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91K views 132 replies 41 participants last post by  EricTwice 
#1 ·
First sniff of glue

I've been planning a workbench build for two years, maybe a bit longer. Started by reading everything I could, followed by some quality SketchUp time. Had a design, changed it. Tweaked it again. Threw the design out and started over. More tweaking followed. And so on…

Settled on a Roubo variant, and ordered Benchcrafted hardware. A year and a half ago.

Complete re-design once again. Did a couple tweaks to that and ordered the lumber. Should be well-acclimated to my shop by now.

Threw out the design and started over. Again. Getting pretty good at SketchUp.

And tweaked the design a couple more times. Fairly small tweaks, as far as these things go.

In typical Roubo fashion, the bench will be massive. The more mass the better. To that end, I picked the densest wood I could easily and affordably obtain for the base - Jatoba. Legs will be 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 29 1/2" and weigh 30 lbs each. Add in stretchers and bottom shelf and the base will weigh over 200 lbs.

The top will be a laminated slab of cherry. 4" thick by 26" deep and 7' long. That will weigh about 200 lbs on its own. Why cherry? I got a truckload at a good price, plus it looks good.

Add in the hardware, a chop and a deadman and the bench will be over 450 lbs, maybe close to 500. I've got a cabinet planned for the interior space of the bench, should add another 100 lbs by the time it is loaded up with tools. Massive is good.

I had to commit to building the bench at some point, and today was as good a time as any. Still in a cast (left wrist) and still don't have the dust collection hooked up in the new shop. So the top will have to wait a week or two. In the meantime, I can start on the legs.

Here's the lumber for the 4 legs:


Each board is destined to become one leg, so start by cutting them into 33" lengths using my fancy miter saw station:


Getting there…


Two of the boards were just under 6" wide, but the other two were 8". After cutting to length, I ripped them to width. Normally I keep a Freud combo blade on the saw, but this wood calls for something better suited to the task:


I've had it for over a year, still in its plastic wrap. I do like that Freud combo blade :)

And quickly, there are 4 stacks of leg pieces and 1 stack of cut-offs. I'll be keeping the cut-offs for something or other…



I still had some time, so I decided to glue up one leg. After jointing and planing, the first stack comes in at 5 3/4".


Glue-up got a little exciting near the end when I emptied the glue jug. Had just enough to do the job. Was worried about the glue setting up before I had time to wait for it to drip from the jug.


Pretty even squeeze-out = good glue-up!


Coming out of clamps in the morning. Hoping to get 2 more done tomorrow.
 

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#88 ·
Leg Vise Install

If figured it would be better to work on the vise install on the leg before the bench was assembled. Heeding my own advise, I read and re-read the install instructions again before I started.

First thing I realized was that the leg vise install is as much about the chop as it is about the leg. Makes sense - a vise isn't much with just one surface :) So I glued up a board to use as the chop:
Wood Vehicle Gas Engineering Flooring


The chop needs to be at least 2 1/2" thick and I all have is 8/4" boards, hence the need for the lamination.

After that, I started laying out the relevant things on the leg. Got a phone call and that was it for the day, had to go and do a bunch of non-woodworking things.

And I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. That's very unusual, so I tried to figure out what my subconscious was trying to tell me. Finally realized I had laid out the vise details on the wrong leg!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn, that was close.

First thing this morning, laid out the details on the correct leg.
Wood Table Flooring Floor Wood stain


Drill for the Crisscross pin first. I drilled as far as I could on my drill press first to ensure I'd get a straight hole. The drill press' travel is only 3" or so, I needed something extra to make it all the way through.You do have a long drill bit, right?
Calipers Pneumatic tool Tool Wood Handheld power drill


To route the long mortise for the Crisscross, I used green masking tape to outline the borders and then freehand routed most of the cavity.
Saw Wood Power tool Tool Automotive tire


In retrospect, the green tape was a lousy choice. It caught and tore too easily.

After freehand routing, I used my edge guide to get straight sides. Chisel work to square up the ends.

For the bushing, I went back to the white masking tape. Freehand route most of it and chisel the remainder. The white tape works much better.
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plywood Audio equipment


The board for the chop was workable by this time so I squared it up and resawed it down to ~3""
Wood Gas Machine Machine tool Hardwood


It may not be obvious from this pic, but the two pieces of walnut are distinctly different colors. I'm hoping that effect will not detract from the eventual look of the chop.

After laying out the relevant details on the chop, I drilled for and installed the vise screw/flange/handle.
Table Furniture Desk Wood Outdoor table


Interestingly, the kit used machine thread fasteners instead of screws or lags. That means you have to drill and tap the holed for the flange, bushing and nut. Not sure why this is, as the wagon vise guide rails install with screws. Fortunately, I have a tap and die set.

