Diary of a Madman's Workbench

[Dewey Torres]

Nice thread Pat. Good progress on Sunday!

[Pat Germain]

Thanks for the encouragement!

Today I had actually hoped my workbench project would be interrupted by the arrival of my new bandsaw. FedEx called me last Friday to set up a delivery appointment for this afternoon (Monday). I took a half day from work to be home to meet the truck.

After waiting until just after 2:00, I called FedEx just to make sure things were on track. Not! I was informed the representative who set up the Monday appointment gave me bogus info. The saw won't arrive until Wednesday. Let's hope it isn't de ja vu all over again.

Today I glued up a second leg for my workbench. I'll post a pic or two along with some early lessons learned.

[Dewey Torres]

Pat, if it make you feel any better, I too am still waiting on my tool shipment!

[Chris Padilla]

Good stuff, Pat, keep 'er updated, por favor!

[Pat Germain]

Here are the first two legs after glue up and cleanup. The second picture has a glue bottle and a small combination square for a sense of scale. These legs are like skyscrapers

[Pat Germain]

And here's a closeup of the tenons formed from the laminate process. No cutting required!

Lessons Learned

1. Glue up right after planing. Otherwise, the stock will start to cup. I had this problem with the first leg. Two of the pieces were cupped ever so slightly. This became apparent only during glueup. It made it a little difficult, but I think it came out OK. For the second leg, I planed them just before glueup and it went better. However, because of the extra planing, the second leg is just a little smaller than the first. I can easily fix this with two passes through the planer with the second leg.

2. With all the glue involved here, it's a good idea to scrape the squeeze-out about 30 minutes after clamping. Otherwise, removing all that hardened glue will be all too arduous. I knew this, yet waited until the next day to scrape the glue anyway. I learned from my mistake. You can too.

3. I know most people like using a roller to spread glue. I do not. For the first leg, I used an old foam brush which happened to be sitting nearby. This was a bad idea. It kept absorbing glue as I was spreading. There's a lot of glue surface here! For the second leg, I used a piece of cardboard to spread the glue. This worked well. Ah, simplicity. I actually prefer to use a nylon paint brush. Of course, I couldn't find one at the time.

I'm sure many readers here are thinking, "Duh to the tenth power, Germain!". Well, I'm still pretty new at this major woodworking project stuff. Since we have our share of new woodworkers on SMC, they might find this helpful. And I really don't mind exposing myself as a biscuit.

[Douglas Krueger]

I redefine any 'ooops' as unsolicited educational opportunities. A new WB is also on my horizon, thanks for the 'how to's' as well as the 'how not to's'.

[Jimmy Williams]

3. I know most people like using a roller to spread glue. I do not. For the first leg, I used an old foam brush which happened to be sitting nearby. This was a bad idea. It kept absorbing glue as I was spreading. There's a lot of glue surface here! For the second leg, I used a piece of cardboard to spread the glue. This worked well. Ah, simplicity. I actually prefer to use a nylon paint brush. Of course, I couldn't find one at the time.

Alternate Glue spreading tip.
I recently glued up some maple and bloodwood for an inlay on a picture frame and found that spreading glue is pretty easy if you use a 1/4 -20 bolt. The threads in the bolt spread the glue nicely and leave the perfect amount of glue on the wood. I forget where I saw that tip but it worked well. Very little squeeze out.

[John Thompson]

I started Friday and built a new top for my bench. Transferred vises over yesterday and dropped a coat of Danish on the top last evening. Will "drop" the top on this morning as I have work to do this afternoon.

Now.. my question to Pat.... ??? .... how are you going to attach the top as I'm curious. My best guess is whatever method Chris S. has reccomended which is........ as I don't have his book?

And question two is: would you be open to reccomendation of a very efficient alternative method I learned from Ian Kirby years ago before Chris S. wrote his book?

Regards...

Sarge..

