More progress on the top today. I finally found a full day off of work to spend a good amount of time in the shop today.
The day started out innocent enough. The plan for the day was to knock down and even out the thickness of all the boards making up the top so it will be easier to level once it is assembled.
As you can see I was less than accurate when ripping the Oak for the laminated pieces..
I started out just scrubbing away the squeeze out and the high boards. As I got closer to even with one of the outside edge boards it became evident that I had (despite what I thought was careful planning) laminated the last board with the grain running opposite all the others… Well poo..
I contemplated this for a bit and figured since it is on the outside and not the middle the only correct thing to do was cut it off and add a new one.
So out comes the circular saw and accessories for a quick run down the top..
And then my Atkins rip saw to finish up.. (I really need to get on with tuning this guy up..)
With that board removed I have a 9 1/2” slab to even out. I’ll re add the missing board between the dog strip and the skirt later on if I think it is needed. I might end up liking this depth (which will come to around 14” when it is all said and done).
A few more hours of scrubbing and the top side of the bench is even and actually almost level! It still has a bit of a dip in the center but that will be taken care of once my No 6 arrives :-).
Now.. the other side! which is in much worse shape as far as evenness of the boards..
I spent another hour or so scrubbing away at that side and allllmost have it evened out but I’ll have to finish that up tomorrow. My arms are tired and the wife misses me so that is all the shop time I have for today.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more! Comments and critiques are always encouraged (your comments keep me motivated to keep going!)..
-- Eric - Why buy when you can build!?!
10 comments so far
Mauricio
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5269 posts in 1348 days
#1 posted 100 days ago
AF, the 6 will be there soon. I haven’t been able to send the 6 yet but I will get it sent tomorrow. Sorry about that. I did do some extra flattening to the sole, sharpened the blade, and boxed it up ready to go. It should be ready to go right out of the box.
By the way remember since you are flattening your top with hand tools you dont have to flatten the whole bottom side. You just have to work the spots where the mortises will be, make those spots flat and parallel to the top.
Flattening both sides is only necessary if you are going to run it through a machine.
-- Mauricio - Woodstock, GA - "Confusion is the Womb of Learning, with utter conviction being it's Tomb" Prof. T.O. Nitsch
Airframer
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503 posts in 150 days
#2 posted 100 days ago
Thanks Mauri. I’m not worried about the No 6. I know it will get here.
I’m not trying to level the bottom so much as even out the thickness. I am mostly trying to get each joint down to the glue line so they can disappear. I am done with that bit and have flipped the top back over so I can start fitting the rest of it together. It is almost starting to look like something finally!
-- Eric - Why buy when you can build!?!
Tugboater78
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402 posts in 389 days
#3 posted 100 days ago
Getting there! Yer gonna make me have to start on making me a decent bench soon!
-- Justin - the tugboat woodworker - https://www.facebook.com/justinb78
waho6o9
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3061 posts in 774 days
#4 posted 100 days ago
Nice work AirFramer, she’s going to look nice, good job.
WhoMe
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458 posts in 1440 days
#5 posted 100 days ago
2 things if you have not started the glue up of the second slab.
Have you thought about maybe re-ripping some of the boards to even out the widths a little more? That would save some plane work. Unless you like that kind of torture…lol
Also, look into clamping cauls. Or, wrap 2 or more pieces of wood in wax paper that will be longer than your glued up slab will be wide. Place them crosswise to where you plan to do the gue up. Position them about 1-2 feet in from the ends ofthe wood you are gluing up. Then when you clamp the pieces being glued up. The surface setting on the wax paper cross beams should be fairly flat. Once dry, the flat sie should reqire much less planing to make flat.
Hopefully you understood my description and it helps on your nex round of glue ups.
-- With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Just watch out for the exhaust. - Mike -
Airframer
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503 posts in 150 days
#6 posted 100 days ago
Thanks for the suggestion Mike. I only have 2 more strips to glue onto the top. One is the dog strip which is, by design, thicker than the rest of the top by 1” and the skirt which is thicker than that to provide sufficiant clamping ability on the leg vise so the cauls wont be much help there but now that the top portion is evened out I can at least keep then evened up when gluing easier.
Unfortunately I have run out of glue so that whole operation will have to wait so I am moving onto the base next (finally) expect updates on that soon.
-- Eric - Why buy when you can build!?!
559dustdesigns
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627 posts in 1365 days
#7 posted 100 days ago
Nice job, I have enjoyed following this project. As always, thanks for sharing with us.
-- Aaron - central California "If you haven't got the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?"
Don W
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10210 posts in 764 days
#8 posted 100 days ago
It’s looking good.
-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)
Mauricio
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5269 posts in 1348 days
#9 posted 99 days ago
I used dowels to align my top pieces for glue up, saved me a ton of work afterwards.
-- Mauricio - Woodstock, GA - "Confusion is the Womb of Learning, with utter conviction being it's Tomb" Prof. T.O. Nitsch
Airframer
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503 posts in 150 days
#10 posted 99 days ago
Thanks Don.
Mauricio, I might do that for the next few pieces. I must say though.. the “flattening” went faster than I thought it would though I am feeling it this morning lol.
-- Eric - Why buy when you can build!?!
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