To drill the hole for the vise screw, I first drilled a pilot hole. Then I used a forstner bit to drill from each side, hopefully meeting in the middle. Not quite, the screw end up being off-center on the hole in the back:
Automotive tire Household hardware Nickel Rim Wood


Turns out to be 1/16" off center, so I decide to cut 1/8" off the fat side of the chop. This is because I want the cavity for the Crisscross to be centered so I can route it like this:
Wood Milling Flooring Drill Hardwood


After routing this same cavity in the leg, I realize I can improve the process. First, no need for free-handing. Second, I only need the tape at the ends. It makes the end of the mortise more visible through the shroud. Third, I can set the edge guide for the far wall of the mortise. Advantages - better router balance, fewer chances for mistakes, and I can waste away the middle part of the cavity without changing router bases.

After routing, chisel the ends square:
Wood Brickwork Brick Floor Flooring


And then assemble everything per the instructions.

One thing I picked up on was the vise travel. Or limitations thereon. Because I have a thick legs and a thick chop and the screw is only so long, I will be limited to about 6 1/2" of travel.
Wood Rectangle Ruler Office ruler Font


If I find that a limitation, I can recess either the nut on the leg or the flange on the chop. Or both.

And here it is in upright configuration:
Table Wood Floor Art Hardwood


Even like this, the screw freely spins. I got 4 or 5 revolutions with a sharp pull on the wheel.

At this point, I'll take the wheel/screw and Crisscross off and put them aside until I've got the rest of the bench assembled. I need to shape the chop, too. I've got a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like, hope I can pull it off.
 

Attachments

#89 ·
Leg Vise Install

If figured it would be better to work on the vise install on the leg before the bench was assembled. Heeding my own advise, I read and re-read the install instructions again before I started.

First thing I realized was that the leg vise install is as much about the chop as it is about the leg. Makes sense - a vise isn't much with just one surface :) So I glued up a board to use as the chop:
Wood Vehicle Gas Engineering Flooring


The chop needs to be at least 2 1/2" thick and I all have is 8/4" boards, hence the need for the lamination.

After that, I started laying out the relevant things on the leg. Got a phone call and that was it for the day, had to go and do a bunch of non-woodworking things.

And I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. That's very unusual, so I tried to figure out what my subconscious was trying to tell me. Finally realized I had laid out the vise details on the wrong leg!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn, that was close.

First thing this morning, laid out the details on the correct leg.
Wood Table Flooring Floor Wood stain


Drill for the Crisscross pin first. I drilled as far as I could on my drill press first to ensure I'd get a straight hole. The drill press' travel is only 3" or so, I needed something extra to make it all the way through.You do have a long drill bit, right?
Calipers Pneumatic tool Tool Wood Handheld power drill


To route the long mortise for the Crisscross, I used green masking tape to outline the borders and then freehand routed most of the cavity.
Saw Wood Power tool Tool Automotive tire


In retrospect, the green tape was a lousy choice. It caught and tore too easily.

After freehand routing, I used my edge guide to get straight sides. Chisel work to square up the ends.

For the bushing, I went back to the white masking tape. Freehand route most of it and chisel the remainder. The white tape works much better.
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plywood Audio equipment


The board for the chop was workable by this time so I squared it up and resawed it down to ~3""
Wood Gas Machine Machine tool Hardwood


It may not be obvious from this pic, but the two pieces of walnut are distinctly different colors. I'm hoping that effect will not detract from the eventual look of the chop.

After laying out the relevant details on the chop, I drilled for and installed the vise screw/flange/handle.
Table Furniture Desk Wood Outdoor table


Interestingly, the kit used machine thread fasteners instead of screws or lags. That means you have to drill and tap the holed for the flange, bushing and nut. Not sure why this is, as the wagon vise guide rails install with screws. Fortunately, I have a tap and die set.

To drill the hole for the vise screw, I first drilled a pilot hole. Then I used a forstner bit to drill from each side, hopefully meeting in the middle. Not quite, the screw end up being off-center on the hole in the back:
Automotive tire Household hardware Nickel Rim Wood


Turns out to be 1/16" off center, so I decide to cut 1/8" off the fat side of the chop. This is because I want the cavity for the Crisscross to be centered so I can route it like this:
Wood Milling Flooring Drill Hardwood


After routing this same cavity in the leg, I realize I can improve the process. First, no need for free-handing. Second, I only need the tape at the ends. It makes the end of the mortise more visible through the shroud. Third, I can set the edge guide for the far wall of the mortise. Advantages - better router balance, fewer chances for mistakes, and I can waste away the middle part of the cavity without changing router bases.

