Bench Progress Pics

[John McBride]

315761315763315764


OK, Let's see if this works, I am attempting.....once again.....to upload some pictures of the progress on my BORG wood bench. The three pics I am trying .... hoping are attached here, are of the glue up, in a friends glue rack, and a couple of the top on a cart after being flattened. Fingers crossed.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Looks good!
What are you building it out of?

[John McBride]

Looks good!
What are you building it out of?

Steve,
It's all BORG 2x6x8. ..... LOL.....Something inn the "FIR" family. The material was marked Douglas Fir, but I am dubious. Regardless, it is dry, flat, and suprisingly stable. Colorado has had prretty continuous cycle of super dry weather, and monsoon like rains. Sometimes in the same day. The top will need more flattening at some point I am sure, but so far, ZERO signs of checking or splitting, and virtually no twist or cupping.

As slowly as the build is coming, I am actually kind of glad. It is allowing for the new lamination to rest and do whatever moving it is going to do. Ill put it on horses and flatten it before final assembly, but right now, it is just as flat and true (mostly) as it was when initially flattened back in March.

[John McBride]

By the way Steve,
I was reading your post on the new shop. How is that getting on?

[Steve Meliza]

Looks like Doug Fir to me. Sadly, around here it is very challenging to find kiln dried DF lumber and in the BORG 2"x4"x8' pretzels are the only KD option in construction lumber. I have to buy green then store for 6-12 months or more.

Are you following any particular style of workbench?

[John McBride]

Looks like Doug Fir to me. Sadly, around here it is very challenging to find kiln dried DF lumber and in the BORG 2"x4"x8' pretzels are the only KD option in construction lumber. I have to buy green then store for 6-12 months or more.

Are you following any particular style of workbench?

Steve,
The short answer is....sort of. Originally, I had planned to build a Douglas Fir Scandi/Klausz bench. To some degree, I still am, except no shoulder or tail vise. In fact, there will be no vice on the right hand end at all for the forseeable future. I had planned to dimension the bench down to 7ft long, but kind of fell in love with the 8ft length once I got the bench together. In my 11'x20-something garage, there just really is no room for that end vise.

the base will be traditional trestle. All 4x4 construction, all mortise and tenon joinery. Since the top is so thick, I thought I would take the opportunity to explore various vise options, discarding ones that would not work well with such a thick top. While the more traditional face vise hardware is still on my short list, lately I am thinking that the 10.5" Record clones, with a nice hefty set of 16" long maple chops, might just be the ticket. Honestly, I would love to put an all wooden face vise on there. Big a$$ maple screw and nice thick chops, but the pragmatist in me is screaming at me to buy the biggest, most "Record-est" QR vise and be done with it.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Like waiting for water to boil :(
The shed is do any time now. Could be this week or next.
Then I have to inspect it at the dealers lot and set a date for delivery.
Then all the time consuming work of insulating, wiring, putting in wall board and painting :eek:
But I wouldn't have it any other way.

[John McBride]

Like waiting for water to boil :(
The shed is do any time now. Could be this week or next.
Then I have to inspect it at the dealers lot and set a date for delivery.
Then all the time consuming work of insulating, wiring, putting in wall board and painting :eek:
But I wouldn't have it any other way.

So going to be worth it though. I know I have enjoyed putting my shop "pieces" together. Though I do have to admit, now that I have all the basic tooling, I am already looking to upgrade, and I don't even have power to the garage yet...lol...pathetic...but I love it.

[Steve Meliza]

Oh, I know the quest for the workbench. I went out and purchased the wood to build a bench just like Bob Rozaieski builds but was so disgusted with the 2x12 DF lumber that I went out and got 8/4 poplar 12" wide for the tops. Then I came across Chris Schwarz's knock down Nicholson so I decided to build it and bought all the hardware for it. Then before I could get started I came across Paul Sellers and really like his methods so now I'm planning to build his bench. That means shrinking from 8' length to somewhere around 5'-6' which is a needed space savings, and ponying up the cash for the largest QR vise that Lee Valley sells which will arrive in a few days.

