New workbench

[Larry]

I had some low quality 5/4 ash in the kiln.  Lots of worm and grub damage plus the wood had lots of tension in it.  The kiln killed off the bugs (I hope) but the lumber would be hard to sell and I didn't want to build furniture with it.  A new workbench came to mind.



Gluing up stretchers for the legs.




Gluing up the legs.




Mostly complete legs looking for a top.  I did not draw bore the M&T but I did pin them with dowels.




For the top I glued up low grade red oak.  I made three glue ups of the strips about 9" wide.  This way I could joint one face before thickness planing.




The three sections ready to glue into a bench top.  I've made many bench tops this way, mostly for custom reloading guys.  Too much competition anymore to make much doing it this way.




The three top sections glued together.  Only two glue joints to align.  Due to pre-prep the joints can't be seen and hardly felt.  Quick go over with the ROS and it will be perfect.

When making heavy stuff like this my clamp of choice is antique Hargraves and Pony 72s, both heavy I beam style.  The puny "K" bodies hide on the rack. :D

Still thinking about a vise for it.  Bench Crafted are really nice but $$$'s.  Thinking about a leg vise.  Might make one.

[Dan_Shade]

I like it.

I made a wooden vise screw for my bench a few years ago, I like it.

I wooden screw would be a nice with a leg vise too. 

[samandothers]

Very nice, and will have some heft!

[metalspinner]

Dang!!
How thick is that top

How are you going to move it??

[Larry]

Top is 3" thick.  Feels like it weighs in the 60-70 pound range.  The whole workbench should weight about 200 so not terribly heavy but it is small.

Plunge routed leg mortises tonight.






Still have to shave the tenon to get it to fit.

My idea is on one side of the bench the M&T joint will be glued and doweled in place.  On the other side that M&T will be loose so the top can move with the seasons.  I will also hold the top down with a clip or two that fit in the dado on the leg apron.

[Larry]

Put dog holes in my little bench today.  Lots of ways to do it from $250 jigs with fancy names to eye balling it with a spade bit.  This is my process.






My router has a guide bushing which fits into the half circle of the template.  Their is a secret to making it accurate and fast.  The oak template half circle is slightly smaller than the router guide bushing.  The bushing only bears on the two points of the template half circle which takes dust out of the equation.  I have templates for shelf pins in cabinets and bookcases.  Super fast and really accurate.

I used a 3/4" spiral up cut router bit from Lee Valley for the holes.  Clean cuts and it will actually cut faster than I can plunge the router.








I could only plunge about 2-1/4" with the router and the top is 3" thick.  To finish the hole I tried a good forstner but it was to slow.  Switched to a Wood Owl auger bit which worked well.  

[Dan_Shade]

I like the wood owl bits.

[Larry]

I found out a way to use them so I don't get much chip out on the exit.  Drill until the screw just breaks through than reverse and clean chips.  Go back in and complete the hole at high speed with little pressure.

On the workbench I just went straight through and didn't pay much attention.  Still got pretty good exit holes.

Of course on some days it depends on how I hold my mouth as to results........

[Larry]

Added a vise to the bench a few days ago.  Got the Grizzly sale flyer and it was on sale so on impulse I bought it.  Instructions and a hole template would have made it a lot easier to install.  The screw and two support rods are metric which also put a kink in things.  With a little luck, the vise was installed square and works well.  Yes, it was green from Grizzly but a little spray paint made it look proper.

Jaws are sweet gum from a scrap that was sitting in the shop.  Thinking about putting a cork or leather liner on the jaws.  Handle was straight grain ash from another shop scrap.

I put it on the right side which feels most comfortable to me.....I don't do much hand tool work.

[SwampDonkey]

Nice rugged bench. Nice that a bench is robust enough to not rock or walk around when running a hand plane. ;D

That bench vise is handy for routing corners for trim or cavities in narrow pieces. Making small wooden parts using small chisels and fine toothed Japanese hand saws. How many times have I used Record bench vises, ones you clamp to the top with their screw clamps? ;D

Record clamp-on bench vice.