget to dispose of your rags propertly...

[Greg Hairston]

John,
Where did you get the tail vice hardware from. I am about to start on my bench and I want to purchase the hardware prior to doing the top. I would also like to talk to you about the Construction process

Greg

[Terry Hatfield]

John,

That is looking great!!!!!! You certainly have youself a bench to be proud of there. Congrats!!

t

[John Dingman]

It looks like the twin screw vise is centered on the "end legs" section of the cabinet frame. I assume there were no problems since the screws of the vise went on each side??? Also, how long are the screws that go with that vise - I may use one as and "end vise" and need to know the distance so I don't run into a leg support:pRoy, there is about 17" of screws. Minus the apron and the vise jaw.


hth,
John

[John Dingman]

John, Where did you get the tail vice hardware from. I am about to start on my bench and I want to purchase the hardware prior to doing the top. I would also like to talk to you about the Construction process. GregGreg, I got the tail vise and the twin screw vise hardware from Lee Valley. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=31136&category=1,41659,41662&ccurrency=2&SID= I outlined a little of the process I used for construction of the bench on my web site.


hth,
John

[Jim Dunn]

Jim Becker,

Is there any objectional odors comming from you cook top by heating the BLO?

[Jim Becker]

Is there any objectional odors comming from you cook top by heating the BLO?No...BLO smells like BLO and you're only heating it a bit to make it flow more. I never have found the smell of BLO objectionable, anyway. The water bath in the pan keeps anything from "burning". In effect, you are heating the water which in turn, is heating the oil in the second container. Do NOT put the BLO directly in the pan over the heat!

BTW, I do this in my shop on the cheap hot-plate I mentioned and have used the same setup for heating paraffin wax for sealing turning blanks prior to investing in a 5 gallon bucket of Anchorseal.

Now I also have to say, that I didn't bother to heat the oil for my bench top. Two applications a day apart were just peachy and the surface is silky smooth, yet renewable.

[Leif Hanson]

Good tip. A good alternative to a hot plate, and one that has a bit of temperature control too, is to use a Rival Hot-Pot Express (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006IUXU/102-1913792-6572937?v=glance):

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006IUXU.01-A1NDBS7YGOPBD6._PE1_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Only costs about $!2. I use one of these as a double boiler, using a kitchen thermometer (available at the local grocery or Walmart for about $5) to gauge the temperature (hot hide glue requires a 140 degree temperature for optimum working properties):

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000095RBS.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg


You can make a custom top that holds a glass jar, or use a homemade screen that holds whatever you are boiling off of the element, or like me, you can use a plastic squeeze bottle (or just about anything with a cap) to hold whatever you need warm that floats in the hot water.

HTH
Leif