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Thread: New Moravian Bench build Part 2

  1. #16
    The key mortises are finished, keys made, and everything fitted. It went together easily so now on to the the slab and vise fitting.

    benchBaseTogether.jpg

    The bench is in the back garden so I have room to work on it, currently the shop is full . BTW, in the background is the first woodworking bench I made many years ago. I expect if it were needed I could hang a vise or two on it and it would still function.

    Normally I figure about 6 weeks to finish a bench with the day job and taking care of MsBubba's honeydoes. This one is in its 8th week and I expect there are still several weeks to go. I'm not sure where the leakage is other than it has been really hot even for the desert and MsBubba retired the First of the Year.


    ken

  2. #17
    Slab pieces machined and ready for glue up.

    benchSlabMachined .jpg

    I need to make several sets of cauls for the glue up and go to the woodstore for a big bottle of glue before I start. The shop is getting hot so I may be finished for the day.

    I think the vise dithering is over, my plan is to install the BC vise with crisscross on this bench. If I like it, then get another BC vise and crisscross for the shop bench. If not I'll replace the BC vise on this bench with a Lake Erie 2X wood screw and parallel guide.


    ken

  3. #18
    Ralph over at Accidental Woodworker https://accidentalwoodworker.blogspot.com asked for photos of the slab glue up. The slab will have eight slats glued up two slats at a time for the first four slats.

    benchSlabGlueUpA.jpg


    My current thinking because this being Beech and Beech loves stupid wood tricks is to use the first two sets of two slats as a "backbone" and glue two slats to the outside of each of the first two sets. Then the final glue up will be the two sets of four slats. BTW, for the first two sets the four Beech slats are straight, the last four slats not so much, not bad for Beech but they definitely have peyronie's disease. I'll mix and match so the curves offset.


    The first two slat set out of the clamps:

    benchSlabSetOutOfClamps.jpg

    Cleaning up the glue line:

    benchCleaningUpGlueLine.jpg

    So far this has been no drama, life is easy just working one or two glue surfaces at a time. The only problem it stretches out the glue up over several days.


    ken

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
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    I would like to know about the handsaw in your picture.

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by lowell holmes View Post
    I would like to know about the handsaw in your picture.
    Lowell,

    I assume you are asking about the Bad Axe panel saw. It is a great saw for way too much money, but then I love saw "bling". Truth be told, I use my Stanley hardpoint saws more than the Bad Axe.

    ken

  6. #21
    Using the first set of two slats as a "backbone" I added two slats to each side giving a four slat set. The four slat set is half of the slab. Next is doing the same to the other two slat set and once that set is out of the clamps I'll join the two four slat sets to complete the slab.

    benchSlab4SlatsA.jpg


    When the slab comes out of glue up I'll clean up the bottom where it sets on the base unit and take care of any wind. I'll wait to clean up the top until the slab is installed.

    While gluing up the slab I've started making the vise. First up is the vise backer board, here it is marked up:

    benchViseBackerMarkout.jpg

    As always, click'em to big'em.

    The vertical parallel markings are for the crisscross groove, the circle is where the screw nut goes. The angled vertical marking is where the backer board fits to the front leg and the top and bottom horizontal markings are for the tenons that hold the vise backer board in place.

    Things are moving fairly quickly now, it will not be long before this pile of wood looks like a bench.


    ken

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Chandler, Az
    Posts
    325
    I've been following your build since the very beginning. Please keep the photos coming. Very interesting.

    Jim

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Colombo View Post
    I've been following your build since the very beginning. Please keep the photos coming. Very interesting.

    Jim
    Thanks Jim,

    As posted earlier this build for some reason is taking longer than usual. Whatever, I should be in the short rows soon.

    ken

  9. #24
    Other than the tool tray, joining the two halves of the slab is the final glue up on this bench build.

    benchSlabFinalGlueUp.jpg

    Once that sucker is out of the clamps I'll clean up the bottom where it sets on the base and correct for any wind. I checked the base for wind yesterday and it is dead nuts true.

    There will be a series of taking the slab on and off to mount the slab plus the vise assembly. I wish I looked more like Conan that Mr. Peepers.

    The vise is also coming along. The chop came out the clamps this morning and I have completed the vise backer mortise. The vise still need the chop mortise and the holes for the screw drilled. Once those are done there will be several cycles of slab on and off to mount the vise. Bottom line this bench is close to the short rows.


    ken

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Edmond, Oklahoma
    Posts
    1,749
    Steven,

    What is a "BC Vise."

    Thanks and regards,

    Stew

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
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    1,048
    Quote Originally Posted by Stew Denton View Post
    ... What is a "BC Vise." ...
    BenchCrafted.

  12. #27
    The slab is out of the clamps and bottoms up on the French/English bench so I can clean up the contact areas of the slab and correct any wind.

    benchCheckingForWind.jpg

    Cleaned up the part of the slab that will set on the base and checked for wind.

    BenchNoWind.jpg

    It looks pretty good with no wind. I'll do a light clean up of the glue lines before attaching the slab to the base.

    Next is finishing the vise. I finally settled on using the BenchCrafted Classic screw and 14" crisscross. The vise should go fairly quickly if the heat or MsBubba's line of sight do not get me.

    Once the vise is mounted I'll make a quick and dirty tool tray and the fat lady can sing.

    ken

  13. #28
    The crisscross is installed and works a treat.

    benchCrisscrossA.jpg

    The inter board is the vise backer and the outer board is the chop. I've marked where the vise screw hole needs to be drilled on the backer board. The vise needs to be disassembled to drill the screw hole and install the nut. The backer board also needs a top and bottom stub tenon cut along with cutting the left edge at an angle so the backer board fits against the base assembly.

    After finishing the vise unit the slab needs to be installed on the base so the vise backer board mortises can be marked. After marking the mortises the whole thing needs to be taken apart to chop the vise backer board mortises. Once the mortises are chopped everything goes back together and the basic bench is finished.

    I will make a tool tray for the bench and I expect a full length tool holder for the back edge of the slab.

    The fat lady ain't singing but this ol' horse can smell the barn.


    ken

  14. #29
    The vise backer board has a stub tenon on each end. The bottom one needs to be made first so the backer board will set on the long stretcher for marking the top tenon and angle of the leg.

    One of the nice things about Poplar is it is easy to split and splitting the short wide tenon is a lot easier than sawing.

    benchSplitBackerBoardTenon.jpg

    Next is installing the screw. To install the screw I need both a 2 5/8" and a 1 1/4" Forstner bit, the 1 1/4" is no problem. The 2 5/8" I had to order. It should be here tomorrow but until it arrives I'm dead in the water.

    It may be a good thing, a nap and pool time is a good way to spend a hot Tucson afternoon.

    ken

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    3,222
    Nice build, Ken. I appreciate the slab glue up. Haven’t done many, but do the same as you. Glue the straightest first, then add from there. To speed things up, I let the first two sit in clamps for about an hour, then add the next for an hour, then the next and so on. At least this way, I can add a board an hour and typically have it all in clamps in one day. When I take the clamps off for the next board, it gives me a chance to run a putty knife down the glue line to clean it up...at least the facing side. I let the bottom side glue dry and get after it with a cabinet or card scraper.

    Is that some sort of highly collectible vintage chisel you’re using to clean the glue
    Last edited by Phil Mueller; 08-12-2019 at 7:52 AM.

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