[John McBride]

Oh, I know the quest for the workbench. I went out and purchased the wood to build a bench just like Bob Rozaieski builds but was so disgusted with the 2x12 DF lumber that I went out and got 8/4 poplar 12" wide for the tops. Then I came across Chris Schwarz's knock down Nicholson so I decided to build it and bought all the hardware for it. Then before I could get started I came across Paul Sellers and really like his methods so now I'm planning to build his bench. That means shrinking from 8' length to somewhere around 5'-6' which is a needed space savings, and ponying up the cash for the largest QR vise that Lee Valley sells which will arrive in a few days.

YAY!!!! I'm not alone in my insanity.....welcome to my world. Though, I am staying pretty close to my original Scandi/Klausz hybrid-ish bench. It's just the details I keep bouncing back and forth on

[Jim Matthews]

Some swear by the protruding Scandi vise.

It's a glorified Crochet, and in the way if it has any capacity greater
than 6". All that material will stick out in front of your bench.

If you do any edge planing of long boards, that makes you
step away from the bench at the end the face vice occupies.

The Nicholson solves this by using holdfasts in the legs.

It should be noted that a sufficiently stout leg vice takes
up as much real estate in front of a bench as does the Scandi
face vise, and isn't as effective as a crochet analog.

The modern quick release face vise is an excellent compromise
and very easy to get installed properly on a new bench.

I put a flush mounted Moxon in that position and it covers all the edge trimming tasks.

The idea was lifted from David Barron.


https://youtu.be/D7ZNU7atoxc?list=PLJx67-2_B_xX9Vb1Lkh_WvA45ygXN7RL6

[Steve Kinnaird]

Yes, I know it will be worth it.
It is costing me more money the longer it takes :)
I have already decided to sell my 14" band saw and purchase the Grizzly 17" 30th Anniversary band saw.
I figured, new shop needs at least 1 new tool :)

[John McBride]

Some swear by the protruding Scandi vise.

It's a glorified Crochet, and in the way if it has any capacity greater
than 6". All that material will stick out in front of your bench.

If you do any edge planing of long boards, that makes you
step away from the bench at the end the face vice occupies.

The Nicholson solves this by using holdfasts in the legs.

It should be noted that a sufficiently stout leg vice takes
up as much real estate in front of a bench as does the Scandi
face vise, and isn't as effective as a crochet analog.

The modern quick release face vise is an excellent compromise
and very easy to get installed properly on a new bench.

I put a flush mounted Moxon in that position and it covers all the edge trimming tasks.

The idea was lifted from David Barron.


https://youtu.be/D7ZNU7atoxc?list=PLJx67-2_B_xX9Vb1Lkh_WvA45ygXN7RL6

Excellent info....thank you.

[John McBride]

Yes, I know it will be worth it.
It is costing me more money the longer it takes :)
I have already decided to sell my 14" band saw and purchase the Grizzly 17" 30th Anniversary band saw.
I figured, new shop needs at least 1 new tool :)

AT LEAST one.....three or four if you are as far gone as I am

[Steve Kinnaird]

LOL
Yes, the 24" drum sander is looking like it needs to be in my shop. Who am I to say no to a tool that needs a home :)

[John McBride]

317182317182317183317184
Well....I'm nearly done. All that's left is securing the top, building and attaching the toll well, and getting finish applied.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Coming along nicely.
I see you have another glue up on the floor, Is that another bench top?

[John McBride]

Nope, that's an endgrain butcher block countertop.

[John McBride]

FINALLY!!!!
The "BORG-Built-From-Scratch-Bench.....is home.317920317921317922317923

Here are a couple of pics. I'm still hemming-n-hawing on vises, but should have at least one hung soon......enjoy!

[Steve Kinnaird]

Looks GREAT!!!!

317930

[John McBride]

Looks GREAT!!!!