After routing, chisel the ends square:
Wood Brickwork Brick Floor Flooring


And then assemble everything per the instructions.

One thing I picked up on was the vise travel. Or limitations thereon. Because I have a thick legs and a thick chop and the screw is only so long, I will be limited to about 6 1/2" of travel.
Wood Rectangle Ruler Office ruler Font


If I find that a limitation, I can recess either the nut on the leg or the flange on the chop. Or both.

And here it is in upright configuration:
Table Wood Floor Art Hardwood


Even like this, the screw freely spins. I got 4 or 5 revolutions with a sharp pull on the wheel.

At this point, I'll take the wheel/screw and Crisscross off and put them aside until I've got the rest of the bench assembled. I need to shape the chop, too. I've got a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like, hope I can pull it off.
Very interesting illustration of the construction, great reading for work bench builders.

For the lack of drill press whenever I need to make a dead perpendicular through hole I mark up it from the both sides of the part being drilled and then hand drill from both ends using long drill bit so that holes meet approximately in the middle. Works good enough for me.
 

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#94 ·
Mortising the legs

Before I mortised the legs, I decided to inset the nut for the leg vise. Easier to do it now than later. (Thank you, Sylvain and tsangell!) This gives me another 1 1/4" of vise travel. If I need more, I will invert the nut. That can be easily accomplished later.

The process was to lay out crosshairs on a piece of scrap and mark the center:
Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Plank


The layout lines are needed to line up the template with the center of where the nut goes.

Then drill out a hole with the big Forstner bit - 3 1/2" big. I geared down the drill press.

Wood Rectangle Beige Font Circle


Line up the template on the leg, using the marks on the template plus layout lines on the leg. Clamp it well and bore into the leg:
Table Wood Writing desk Desk Hardwood


I found that waxing the exterior of the bit helped.

And the nut is now inset:
Wood Table Workbench Hardwood Wood stain


Not knowing how stable my stock would be I milled the stretchers oversize so I can let them sit for a day or two before going to final dimensions. I'm confident the boards are dry, but not so confident they don't have a lot of internal stresses.

Wood Table Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


There are a total of 14 mortises for the 7 stretchers. Not wanting to do each by hand, I made a template so I could cut them quickly with a router.
Table Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain


Note the spacer attached to the fence. 6 of the stretchers will have the same offset from the edge of the leg, while the lower front stretcher needs to be inset another 1 1/2" to clear the back of the mortise for the Crisscross. The plan is to use the same template, doing the 2 oddballs last by removing the spacer.

Clamp the template to a piece of scrap:
Wood Machine tool Gas Milling Drill


And the result:
Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


Dimensions and offset both measure correct, so onto the legs. First "real" mortise:
Rectangle Wood Table Flooring Floor


Depth is 2 3/32". Don't ask me how I came up with that number, seemed to make sense at the time.

Do another 11 mortises at that spacing, then remove the spacer from the template:
Motor vehicle Automotive design Wood Naval architecture Engineering


Results in a mortise that is inset another 1 1/2", like this:
Wood Gas Hardwood Machine Engineering


Muttered a few choice words when I realized I'd done this:
Building Wood Cabinetry Interior design Floor


Yeah - forgot to remove the clever spacer at the right time. Ah, I can patch that. Or maybe make it a "feature" :)

Next step was to counterbore and drill for the bolts that will hold the front and rear stretchers to the legs. The bench will be able to be knocked down for moving should the need arise.

First, counterbore about 2 1/4", then drill through the center of the counterbore:
Wood Building Flooring Interior design Floor


Does that line up with the center of the mortise on the other side?
Wood Fixture Door Building Floor


The 6" bolt protrudes about 2"
Kitchen sink Cabinetry Sink Building Tap


I have started on the tenons and fitting them to the mortises. Haven't completed the step, but that'll be the next blog entry.
 

Attachments

#95 ·
Mortising the legs

Before I mortised the legs, I decided to inset the nut for the leg vise. Easier to do it now than later. (Thank you, Sylvain and tsangell!) This gives me another 1 1/4" of vise travel. If I need more, I will invert the nut. That can be easily accomplished later.

The process was to lay out crosshairs on a piece of scrap and mark the center:
Wood Table Wood stain Hardwood Plank


The layout lines are needed to line up the template with the center of where the nut goes.

Then drill out a hole with the big Forstner bit - 3 1/2" big. I geared down the drill press.

Wood Rectangle Beige Font Circle


Line up the template on the leg, using the marks on the template plus layout lines on the leg. Clamp it well and bore into the leg:
Table Wood Writing desk Desk Hardwood


I found that waxing the exterior of the bit helped.

