Broken Record

[ken hatch]

I know broken record and all that rot but guys if you do not have a portable bench you are making work for yourself. I'm home doing the "remain in place," self isolation," or whatever you want to call it thing. Of course MsBubba is rubbing her hands with joy. You should see the "to do" list she has on the kitchen counter.

On to the broken record.

I've one of the portable Moravian benches set up in the back garden to work on, it took less than 5 minutes to move from its storage place and set up. Now for the duration I've a functional, stable workbench to use as needed. I know, I know, you have heard it before but it is too easy to set up and use not to have one for use around the house.

429018

After the door repair, it is on to cleaning up and re-painting kitchen cabinets. Hopefully I can find a few moments to work on the latest chair build someplace around the to-do list. Speaking of chairs, I just received a Cherry American Welsh Stick chair from CS. It is a thing of beauty.

ken

[Graham Haydon]

Ken, the bench looks great! I put lift castors on mine. Unless it's on a dead level floor I've found castors to be "meh".

I have my tool chest on castors. That's been great for me. The environment, even in our single garage can change quickly.

I'd like to try a bench like yours but have no plans to build one yet. So many other jobs such as DIY get in the way!

[Stew Denton]

Ken,

I too am on a "remain in place" sort of thing. My wife and I are both old enough that we are mildly at risk, not like the much older folks, but more so than the younger folks, so we are staying at home. The plant sent me home a week ago Wednesday with a mild cough (it was allergy related, but no matter, home I went,) and then that afternoon they sent everyone that wasn't absolutely essential to production or shipping home....corporate directive. I think the company is doing a wise thing in sending every one home that is possible. We have been advised to stay home and maintain social distances...hand wash well, etc. Thus, I have been doing work on my lab applied research records, etc. at home on a loaner company lap top until this blows over.

On my time off, after work hours, and on Saturday I am working on sprucing up tools, yesterday it was flattening chisel backs, today it has been rehabbing a combination plane that came to the house just a few months ago, currently cleaning it up and metal polishing.

That gets a little old after a while so I decided to take a break, reading the Neander bulletin board when I saw your post. The handiness of that bench appeals every time you put a picture up and mention how easily it stores and sets up.

Every time I see it I think, "what a handy bench, and what a very capable bench." Some day I will have one, Lord willing. Great bench, and a great reminder. I appreciate the photo. My plan it to use a bench screw that was my grandfathers and a crisscross to make a leg vise.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Mike Manning]

Ken, I heard a friend saw a juvenile western diamondback three weeks ago. He's a former park ranger who now does pest control so he knows 'em when he sees 'em. Seems a little early but I guess it's been a mild winter everywhere. I've seen you wearing sandals in the shop. It's easy to become forgetful about where you put your feet. Best case a rattlesnake bite will ruin your day. Here's the pic he sent me of it. If anyone is interested a client of his went out and opened the storage door under her grill. This little guy was sitting there. I could imagine his mama sitting inside that storage area when she reached a hand in there to grab something. It happens. FWIW, he relocated it to a pack rat mound. :0)

[Frederick Skelly]

Love that Moravian Ken!

Mike, that woulda scared the bejesus outta me!

[Mike Manning]

Love that Moravian Ken!

Mike, that woulda scared the bejesus outta me!

Yeah, that'll grab your attention!

I should have made it clear my friend lives in Tucson.

[David Eisenhauer]

Seeing rattlesnakes cleans the cholesterol out of your heart. Good stuff!

[ken hatch]

Yeah guys this is the time of year the rattlesnakes come out of their dens. If you have pack rats you will have rattle snakes, kinda like if you have crickets you will have scorpions. Last year we found a small one under MsBubba's wheel in her studio. As I've said before, in the desert everything either bites, sticks, or stings. It ain't easy living. BTW, thanks for the reminder I have to warn MsBubba to be careful.

ken

[Andrew Seemann]

That is one (of many) good things about the harsh winters in MN, no rattlesnakes, scorpions, poisonous spiders, or termites.

[ken hatch]

That is one (of many) good things about the harsh winters in MN, no rattlesnakes, scorpions, poisonous spiders, or termites.

Andrew,

You haven't lived unless you have walked into the kitchen to make morning coffee only to be greeted by a tarantula about the size of a dinner plate in the middle of the kitchen floor. It does jump start your morning. Truth is they are harmless but knowing that doesn't stop the startle effect.

ken

[David Eisenhauer]

Scorpions dropping onto the master bed from the light fixture above the bed will also clean the cholesterol out of the heart. After that event (many, many years ago), I caulked the devil out of all light fixtures in the ceilings of the one story house with an attic (scorpion apartments) above.

[Mike Allen1010]

I know broken record and all that rot but guys if you do not have a portable bench you are making work for yourself. I'm home doing the "remain in place," self isolation," or whatever you want to call it thing. Of course MsBubba is rubbing her hands with joy. You should see the "to do" list she has on the kitchen counter.

On to the broken record.

I've one of the portable Moravian benches set up in the back garden to work on, it took less than 5 minutes to move from its storage place and set up. Now for the duration I've a functional, stable workbench to use as needed. I know, I know, you have heard it before but it is too easy to set up and use not to have one for use around the house.

429018

After the door repair, it is on to cleaning up and re-painting kitchen cabinets. Hopefully I can find a few moments to work on the latest chair build someplace around the to-do list. Speaking of chairs, I just received a Cherry American Welsh Stick chair from CS. It is a thing of beauty.

ken

Ken, I'm totally sold on the value of a portable workbench - I can see how would be super helpful for projects beyond the shop. Couple questions to push me over the build edge. I apologize in advance I'm know your previous posts have covered these questions but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to find them:

1) How heavy is your Monrovian bench and how do you move it? Do you pick it up and carry, put on a dolly, call in reinforcements, break it down into small enough pieces to move easily?

