Woodcrafter Bench Project

[Rick Lucier]

I have finally started to build a bench. I have looked around at benches and thought about building one for about 30 years - I guess it is time to start. There are some 4" square x 8 foot long oak posts I have setting in the attic of a garage in Wichita Falls TX. I sold the house about 10 years ago and they were in the attic for 20 years waiting for me to get ready to build the bench. Can you imagine how tuff those timbers must be by now. Freezing in the winter and 180 degrees in the summer. lol at the person who finds them some day and wants to square them up with a hand plane.

I ordered the package from Woodcrafter a few weeks ago and am waiting for it to arrive. In the mean time I have just unloaded 175 bf of 8/4 hard maple, cherry, and a riff sawn oak board for pins. It is stacked so air can circulate. I have cleaned out the shop and think I have room for the bench when it is completed. If I can stack the lumber, I should be able to have room for the bench - right?

I have never taken on a project this heavy before. I built an office full of wall cabinets once and that was a hoot, but they were all in pieces.

I know some of you have built these benches so if you have any "hints" let me know. I will appreciate all of the help I can get.

I have just joined the site so no pics yet. I am trying to get them from the phone to the computer. For some reason they will not sync.

Anyone else just getting started on their bench?

[Rick Lucier]

I have made a discovery - 180 bf of hard maple will not sit long on saw horses. The wind blows through my shop, which is a good thing here in central Texas where the temp has been in the 100s. It hit the end of my wood pile and the pressure blew on the maple which caused the saw horse leg to bend and finally give way - which was a bad thing. Nothing but the saw horse was hurt. It had tubular legs and was good for 500 pounds. I thought the wood could not weigh 1000 pounds (2 x saw horses) but I guess with the wind it was heavy. Anyway, I am still waiting for the plans and hardware from Benchcrafted. It should be in in 2 weeks and I can start putting stuff together. Needless to say I am excited. I built as small bench for a 24 inch twin screw vice. I am trying to get back the skills I once had. My shop has been in storage for 8 years. I am starting with dovetails and small mortice and tenon joints. I will be building little projects trying to gain some hand tool skills again. They have evaporated. It is not like riding a bike. The little things do not come together - there are gaps where there should not be any. So practice, practice, practice. I have to get good with my hands because Christmas is coming and fast.

[Mark Engel]

You are right. Practice, practice, practice and the skills will come back. It just takes a little time.