317930
Thanks Steve! How's the shop coming?

[Steve Kinnaird]

Stained the floor last night.
Will start moving a few tools in to help with the build out.
Hope to get it insulated, walls up and ceiling up this weekend :)

[John McBride]

Stained the floor last night.
Will start moving a few tools in to help with the build out.
Hope to get it insulated, walls up and ceiling up this weekend :)

That.....is.....awesome!!!!!!
I bet you are fully excited to get to making sawdust. Good on ya Steve!!!

[Steve Kinnaird]

That.....is.....awesome!!!!!!
I bet you are fully excited to get to making sawdust. Good on ya Steve!!!

Excited for more than 1 reason :)
I bought 2 gallon of Baer Acrylic Stain. Was sure I picked up 2 of the Cedar color.
But, as my grandson and his friend put the stain down, I noticed the second gallon was a darker color. Turns out I had 1 cedar & 1 redwood. :(
Too late to do anything about it and after all it's just the shop floor, right :(
So, sawdust will make it all come together.

317933

[John McBride]

Excited for more than 1 reason :)
I bought 2 gallon of Baer Acrylic Stain. Was sure I picked up 2 of the Cedar color.
But, as my grandson and his friend put the stain down, I noticed the second gallon was a darker color. Turns out I had 1 cedar & 1 redwood. :(
Too late to do anything about it and after all it's just the shop floor, right :(
So, sawdust will make it all come together.

317933
Aaaaaannnnnd.....Murphy strikes again. Throw some tools in there, some rubber support mats in select areas, and you will never care. I think that once the shop us built, and up running, you will forget all about the slight difference in shading.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Looks like a great bench. Any plans for adding dog holes and a few holes for hold fasts? You might want to consider a simple shelf between the lower stretchers. I find that a handy place to store shorts, battens or even project components. Seems like there are never enough flat storage spaces in my shop. If you go with round dog holes, you would be surprised of the holding/clamping possibilities using hold fasts, battens and the Lee Valley wonder pup. I've been very happy with the Gramercy holdfasts. If you decide to add dog holes, be sure to make sure they are off set from the upper stretchers. Enjoy the bench. It looks extremely solid. Nice job!

[John McBride]

Looks like a great bench. Any plans for adding dog holes and a few holes for hold fasts? You might want to consider a simple shelf between the lower stretchers. I find that a handy place to store shorts, battens or even project components. Seems like there are never enough flat storage spaces in my shop. If you go with round dog holes, you would be surprised of the holding/clamping possibilities using hold fasts, battens and the Lee Valley wonder pup. I've been very happy with the Gramercy holdfasts. If you decide to add dog holes, be sure to make sure they are off set from the upper stretchers. Enjoy the bench. It looks extremely solid. Nice job!
Joe,
Thanks for your response. I'm toying with the idea of dog holes for the face vise. Currently, there is not enough room for an end vise in this configuration.

Holdfasts are also on the short list. However, with my top being a smidge under 5" thick, I'm dubious as to their effectiveness.

I want to add an end vise, but for now, I am going to find a good face vise, and work from there. If I can find holdfasts that are long enough,(any blacksmiths out there?) I'll definitely be using those as well.

Thanks for the compliments. I'll keep looking into the holdfasts too by the way. If anyone knows of ones that will work well with a 5" thick top, let me know. Gramercy?

[Joe A Faulkner]

Check out Tools for working wood for the Gramercy hold fasts. I think they will work; I believe the shanks are over 9" in length.

[John McBride]

Check out Tools for working wood for the Gramercy hold fasts. I think they will work; I believe the shanks are over 9" in length.

Joe, thanks! I took a look at TFWW, and the Gramercy holdfasts, what a bargain. Seems that they have quite the following.

Regarding my face vise, I think I may end up with an Eclipse 10" QR, assuming I don't find a Record 53 or Columbian 10" etc. on eBay first.

[Joe A Faulkner]

John, If you are going to do much in the way of using hand planes, you will want to be able to work parallel with the length of the bench. For work holding options, having dogs along the front edge really comes in handy. Have you checked out The Workbench Design Book by Christopher Schwarz? The book features 10 or 11 different benches. Chapter 7 features a Shaker Workbench that has a similar frame construction style to your's, though not as beefy. That bench used traditional face vises for both a face and tail vise which is a configuration that Schwarz uses in lots of his bench builds. Your local library might have a copy. It's a good resource for various style benches. Schwarz hand drills dog holes using a bit and brace. I used a plunge router to start the holes, and a corded hand drill to finish off the holes. If you go this route, be sure to clamp a sacrificial backstop under your bench, and don't force the drill in order to avoid blowout as you drill through the bottom side.