And the nut is now inset:
Wood Table Workbench Hardwood Wood stain


Not knowing how stable my stock would be I milled the stretchers oversize so I can let them sit for a day or two before going to final dimensions. I'm confident the boards are dry, but not so confident they don't have a lot of internal stresses.

Wood Table Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


There are a total of 14 mortises for the 7 stretchers. Not wanting to do each by hand, I made a template so I could cut them quickly with a router.
Table Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain


Note the spacer attached to the fence. 6 of the stretchers will have the same offset from the edge of the leg, while the lower front stretcher needs to be inset another 1 1/2" to clear the back of the mortise for the Crisscross. The plan is to use the same template, doing the 2 oddballs last by removing the spacer.

Clamp the template to a piece of scrap:
Wood Machine tool Gas Milling Drill


And the result:
Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Wood stain


Dimensions and offset both measure correct, so onto the legs. First "real" mortise:
Rectangle Wood Table Flooring Floor


Depth is 2 3/32". Don't ask me how I came up with that number, seemed to make sense at the time.

Do another 11 mortises at that spacing, then remove the spacer from the template:
Motor vehicle Automotive design Wood Naval architecture Engineering


Results in a mortise that is inset another 1 1/2", like this:
Wood Gas Hardwood Machine Engineering


Muttered a few choice words when I realized I'd done this:
Building Wood Cabinetry Interior design Floor


Yeah - forgot to remove the clever spacer at the right time. Ah, I can patch that. Or maybe make it a "feature" :)

Next step was to counterbore and drill for the bolts that will hold the front and rear stretchers to the legs. The bench will be able to be knocked down for moving should the need arise.

First, counterbore about 2 1/4", then drill through the center of the counterbore:
Wood Building Flooring Interior design Floor


Does that line up with the center of the mortise on the other side?
Wood Fixture Door Building Floor


The 6" bolt protrudes about 2"
Kitchen sink Cabinetry Sink Building Tap


I have started on the tenons and fitting them to the mortises. Haven't completed the step, but that'll be the next blog entry.
Wow, I've never made a mistake like that. How does it feel?;-P

Honestly, I've still yet to do mortises this way. Soon I will.

Nice work brother.
 

Attachments

#97 ·
Odds and Ends

Well, I discovered I didn't take any pictures of fitting the tenons to the mortises. Probably because it was kind of tedious and a little bit boring.

The first step was to cut the tenons. For the side stretchers, I cut them the same way I cut the large tenons on the legs - with the table saw. Shoulders first, then stand the piece up and cut the cheeks.

Then I squared up each mortise and used a router plane, a rasp and/or a float to fit each tenon in turn. Three of the 8 tenons were a perfect fit off the saw while 3 were tight and needed a slight adjustment. 2 were loose, I'll have to use epoxy on those.

Then it was on to taking care of all the other little details before the bench can be assembled.

First, I patched the extra mortise in the leg. Glued in a large piece to fill most of the cavity, leaving about 1/8" to go. Squared off the corners and then fit and glued the visible patch.


After the glue dried, I planed the patch flush.


I didn't try to match the grain. Good reminder to pay attention!

I also cut the tenons in the long (front and back) stretchers. After getting them dimensioned, I cut the shoulders on the table saw.


At about 60", these stretchers are too long to readily stand up on the tablesaw so I cut the cheeks on the bandsaw.


Checking the fit of the front stretcher:


Checking the fit of the back stretchers:


To drill the holes for the bolts, I wanted to make sure the stretcher was clamped squarely to leg. This is what I came up with:


And drilled the holes to depth.

Also counterbored and drilled the top stretchers for lag bolts into the top. Not sure I'll need to use lags, but easier to drill now…


I decided to put a small bevel on the bottom of the bench legs. Dunno if this will affect the stability of the bench, but I like the look. It is 1/4" deep by 1" tall, almost exactly 14°. Set up the table saw to make the cut:


And soon enough, I've got 4 legs with bevels at the bottom:


Need to mortise for the nuts holding the stretcher connection bolts. Check the bolt protrusion:


Set up the router track guide accordingly:


Route the mortise and test:


I also did the runner for the deadman. First, glue an oversize piece of maple to the top of the front stretcher. The benchtop acts as a handy caul:


Flush the piece to the stretcher using planes:


Add the mortises for the connection bolt nuts:


And then cut the maple to a triangular shape. Set the table saw fence and tilt the blade to 45° before making the first cut.


Flip the piece end for end and make the second cut:


After that, I bump the fence a hair (maybe 1/100") and repeat the two cuts. It takes just a small extra amount off, which cleans up saw marks and any burning.

Then I put a 1/16" round over on the top of the triangle. Deadman runner is done!


