Got a new old bench today!

[Robert Norman]

Some friends of the family needed some IT help at their new antique shop so for a couple easy hours of watching the update bar I will get this in lieu of money which I would have declined.
305683
The leg vise holds well as best as I could test it. There's a small drawer flush with the apron behind the stool. The top is gappy and nailed. The legs have been modified a couple of times.
I am in the process of clearing a spot for it in my shed and hope to have some testing time next week. Unless it's a complete wiggle worm planing on I'll try to a)not do a darn thing to it or b) reinforce underneath and hidden.

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Robert and welcome to the Creek. I guess you have been sitting back and watching for a while.

Looks like an interesting project.

I did a lot of things on a wiggly B&D Work Mate.

jtk

[ken hatch]

Robert,

The first woodworking work bench I built looks to be about the same size as your old bench. Mine wasn't much of a work bench for general use but 40 years later I still have it and use it every day as my sharpening bench.

ken

[Doug Trembath]

Don't ya just love serendipity? Some of my most valued tools came to me in similar circumstances. It actually looks stout from the pic. Just a thought, but it could be refit, if needed, the nails pulled and replaced with more latter day techniques, without disturbing too much of the patina, if that was desired. Good project for a rainy day, if improvement is needed at all.

Nice bench to earn, and a generous trade for both parties, I think. Besides, IT support is an art in and of itself, too. The value was there for your friends, apparently, so it's a good deed well paid and appreciated...

Good luck with it!

Doug Trembath

[Robert Norman]

Jim,
Yes I've been lurking for a long time. Mostly digging through way old threads to find valuable info, of which there is tons here!

Ken,
I may use it for sharpening or my 10" bandsaw since I've got a really solid 5' Sellers style bench. I would guess this was used primarily as the "something needs fixin'" bench in a shop somewhere. Where I'm at is a railroad and rice farming area. This thing has the feel of so may stories buried within it, like my great grandfather's tools.


Doug,
They wont miss the table but I couldn't let that leg vise be a tripping hazard for their clientele. I'm in this shop monthly and go straight for the furniture. I pull drawers to see how they were made, what runner system, what has worked and what has failed, how doors were built etc... There are some really cool pieces I should photograph for future inspiration.

I will post pics when I get it to the shed (all 10'x16' of it) and a look under the bonnet for joinery and clues. I've never worked with a leg vise so I'm really curious as to the attachment methods and parts since it still works well and likely predates the television.

[Chris Hachet]

Good luck, will look forward to pics.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Robert,

Like Jim said, welcome to the creek. A cool old bench, and a nice addition for you. It looks solid to me also, as Doug said, and I hope it turns out to be a really solid old bench. I too look forward to the pictures. The top looks like 2X stock, is that correct?

This may not be politically correct, but I would be tempted to plane the edges of the top boards and glue them up with some splines inserted. Not doing so much as to change the appearance a lot, but make it a bit more useful. However, you did mention you already have a great bench, so it may not be necessary.

Stew

[Rich Riddle]

That offers a great project. You don't need it to turn out perfect since the bench isn't perfect itself. Lots of chances to learn on the restoration/renewal. Good luck.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Robert,

I can understand your concerns about not changing the appearance of the bench, as it is a neat old bench. With the leg vise it may also turn out to be an extremely useful addition at times, especially if it turns out to be a stout old bench. Thus, I hope my suggestion in the above post about edge planning and gluing up the top isn't considered sacrilege.

Keep us posted on the bench.

Stew

[Robert Norman]

Not a bad idea Stew. Even in my no A/C south Texas shed, I suspect that wood won't move much anymore. I've got a spot cleared out for it, hopefully can take some test drives this weekend. I've got an 8' piece of 8/4 poplar lined up for testing and will evaluate once I can put real working force on it.