I'm sure you are enjoying the bench now, but trust me, once you add a vise, dog holes and a few ports for your hold fasts, it will feel like a whole new bench.

[glenn bradley]

The "BORG-Built-From-Scratch-Bench.....is home.

Great build and a great bench John. Thanks for posting. I've come to believe that someone is always working on some stage of a bench build somewhere at any given moment in time. The rest of us sharing what we're doing and how adds fuel to other's effort.

[John McBride]

John, If you are going to do much in the way of using hand planes, you will want to be able to work parallel with the length of the bench. For work holding options, having dogs along the front edge really comes in handy. Have you checked out The Workbench Design Book by Christopher Schwarz? The book features 10 or 11 different benches. Chapter 7 features a Shaker Workbench that has a similar frame construction style to your's, though not as beefy. That bench used traditional face vises for both a face and tail vise which is a configuration that Schwarz uses in lots of his bench builds. Your local library might have a copy. It's a good resource for various style benches. Schwarz hand drills dog holes using a bit and brace. I used a plunge router to start the holes, and a corded hand drill to finish off the holes. If you go this route, be sure to clamp a sacrificial backstop under your bench, and don't force the drill in order to avoid blowout as you drill through the bottom side.

I'm sure you are enjoying the bench now, but trust me, once you add a vise, dog holes and a few ports for your hold fasts, it will feel like a whole new bench.

Joe,
These are great ideas. I am actually looking for a drawing the Chris Schwarz included in either his PWW or Lost Arts Press blog. It is a simple napkin type drawing, but shows holdfast hole placement in a top. It was a fortunate find because the drawing indicated more than just four or six holes in a row in the top. It had provision for a total of Eight holes but in various locations for different operations. Very useful.
I'll be looking to pick up the holdfasts soon, along with a front vise. It should not be long now I am hoping.

[John McBride]

Great build and a great bench John. Thanks for posting. I've come to believe that someone is always working on some stage of a bench build somewhere at any given moment in time. The rest of us sharing what we're doing and how adds fuel to other's effort.

Excellent description Glenn. It is an encouraging notion. I know some folks may shrug their shoulders and say " so what....its another bench build thread" but I also know that some folks, like me, are very much of the "more is better" when it comes to bench build threads and documenting the thought process behind every decision.
I'm glad to see I am not alone in that. Thank you for your very complementary comments also. It's quite appreciated.

[John McBride]

319624319625

FINALLY.....I got a vise hung on my bench!!!

After searching long and hard, I found this vintage, but new in box/unused Craftsman/Columbian QR vise on ePay. Including shipping, it ran me under $100!!!!!

I hung it for fitting purposes, and it will hopefully be getting maple chops this week.

I can finally say that that my bench is mostly complete!!!

[Steve Kinnaird]

Nice find.... looking good :)

[Joe A Faulkner]

Nice! Now all you need are those dog holes, the hold fasts and some battens. I put a row of dogs holes 2 1/4" off the front edge. I started 6" from the right end and placed a hole at 6" and 10" then skipped over the right leg, went another 2" and ran holes 4" on center between the legs. So far I've drilled two ports other than the dog holes for hold fasts - one lined up with the first dog hole just past the right leg, and one lined up with the last dog hole. These are 9" off the front edge of the benchtop. Along with the hold fasts, battens and Lee Valley bench pup, this configuration provides lots of work holding options for surface planing, and holding work while chopping mortises and dovetails. In his Roubo bench, Christopher Schwarz put his holes 1 3/4" off the front edge, and 4" on center between the legs. He did not drill any additional holes for hold fasts, but in his Holtzapffel workbench he has 4 holes for hold fasts about 18" off the front edge drilled on 16" centers.