Because I want a shelf on the bottom of the bench, I decide to add cleats to support shelf boards. I had some leftover pieces from making the legs:


Which, after milling, turns into:


Those leftovers will probably go into the fireplace sometime this winter…

Glue and screw the cleats to the bottom stretchers:


I would have preferred to use taller cleats, but needed to keep them to a certain size to avoid interference with the holes for the nuts.

And the stretchers are ready:


At this point, the bench could be assembled. First, though, I want to do a bit of sanding and slap a minimal finish on the parts of base. Just for looks.

I inadvertently started the finishing. Leaving some DNA behind:


Here's where I was leaking. Have absolutely no idea where that came from.
 

Attachments

#98 ·
Odds and Ends

Well, I discovered I didn't take any pictures of fitting the tenons to the mortises. Probably because it was kind of tedious and a little bit boring.

The first step was to cut the tenons. For the side stretchers, I cut them the same way I cut the large tenons on the legs - with the table saw. Shoulders first, then stand the piece up and cut the cheeks.

Then I squared up each mortise and used a router plane, a rasp and/or a float to fit each tenon in turn. Three of the 8 tenons were a perfect fit off the saw while 3 were tight and needed a slight adjustment. 2 were loose, I'll have to use epoxy on those.

Then it was on to taking care of all the other little details before the bench can be assembled.

First, I patched the extra mortise in the leg. Glued in a large piece to fill most of the cavity, leaving about 1/8" to go. Squared off the corners and then fit and glued the visible patch.
Wood Table Flooring Handheld power drill Pneumatic tool


After the glue dried, I planed the patch flush.
Wood Flooring Pneumatic tool Floor Wood stain


I didn't try to match the grain. Good reminder to pay attention!

I also cut the tenons in the long (front and back) stretchers. After getting them dimensioned, I cut the shoulders on the table saw.
Table Wood Tire Floor Flooring


At about 60", these stretchers are too long to readily stand up on the tablesaw so I cut the cheeks on the bandsaw.
Saw Wood Drill Flooring Floor


Checking the fit of the front stretcher:
Wood Window Interior design Wood stain Floor


Checking the fit of the back stretchers:
Wood Building Hardwood Wood stain Engineering


To drill the holes for the bolts, I wanted to make sure the stretcher was clamped squarely to leg. This is what I came up with:
Musical instrument Wood Tool Wood stain Hardwood


And drilled the holes to depth.

Also counterbored and drilled the top stretchers for lag bolts into the top. Not sure I'll need to use lags, but easier to drill now…
Wood Wood stain Rectangle Hardwood Plank


I decided to put a small bevel on the bottom of the bench legs. Dunno if this will affect the stability of the bench, but I like the look. It is 1/4" deep by 1" tall, almost exactly 14°. Set up the table saw to make the cut:
Wood Interior design Flooring Floor Rectangle


And soon enough, I've got 4 legs with bevels at the bottom:
Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Gas


Need to mortise for the nuts holding the stretcher connection bolts. Check the bolt protrusion:
Ruler Office ruler Wood Tool Tape measure


Set up the router track guide accordingly:
Table Wood Workbench Machine tool Tool


Route the mortise and test:
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Flooring Varnish


I also did the runner for the deadman. First, glue an oversize piece of maple to the top of the front stretcher. The benchtop acts as a handy caul:
Window Cabinetry Floor Gas Flooring


Flush the piece to the stretcher using planes:
Wood Flooring Floor Road surface Gas


Add the mortises for the connection bolt nuts:
Wood Electrical wiring Tool Plant Flooring


And then cut the maple to a triangular shape. Set the table saw fence and tilt the blade to 45° before making the first cut.
Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Flip the piece end for end and make the second cut:
Wood Flooring Composite material Hardwood Gas


After that, I bump the fence a hair (maybe 1/100") and repeat the two cuts. It takes just a small extra amount off, which cleans up saw marks and any burning.

Then I put a 1/16" round over on the top of the triangle. Deadman runner is done!
Building Window Wood Interior design Flooring


Because I want a shelf on the bottom of the bench, I decide to add cleats to support shelf boards. I had some leftover pieces from making the legs:
Wood Hardwood Flooring Gas Engineering


Which, after milling, turns into:
Wood Wood stain Flooring Floor Hardwood


Those leftovers will probably go into the fireplace sometime this winter…

Glue and screw the cleats to the bottom stretchers:
Furniture Table Wood Handheld power drill Aircraft


I would have preferred to use taller cleats, but needed to keep them to a certain size to avoid interference with the holes for the nuts.

And the stretchers are ready:
Table Furniture Saw Mitre saws Miter saw


At this point, the bench could be assembled. First, though, I want to do a bit of sanding and slap a minimal finish on the parts of base. Just for looks.

