More bench progress…
Here is the “tail” vice mortised into the end of the bench. You can also see how the underside of the bench looks with all the different widths I used:
Clamping on the wider “apron” pieces front and back:
And adding the end aprons with dowels:
As you can see I painted the 4×6 fir base black:
I leveled the table with shims under the feet and then bolted the legs to the floor:
And then the fun part began…
I routed the edges of my vice jaws on the router table:
The vices came out really nicely. I made the tail vice so it would span across the entire width of the bench. That way I could have bench dogs along both edges of the bench for wide clamping.
Nearly complete… now all I have to do is add the dog holes, and a little sanding/finishing. I actually made it to the Sacramento Woodworking Show on Sunday and picked up some brass Veritas bench dogs.
I think it looks really good with the black base.
(See all the shavings on the floor!)
UPDATE:
Here are the links to the finished bench and cabinet in my projects:
-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us
15 comments so far
MedicKen
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1560 posts in 1630 days
#1 posted 1280 days ago
Looking good Blake
-- My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist....medic20447@gmail.com
Todd A. Clippinger
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8654 posts in 2267 days
#2 posted 1280 days ago
Blake, If the wood handles are loose and slide freely, be sure to install a leather ring on each end to act as a pad or buffer between the end of the handle and the metal sleeve that holds it. This will save the end of the handle from the shock of sliding down and slamming into the metal.
Looks like a great table. You will love working on a nice bench. It will greatly facilitate your efficiency and productivity. It is one of the best tools you will have in the shop.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://americancraftsmanworkshop.com
GMman
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3884 posts in 1865 days
#3 posted 1280 days ago
Very good job,good looking work bench.
Blake
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3421 posts in 2042 days
#4 posted 1280 days ago
Thanks for the handle idea, Todd.
-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us
brianinpa
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1809 posts in 1890 days
#5 posted 1279 days ago
Nice looking bench Blake.
-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.
zlatanv
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684 posts in 1402 days
#6 posted 1279 days ago
Looks really good, nice color on the base. How thick is the top, square or round holes?
-- Z, Rockwall, TX
Blake
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3421 posts in 2042 days
#7 posted 1279 days ago
Round holes. The top is over 2.5” thick.
-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us
Scott Bryan
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27262 posts in 1989 days
#8 posted 1279 days ago
Blake, this turned out to be a great looking bench. This is going to be a nice addition to your shop.
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
Mark
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27 posts in 1621 days
#9 posted 1279 days ago
Great looking bench blake…the black stand makes the benchtop really stand out. Now you have more of a reason to use hand tools!
-- Mark, Sydney, Australia
jcees
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911 posts in 1966 days
#10 posted 1279 days ago
What a great little bench, bubba. Very nicely conceived and done. Bravo.
always,
J.C.
-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein
SPalm
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4108 posts in 2049 days
#11 posted 1279 days ago
Very nice Blake. I’m jealous.
It will be interesting to see if your endcaps cause any problems with wood movement. Usually these are applied with a sliding attachment and only glued at the end. But you seem to have a well placed horseshoe, so it will probably be just fine.
The thumbnail edging on the vice chocks are sweet.
Good job,
Steve
-- -- I'm no rocket surgeon
patron
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12051 posts in 1508 days
#12 posted 1279 days ago
great bench ,
i like the end vise all the way across ,
good idea !
-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle
bfd
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502 posts in 1974 days
#13 posted 1274 days ago
Blake,
This bench is awesome. The black paint on the base was definitely the way to go. Great use of the end vise. As others mentioned really like the edge detail on the vises. This looks to weight a ton.
-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com
tomfidgen
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38 posts in 1907 days
#14 posted 1240 days ago
Blake,
this looks great! nice job.
is there a newer pic you could post. just curious what you came up with for dog placement.
all the best-
Tom
-- tom fidgen, www.theUnpluggedWoodshop.com
Blake
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3421 posts in 2042 days
#15 posted 1240 days ago
I just updated my post (above) to include links to the finished bench and cabinet. Here they are again:
-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us
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