Woodworking bench

[clovishound]

I cheated on my WW bench. I bought a 12' piece of 4x12 SWP. I cut it in half and hand jointed the two pieces together. That was a real learning experience, but the joint was nearly invisible, and has held up well over many years. It's a little narrow, but has served me well. I mounted a vintage Wilton vise on one end.

[Hatchdog]

Couple of humorous comments made here…

Need to build a carport in order to build the bench and it would be easier to build the bench if I had the bench!

Great stuff indeed

[Ernie]

Gene, that is a cool bench and a great vise. I got a maple bench someone was using for a welding bench.

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I took the top off and refinished, welded a base

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and made it a reloading bench.

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Seemed like a good idea at the time.
I appreciate all the helpful advice I can get. Yes I am going to assemble the top as you recommend. The bonus is I get to buy more clamps, and probably a biscuit joiner. This bench could end up costing me a ton.

[Mr. Neutron]

Any updates on the workbench, Ernie??

It's funny. I store my little travel trailer in my pole barn. I'm scheming on one of those carport thingies to store it outside, so I can free up a bay for my kinda new woodworking addiction.

I'm building a smallish 6&1/2 ft. long Nicholson style bench out of some fir I inherited when I bought my place. Plan to try going "viseless" with the exception of a removable Moxon style vise. I'm a total newbie hack at this bizness, but do love a good curl coming off my Stanley #5 handplane.....

[Ernie]

Got the truck parked outside and have an elevated raised bed planter I am finishing now to sell. Then the bench and getting quotes on a slab to build on. I had considered a carport however by the time I get one that is rated for the local snow load it is more economical to build a shed roof enclosure. Would like to see what you are doing.
Enjoy

[Mr. Neutron]

Ernie, I totally get the the "Priorities" thing..... Get one thing accomplished to accomodate the the next step needed to get to something else. I'm right there with you, and it sounds like other folks on this message board. I've stated before that it would be easier to build another pole barn/shop than it would be to clean and organize the one I have.......

I might get some pics of my bench as it gets closer to being done. My woodworking skill isn't quite yet ready to be exposed for what it is (lousy). Trust me, there's been somewhat of a learning curve for me with this "what should be a somewhat simple project". I will say it's loosely patterned after a Nicholson bench, similar to what Rex Krueger builds in one of his videos, and has elements of a bench made by a guy with a video called "The Mighty Nicholson". Mine is made of fir I already had or bought at Home Depot, and my fir wood I had has been kinda problematic in a few ways. Ate up the planer kinives on my planer very quickly, probably from all the dirt on that lumber. That wood has a lot of cracks to work around or deal with in some fashion in it as well. I'm just glad it doesn't need to be perfect to be useful. It ain't. It will be used for my electric guitar building projects, as well as repair to some of the "treasures" my wife buys at estate sales and garage sales, which she re-sells at a local antique/vintage shop. This has actually taken priority over my guitar stuff lately, as she seems to go through her stock of stuff to sell kinda quickly. I recently made a door for a Hoosier cabinet she got for $50; given my skillset, it turned out well.......

I really love the engineering of the Shaker style bench you've got plans to build. The angled legs, the leg vise, the sliding deal for the side bench dogs are all really great features. Be cool to see it as you go, and when finished.

[Ernie]

Got a space in the shop now and I am going to start on the bench this week end. Will be a long process.
Got to nail down the quote for the slab to park the truck on for the winter. Hope to get that done by early August then get a shed roof over it.
I found a highly rated instructional book on building a teardrop trailer. I have to hit the bookstore tomorrow morning, its a one off, used, so I need to get it in hand. The Elkhart trailer industry is 30 minutes away so parts are available and a friend gave me a heavy trailer axle with new bearings and tires so that may be the project after the bench. I seem to gather projects. It keeps me thinking.

[Ernie]

Still waiting for the quote on my slab. Seems I can't get it done until maybe September so I decided that I needed to extend the quote to get the roof built as well. With my poor performance on ladders I needed to have the roof included or it probably would not be done before the snow falls.
I have gone over the bench plans multiple times and have sorted out the lumber. I have a plan to get the best use of the rough sawn planks avoiding the obvious knots and cracks. I will be cutting this morning to get the pieces for the legs and some of the top. Have a biscuit joiner being delivered sometime today to help align the glue up of the legs. Will start the glue up tomorrow. Taking my time to avoid wasting time and material.

[Ernie]

Took longer than I thought. Have some of the top planks and the legs cut will have to joint legs parts tomorrow to glue. Have two more large slabs to cut for some more of the top, that should finish the hardest part on the table saw. The remaining lumber has already been through the planer and is not as huge.

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