I inadvertently started the finishing. Leaving some DNA behind:
Brown Ecoregion Amber Nature Natural environment


Here's where I was leaking. Have absolutely no idea where that came from.
Wood Gesture Road surface Finger Floor
Wish I could do that work. Never really got my hand good at doing tendons and all of that, looks great though.
As per the blood, we bleed for what matters. Plus, it does mark your territory rather well.
Look forward to seeing the rest.
 

Attachments

#102 ·
Getting the base ready for assembly

While I did most of the odds and ends yesterday, there were a few things I needed to do today to get everything ready to assemble.

First, I have a location conflict with the leg closest to the wagon vise and the first dog hole:
Wood Water Composite material Rectangle Brick


I knew this going in - I need a leg close to the end of travel for the wagon vise, but the dog hole spacing was going to be less than the leg width. For the holes around the leg vise leg, I simply added a bit of space between two holes, but for the leg closest to the wagon vise, I didn't want to mess up the spacing. I'd planned on having to route a cavity into the leg from the beginning.

So I got out the two-edge router guide and created the cavity
Wood Composite material Creative arts Hardwood Machine


Check the fit. Yup, it works.
Table Wood Flooring Floor Tread


I also routed a groove for a tongue on top of the deadman into the front board of the top. Forgot to take a pic.

Then put a 1/16" roundover on all exposed sharp edges. The splinters this jatoba throws off are somewhat like spears. Along sharp edges, when something sticks out and you run exposed flesh along it, you end up with a splinter the size of a toothpick and when it heals, a scar. The 10 minutes it take to run a router along edges is well worth the self-protection value. Breaking edges with sandpaper doesn't work well. Half the time, splinters puncture the sandpaper and lodge themselves in whatever sanding block you use. For me, that's usually my thumb.

Tried to get pics of this. 1/16" roundovers don't show up well on camera.

And finally, ran over everything with P180 sandpaper, mostly to erase my layout marks.

Then it was time to get out the glue. First, mixed up some epoxy to deal with the two loose-fitting tenons.
Table Wood Fluid Liquid Wood stain


A note on using epoxy - its cure time is sensitive to the ambient temperature. My shop is around 16°C/61°F in the winter. Reasonably comfortable for working, but it took the epoxy 5 hours to set.

Epoxied and PVA'd the first side leg assembly:
Wood Art Engineering Creative arts Table


Not the epoxy squeeze out on the lower left joint. Try not to do this! But if you do, acetone does a decent job in cleaning up the mess.

Add the second assembly:
Table Wood Interior design Creative arts Workbench


Later on, I put some Waterlox on the pieces for the base and the underside of the top. Figured it was easier to do it prior to assembly. One coat won't add much protection but makes a huge difference in the look - compare the tenons to the rest of the stretchers:
Wood Table Rectangle Floor Flooring


I realize it hasn't been clear from my pics, but I've been working with two distinctly different colors of jatoba. One is pretty red and the other is quite orange. With a bit of finish applied, this pic really shows the difference.

Jatoba is photoreactive so I'm hoping both will ultimately head toward the same shade of brown.

And the leg assemblies with finish applied:
Wood Hardwood Rectangle Art Wood stain


Tomorrow, everything will get assembled. I've recruited my dad to come over in the afternoon and we will lift the top in place. While not quite complete, the bench will be functional! I need to start training for my Bondo pose…
 

Attachments

#103 ·
Assembly Day

I knew today was going to be a good day.

Got out to the shop and started assembling the base. Well, back up a bit - had to clean up and organize some, move the desk/bench thingy to the wall and lay out where exactly I wanted the new bench to be placed. Once it is all together, it will not be moveable without a lot of effort.

Ah, on to the base. Laid the tape down where I wanted it to go and set the legs in place.
Cabinetry Table Furniture Drawer Wood


Added the stretchers
Wood Table Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


Right about this time, Dad came by. Perfect timing, an extra set of hands was helpful in bolting the stretchers to the legs.

Then we moved the top into place and carefully lined up the tenons and mortises. Didn't want to go. Jostled it a little and it looked good, but still no luck. Got down to look under the bench, and it seemed about 1/32" off on one end. Gave it a good bump with my hand and it seated. Made a very satisfying "thunk"! Just for good luck, I used a mallet to give it a good whack over each leg. From the sound, you could tell it had seated just fine without the extra persuasion.

Dad wanted to see how the hardware worked so I hooked up the leg and wagon vise hardware.
Table Wood Window Interior design Tap


I get about 4 revolutions with a good twist on the leg vise wheel. Awesome!