2) Where is the best source to get build plans etc.?

Thanks and best wishes staying safe from both visible and invisible toxic pests!

Cheers, Mike

[David Eisenhauer]

Mike - There is a will Myers video somewhere on You Tube that shows Will setting up the broken-down-into-individual-pieces into the complete bench in a minute without looking like he is racing a clock. Each piece is small/light enough to easily carry. As to the best set of plans, not sure, but I believe Will Myers does have a video out on building one. I enjoy his build instruction style.

[ken hatch]

Ken, I'm totally sold on the value of a portable workbench - I can see how would be super helpful for projects beyond the shop. Couple questions to push me over the build edge. I apologize in advance I'm know your previous posts have covered these questions but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to find them:

1) How heavy is your Monrovian bench and how do you move it? Do you pick it up and carry, put on a dolly, call in reinforcements, break it down into small enough pieces to move easily?

2) Where is the best source to get build plans etc.?

Thanks and best wishes staying safe from both visible and invisible toxic pests!

Cheers, Mike

Mike,


This bench, when not in use, is broken down into 7 modules and stored in a corner of the shop. My guess is no module weights more than 40 lbs and is easy to move by this old fart.

As David posted, the Will Myers videos are the best I've found and his putting it together video is a hoot. I usually say it takes 5 minutes to set up but that is removing it from its corner carrying to where I want it and then putting together.

The bench is easily scalable to make the size you want, mine range from a full size shop bench to this easily portable one.

Take care and stay safe, I'm still looking for tacos and beer once this mess is over.

ken

[ken hatch]

Mike,

I just want to add, the original bench design and build was brilliant. One of the best things Will did was follow the original build. Even though I questioned some of the joints used on the first build I went along and being a little slow it took a couple of builds and using the bench to figure out just how good and how smart the original bench was.

I don't know if you remember the reason for my first build was to make a portable bench for the motorhome and it was only after working on that original bench (now my sharpening bench) that I became a fan boy.

ken

[Stew Denton]

Ken,

Your comment on "the original bench design and build being brilliant" really struck a chord with me. My thinking is that so often we think "that design (of whatever) is pretty good, but I am going to "improve" it." It occurred to me that I think a lot of the traditional designs of things, like benches, have stood the test of time. Designs that may be a hundred or even two hundred years old have had lots of folks think "I will improve the design," and make a change.

Over that long time period the design changes that DID make an substantial improvement catch on, those that were not an improvement bit the dust bin of history. Thus, after a couple of hundred years the designs become pretty much standardized for the simple reason that they have been optimized for that type of bench.

I recall that you gave someone the advise for his first bench, in so many words, "to follow a standard design "as is," this being either by copy of an existing bench or from a set of plans." I will very probably eventually do that when I get to the point of having time and space to build a bench, the first one probably a fairly portable size Moravian. I might modify the size a little, to fit my particular needs, but would leave the design and construction alone.
,
It seems to me that often it turn out the way you state it, that we have to build something like one of the very traditional bench designs, maybe even two, and use it before we understand how really good the design is. How good the design is becomes even more apparent if we have as a first bench built our own much "improved design," only to discover the warts after we have used it a while. After building our own "improve design" we discover "Oh, so that's why they did it that way."

If a traditional bench design has been used for a couple of hundred years, it probably has a lot going for it. Again, I might fiddle with the size a bit, to fit my individual uses, but would leave the basic design alone.

Thus, I appreciated your comment on how brilliant the design is. You have been there long enough, and built and used enough different benches, to be able to say "BTDT."

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[ken hatch]

Ken,

Your comment on "the original bench design and build being brilliant" really struck a chord with me. My thinking is that so often we think "that design (of whatever) is pretty good, but I am going to "improve" it." It occurred to me that I think a lot of the traditional designs of things, like benches, have stood the test of time. Designs that may be a hundred or even two hundred years old have had lots of folks think "I will improve the design," and make a change.

Over that long time period the design changes that DID make an substantial improvement catch on, those that were not an improvement bit the dust bin of history. Thus, after a couple of hundred years the designs become pretty much standardized for the simple reason that they have been optimized for that type of bench.

I recall that you gave someone the advise for his first bench, in so many words, "to follow a standard design "as is," this being either by copy of an existing bench or from a set of plans." I will very probably eventually do that when I get to the point of having time and space to build a bench, the first one probably a fairly portable size Moravian. I might modify the size a little, to fit my particular needs, but would leave the design and construction alone.
,
It seems to me that often it turn out the way you state it, that we have to build something like one of the very traditional bench designs, maybe even two, and use it before we understand how really good the design is. How good the design is becomes even more apparent if we have as a first bench built our own much "improved design," only to discover the warts after we have used it a while. After building our own "improve design" we discover "Oh, so that's why they did it that way."

If a traditional bench design has been used for a couple of hundred years, it probably has a lot going for it. Again, I might fiddle with the size a bit, to fit my individual uses, but would leave the basic design alone.

Thus, I appreciated your comment on how brilliant the design is. You have been there long enough, and built and used enough different benches, to be able to say "BTDT."

Thanks and regards,

Stew

Thanks Stew,

Your take is correct, the old guys knew what they were doing. I kinda have a rule in my shop, if I can I figure out how the old guys did it I do it the same way. Works most of the time.

Everyone is different and most build different things so needs vary but I've found a simple bench is better bench. My next build will have a wagon vise because Will Myers makes one that looks unobtrusive and easy to install but in general a leg vise, dog holes and holdfasts along with some wood scraps will do an easy job of holding what needs holding.

Stay safe, take care, and I hope you can build soon,

ken