Bench is Finished! (Pictures)

[John Dingman]

Thanks for looking at all the progress pics and thanks for all the words of encouragement. I appreciate all the advice that was given as well. Well here it is with two coats of BLO. Constructed of Douglas Fir and a left over kitchen cabinet from a past remodel job. The face vise is the Veritas Twin Screw Vise and the tail vise is Lee Valleys Tail Vise. Both are awesome! That twin screw vise is really going to work out great as a face vise. Total cash investment was just a tad over $300.00. This was a really fun project. Now I have to build a Chimney Cupboard for the LOML :)


http://www.johnswoodshop.us/Images/Work%20Bench%20Finished%20001.jpg


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

Thanks again for looking.
John

[Ted Shrader]

John -

Thanks for the finished pictures. Look LOTS better with the BLO on it. Now, to get it broken in. . . .

Regards,
Ted

[Jim Dunn]

That is one pretty bench. Hope you don't have to overhaul lawn mowers on it :)

[Lou Morrissette]

Sweet looking bench, John. Nice combination of the old and new. I kick myself for having thrown or given away all those cabinets during various remodels. Nice job.

Lou

[John Miliunas]

One mighty fine lookin' bench you have there, John! Almost looks like you could land a small plane on that puppy! I'm "in the process" of building one myself, albeit, I cheated and purchased the top on sale at Woodcraft and it's not nearly as big as yours. Good use of materials and recycling!:)

BTW, how's everything back in Racine? Lived in the Union Grove area for quite a few years and LOML is also from the area. Her dad and brother both retired from Case. I hear they're tearing down the plant by the lake. That should be quite the gargantuan project!:rolleyes: :cool:

[John Dingman]

BTW, how's everything back in Racine? Lived in the Union Grove area for quite a few years and LOML is also from the area. Her dad and brother both retired from Case. I hear they're tearing down the plant by the lake. That should be quite the gargantuan project!:rolleyes: :cool:Thanks to all for your very kind remarks and encouragement. John, things in Racine are "Super" The plant that you are talking about is just about gone. I think only a 1/4 of it remains standing. You are right.......That is a lot of building they are tearing down. But I bet some developer will scarf up that land and develope it. Land that close to the lake is going for a ton.

Have a good one!
John

[Jim Becker]

Wow! Looks GREAT, John!! Congratulations on the completion of your bench. It's a beauty...

[Mark Singer]

That is a great bench!!!!!

[Herb Blair]

Super looking bench! It will serve you well.

[Marc Hills]

John:

Your bench looks fantastic! Love to see completed projects, especially one as exquisite as your's. Thanks for giving us the blow by blow as it developed.

You'll appreciate all your hard work everytime you weild a chisel, plane or saw.

Now a bit of unsolicited advice. It will never look as pristine as it does in that picture. Just get your head around that inevitable fact and you'll be a lot happier. That being said, some jobs are dirtier than others, as Jim Dunn implied. Use lots of newspaper/drop cloths if you are contemplating something like, oh, I don't know; say, restoring old bench planes, for instance? Powdered rust, WD-40 and oilstone grime can sure wreak havoc on a beautiful BLO finish. DAMHIKT!

[Tyler Howell]

Bravo Bravo and without breaking the bank

[Christian Aufreiter]

Good looking bench!
Now it's really not a great idea that I ask those questions as your bench is already finished but I can't help.
Don't you think you will face problems using clamps as there's no space between the top and the storage?
Can you stand close to the bench? I tend to place me feet under the bench when standing close to it, seems impossible with yours.

Sorry for those questions!

Regards,

Christian

[John Dingman]

Don't you think you will face problems using clamps as there's no space between the top and the storage? Can you stand close to the bench? I tend to place me feet under the bench when standing close to it, seems impossible with yours. Sorry for those questions!Christian, questions are not a problem. It's hard to tell from the pic but there is ample overhang to clamp to the bench. Also difficult to see in the pictures in that the top is out from the cabinet about the distance of the front of the feet. the camera angle doesn't quite depict that though. The height and the bench are a very comfortable fit for me and the way I like to work. But I'll let ya know after I spend about 20 or 30 hours by it. Thanks for your kind words and I hope I answered your questions ok.

Have a great day!
John

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hi John,

thanks for your response. As you said, pics don't show everything and more important, if you like working at your bench and feel comfortable with it, that's all that counts.

Regards,

Christian

[Chris Padilla]

Hi John,

Slick looking bench and although this thread is 6 months old, I wanted to ask how the bench is working out seeing how that you only have access to 2 (2 1/2? ;) ) sides of the bench?

Do you ever move to bench to access it all around? The reason for my questions is that I'm planning a bench that will most likely only be accessed by two sides and i wanted to see how it was working out.

I think I will end up placing my bench on wheels but the plan is to keep it more or less in a corner.

[Roy Wall]

Hi John,

Slick looking bench and although this thread is 6 months old, I wanted to ask how the bench is working out seeing how that you only have access to 2 (2 1/2? ;) ) sides of the bench?

Do you ever move to bench to access it all around? The reason for my questions is that I'm planning a bench that will most likely only be accessed by two sides and i wanted to see how it was working out.