[Chris Padilla]

I use old credit cards cut with my wife's pinking shears (ssshhhh!!! don't tell her!) to give them a serrated edge to spread glue over semi-large surfaces. Otherwise, even larger ones will get a hard rubber roller that the glue peels right off of when dry. The glue bottles with a built-in roller work nicely, too.

[Pat Germain]

Now.. my question to Pat.... ??? .... how are you going to attach the top as I'm curious. My best guess is whatever method Chris S. has reccomended which is........ as I don't have his book?

And question two is: would you be open to reccomendation of a very efficient alternative method I learned from Ian Kirby years ago before Chris S. wrote his book?

Regards...

Sarge..

Chris S. uses a morties and tenon with hardwood dowels to attach the top; no glue. This way, if you ever want to remove the top, you can just drill out the dowels and you're good to go.

Shoot, I'm open to anything, Sarge. Recommend away.

[John Schreiber]

And question two is: would you be open to reccomendation of a very efficient alternative method I learned from Ian Kirby years ago before Chris S. wrote his book?

If Pat's not, I am. Hit me.

Pat - thanks for all the notes. I'm about two weeks behind you in the process. The SYP is drying out in my garage now. Please make lots of mistakes and tell us all about them.

[John Thompson]

Pat and John....

I have to agree with Chris S. pretty much with a simple modification of his method. I lieu of running the dowels all the way through and glueing.. I just drill a 3/4" hole 7/8" deep in the leg top... drill a corresponding hole in the bottom of the table 7/8" deep. I then attach a 3/4" dowel by glueing into the leg.

But... instead of running the dowel all the way through the top and glueing.. I simply shape the exposed head like a bullet or a cone. But.. I don't use glue on the upper portion. The table top just sits on the exposed dowel heads that keep it from racking side to side. Gravity will hold a 100 lbs. top down with no problem.

This way.. if you were to move the bench or just need to take the top off as I did twice today to make adjustments on the vises.... you simply lift if off in about 2 seconds and avoid having to drill out an entire through dowel. Drilling one out IMO, can get sloppy and leave a hole larger than your original. You could drill it over-size.. plug it and re-drill a size larger, but this eliminates un-needed work.

I learned this from Ian Kirby when he had a stuido-school just up the street back in the 80's. I have built around 15 benches for myself.. friends and a few for sale since and it works like a charm. If you were using a very thin top without weight.. I would be hesitant to do so... but Gravity will hold a heavy top down and that's fact.

And for those that have twin screws and want to avoid saw-dust and grime from dust attraction on the acme screws... I have included a pic of how to use a little high tech method to do so. Take a look underneath the one picture at the screws.. very high tech space material used to keep em clean. But you can pick up enough for $2 at the BORG to make it. BTW.. don't let them know that what they think to be cheap PVC is high tech or the price will go up for sure. And that's a fact. ha.. ha... ha...ha...ha,,

Hope this might help someone...

Regards...

Sarge..

[John Schreiber]

Those bullets will work well for most benches, but on the Ruobo as Chris Schwarz presents it, the top does not lay on top of the base. There are no upper stretchers. The massive solid top itself basically serves as both short and long upper stretchers. That's why the legs are mortised into the top and secured with draw bores.

It does leave a wood movement problem, but it is mostly at the other end of the leg where the short stretchers are mortised and draw bored.

[John Thompson]

Thanks John S. I just looked at my Landis Work-bench book to see if it had the Ruobo and it indeed did. And you would be correct that the mortise and tenon would be the best bet as I see it. Not a lot of options really. I personally wouldn't be overly concerned about expansion as wood "is" going to expand and contract.

If this were a formal dining table.. I would indeed be concerned. But.. it is a work-bench and can be repaired as 100 year old joints are repaired on antique furniture every day. A work bench is well.. a work bench. Nothing more.. nothing less IMO.

Again thanks John as I did catch French but not Roubo when reading the intial post. Old man always short of time.

Regards..

Sarge..