An aside - I ended up painting the Bencrafted hardware with a spray bomb. Color is Oil-Rubbed Bronze and I like the look. I'm hoping it will be relatively durable. Here's the spray rack:
Wood Shelving Interior design Hardwood Flooring


Also fitted the dog traveller today:
Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring Plank


And made boards (hard maple) for a shelf underneath. Will be tongue and grove:
Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Had to notch the two end boards to fit around the legs. Got to use the leg vise for the first time!
Automotive tire Wood Flooring Font Gas


With this end, I used the table saw to make as much of the cuts as I could and then finished off with hand saws. For the second, I just used the hand saws. Before now, never had a vise to be able to do this type of work easily. I think the hand saws will be seeing much more action.

Adjusted some of the tongues on the boards for better fit:
Musical instrument Wood Table Rectangle Flooring


And at the end of the day, applied some Waterlox to the shelf boards so they can be installed tomorrow.
Wood Composite material Hardwood Table Flooring
 

Attachments

#104 ·
Assembly Day

I knew today was going to be a good day.

Got out to the shop and started assembling the base. Well, back up a bit - had to clean up and organize some, move the desk/bench thingy to the wall and lay out where exactly I wanted the new bench to be placed. Once it is all together, it will not be moveable without a lot of effort.

Ah, on to the base. Laid the tape down where I wanted it to go and set the legs in place.
Cabinetry Table Furniture Drawer Wood


Added the stretchers
Wood Table Wood stain Flooring Hardwood


Right about this time, Dad came by. Perfect timing, an extra set of hands was helpful in bolting the stretchers to the legs.

Then we moved the top into place and carefully lined up the tenons and mortises. Didn't want to go. Jostled it a little and it looked good, but still no luck. Got down to look under the bench, and it seemed about 1/32" off on one end. Gave it a good bump with my hand and it seated. Made a very satisfying "thunk"! Just for good luck, I used a mallet to give it a good whack over each leg. From the sound, you could tell it had seated just fine without the extra persuasion.

Dad wanted to see how the hardware worked so I hooked up the leg and wagon vise hardware.
Table Wood Window Interior design Tap


I get about 4 revolutions with a good twist on the leg vise wheel. Awesome!

An aside - I ended up painting the Bencrafted hardware with a spray bomb. Color is Oil-Rubbed Bronze and I like the look. I'm hoping it will be relatively durable. Here's the spray rack:
Wood Shelving Interior design Hardwood Flooring


Also fitted the dog traveller today:
Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring Plank


And made boards (hard maple) for a shelf underneath. Will be tongue and grove:
Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Had to notch the two end boards to fit around the legs. Got to use the leg vise for the first time!
Automotive tire Wood Flooring Font Gas


With this end, I used the table saw to make as much of the cuts as I could and then finished off with hand saws. For the second, I just used the hand saws. Before now, never had a vise to be able to do this type of work easily. I think the hand saws will be seeing much more action.

Adjusted some of the tongues on the boards for better fit:
Musical instrument Wood Table Rectangle Flooring


And at the end of the day, applied some Waterlox to the shelf boards so they can be installed tomorrow.
Wood Composite material Hardwood Table Flooring
I know you're ready to complete this build, and get back to furniture…

...but this is nicer than any furniture in our home!

Thanks for all the photos and lessons.

Been thinking of painting my BC hardware, too. Same color. :)
 

Attachments

#110 ·
Of Dogs and Deadmen

Installed Shelf Boards

Before I started on the dogs and deaman, I installed the shelf boards. Screwed into the cleats at both ends.
Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Wood stain


Of Dogs

On to the dogs. I followed a diagram I found on the Benchcrafted site (sorry, don't have link), and made the body of the dogs from jatoba. Springs from ash.

Wood Creative arts Font Wooden block Rectangle


The springs were easy - just sliced off the side of a piece of ash. The dogs were a bit more complex shape. Mostly done on the table saw, with one of the cuts on the bandsaw.

I was planning on glueing up a "sheet" of them at a time and then cutting fully-formed dogs. But my ash board was a different width than my jatoba board so it seemed more efficient to glue them up individually. I did make the dogs 6 at a time.

Glued them together. Because the glue joint is on the angled section I glued them up in pairs so they could act as cauls for each other.
Wood Engineering Machine Flooring Gas


And here they are in the bench. Each dog hole has one, with a couple left over.
Table Furniture Wood Cabinetry Rectangle


Sticking up:
Table Wood Floor Wood stain Flooring


They work, but I'm not 100% happy with them. They are not sized properly for the holes, which means there is too much slop when they are being used for clamping. Very easy to make, so I'll crank out another set.

Of Deadmen

I had a chunk of walnut I wanted to use as the deadman. It was from the same board as the chop, should be a good match for color. But when I cut it to length, I found this:
Wood Rectangle Automotive exterior Flooring Wood stain


Rather than find another board, I think my design can work around the crack. If it fails down the road, I guess I'll have to make another one.