I think I will end up placing my bench on wheels but the plan is to keep it more or less in a corner.

Chris,
I think John has a new basement shop (see thread in General WW forum) but still plans on putting it up against a wall ---he shows a shop/ tool layout in one of his threads

[John Dingman]

Hi John,

Slick looking bench and although this thread is 6 months old, I wanted to ask how the bench is working out seeing how that you only have access to 2 (2 1/2? ;) ) sides of the bench?

Do you ever move to bench to access it all around? The reason for my questions is that I'm planning a bench that will most likely only be accessed by two sides and i wanted to see how it was working out.

I think I will end up placing my bench on wheels but the plan is to keep it more or less in a corner.Chris,

I have never worked with my bench away from the wall. I am going to try it in the new basement shop. I'll let ya know how it works out.

Thanks,
John

[Gabriele Piccini]

Hi John,


I must say I am new on this forum and I am trying to achieve my own workshop and therefore a workbench too.
I have just bought the timber and I have chosen "black locust" because I wanted a strong and hard wood.
Reading your post I saw you chosen for Douglas Fir which is a sweet wood, isn't it?
Did I do a wrong thing to have purchased an hard wood like black locust (false acacia)?
What do you think about my timber?

[John Miliunas]

Hi John,


I must say I am new on this forum and I am trying to achieve my own workshop and therefore a workbench too.
I have just bought the timber and I have chosen "black locust" because I wanted a strong and hard wood.
Reading your post I saw you chosen for Douglas Fir which is a sweet wood, isn't it?
Did I do a wrong thing to have purchased an hard wood like black locust (false acacia)?
What do you think about my timber?

Piccini, first of all, a BIG WELCOME to SMC!!! Hope you enjoy your stay here!:) OK, I'm probably not the same "John" you were asking, but I still think I can assist. Fear NOT with your choice of wood! Doug Fir, although not as hard as what you have chosen, will do the job admirably. But, having said that, IMHO the Locust will outlive both, us and the Fir! It's an extremely stout wood, should have minimal movement and, once done, I'll bet you could park a truck on it! So, IMHO, you did NOT do wrong! Fact is, I'd be thrilled to have something like that in my own shop!:) Now, we'll be expecting pics of your bench and don't be shy about doing some "in progress" pictures, either!:) :cool:

[Gabriele Piccini]

Piccini, first of all, a BIG WELCOME to SMC!!! Hope you enjoy your stay here!:) OK, I'm probably not the same "John" you were asking, but I still think I can assist. Fear NOT with your choice of wood! Doug Fir, although not as hard as what you have chosen, will do the job admirably. But, having said that, IMHO the Locust will outlive both, us and the Fir! It's an extremely stout wood, should have minimal movement and, once done, I'll bet you could park a truck on it! So, IMHO, you did NOT do wrong! Fact is, I'd be thrilled to have something like that in my own shop!:) Now, we'll be expecting pics of your bench and don't be shy about doing some "in progress" pictures, either!:) :cool:

Hi John,
I couldn't have better welcome from this forum: a good encouragement to build my workbench.
But You must excuse me because I am not much able with acronyms: what means IMHO?

[Dave Anderson NH]

I don't know if European Black Locust is the same as the type we have here in the US. If it is, you have picked a material that will be a bit difficult to work, but which is very stable and dense. One of the greatest properties of this wood is its extreme resistance to rot. In the northeastern US it is prized by boatbuilders for frames and even hull planking. A friend of mine built a wonderful little sailing dingy with all of the hull and frames made from Black Locust. It's heavy, but it will outlive at least 3 generations of his family. Fence posts are also made of the stuff and the standard joke is that one Black Locust post will outlast 5 post holes.:D

[Mike Weaver]

Hi John,
I couldn't have better welcome from this forum: a good encouragement to build my workbench.
But You must excuse me because I am not much able with acronyms: what means IMHO?

Hi!
It means In My Honest Opinion.
You're likely to see a lot of abbreviations here and one site that might help with translating them to phrases is Urban Dictionary at: http://www.urbandictionary.com/

Hope that helps,
-Mike

[Marc Hills]

I made the trestle base of my workbench out of Douglas Fir, and while it's a very nice wood, I selected that primarily because of cost and availability. I believe that black locust is a much harder, denser wood; highly desirable traits for a workbench.

Aside from the impact those attributes have on workability, as Dave Anderson pointed out, I'd imagine that your timber choice is much superior to Douglas Fir. Good luck with your bench project and welcome to SMC!

[Gabriele Piccini]

Hi All You,


I don't know if my timber is the same of your. However I think it is because it's hard, heavy and very bit difficult to work.
From Your answers I must deduct that my choose is good, isn't it?

[John Dingman]

I built the bench out of Doug Fir because at the time, I couldn't afford anything else, and I wanted a bench with good vises. It has been ok. It's softer than I would like, but it doesn't make me want to cry when I run a chisel into the top :D The material you have selected will make an outstanding bench. Best wishes to you in your woodworking efforts. Keep us posted with pics of the bench.


Kind Regards,
John