After flattening the board, I laid out a line every inch so I can get my hole spacing correct. The shape will be curvy, so better to do this now than after the curves are cut. Note the use of the white lead pencil - the layout lines show up far better than regular lead.

Wood Table Floor Flooring Beige


Then, time to lay out the curves and holes:
Table Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor


I did the rough layout with regular pencil and when I was happy, I put the final lines in white.

Cut it out on the bandsaw
Table Wood Countertop Cabinetry Flooring


This is better
Wood Triangle Floor Wood stain Art


Drilled the holes (layout was on the back, btw) and this is the first look:
Wood Outdoor furniture Wood stain Hardwood Tree


There is a slot on the underside of the top to hold the top of the deadman, so I made and glued in tabs at the top. They need a bevel on the back to allow them to slide in at an angle, and they are lapped onto the deadman.

Wood Flooring Wood stain Handheld power drill Floor


Also cut and fit the guide to sit on the bottom runner. It is biased to push the bottom of the deadman out about 1/32" from the runner - so the deadman won't rub against the stretcher.
Wood Table Floor Flooring Outdoor furniture


The guide is glued on, and at this point the deadman is functional. I still need to fair the curvy bits and round over the edges. And apply some finish.
 

Attachments

#111 ·
Of Dogs and Deadmen

Installed Shelf Boards

Before I started on the dogs and deaman, I installed the shelf boards. Screwed into the cleats at both ends.
Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Wood stain


Of Dogs

On to the dogs. I followed a diagram I found on the Benchcrafted site (sorry, don't have link), and made the body of the dogs from jatoba. Springs from ash.

Wood Creative arts Font Wooden block Rectangle


The springs were easy - just sliced off the side of a piece of ash. The dogs were a bit more complex shape. Mostly done on the table saw, with one of the cuts on the bandsaw.

I was planning on glueing up a "sheet" of them at a time and then cutting fully-formed dogs. But my ash board was a different width than my jatoba board so it seemed more efficient to glue them up individually. I did make the dogs 6 at a time.

Glued them together. Because the glue joint is on the angled section I glued them up in pairs so they could act as cauls for each other.
Wood Engineering Machine Flooring Gas


And here they are in the bench. Each dog hole has one, with a couple left over.
Table Furniture Wood Cabinetry Rectangle


Sticking up:
Table Wood Floor Wood stain Flooring


They work, but I'm not 100% happy with them. They are not sized properly for the holes, which means there is too much slop when they are being used for clamping. Very easy to make, so I'll crank out another set.

Of Deadmen

I had a chunk of walnut I wanted to use as the deadman. It was from the same board as the chop, should be a good match for color. But when I cut it to length, I found this:
Wood Rectangle Automotive exterior Flooring Wood stain


Rather than find another board, I think my design can work around the crack. If it fails down the road, I guess I'll have to make another one.

After flattening the board, I laid out a line every inch so I can get my hole spacing correct. The shape will be curvy, so better to do this now than after the curves are cut. Note the use of the white lead pencil - the layout lines show up far better than regular lead.

Wood Table Floor Flooring Beige


Then, time to lay out the curves and holes:
Table Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor


I did the rough layout with regular pencil and when I was happy, I put the final lines in white.

Cut it out on the bandsaw
Table Wood Countertop Cabinetry Flooring


This is better
Wood Triangle Floor Wood stain Art


Drilled the holes (layout was on the back, btw) and this is the first look:
Wood Outdoor furniture Wood stain Hardwood Tree


There is a slot on the underside of the top to hold the top of the deadman, so I made and glued in tabs at the top. They need a bevel on the back to allow them to slide in at an angle, and they are lapped onto the deadman.

Wood Flooring Wood stain Handheld power drill Floor


Also cut and fit the guide to sit on the bottom runner. It is biased to push the bottom of the deadman out about 1/32" from the runner - so the deadman won't rub against the stretcher.
Wood Table Floor Flooring Outdoor furniture


The guide is glued on, and at this point the deadman is functional. I still need to fair the curvy bits and round over the edges. And apply some finish.
I did a similar blog once, but your blog and project FAR AND AWAY blow mine out of the water. Super cool design and great entry.
 

Attachments

#117 ·
Shaping the chop

Had about 3 hours in the shop Saturday to shape the chop. The basic shaping is done, just need to fair out a couple sections, sand and finish.

Started out by drawing some curves.
Wood Grey Floor Flooring Wood stain


It may not be obvious, but there are two curves on each side. You'll see why shortly….

I laid out the inner curve on a piece of scrap MDF, which I'll be using as a template.
Wood Naval architecture Floor Rectangle Triangle


Cut that out on the bandsaw
Wood Rectangle Gas Composite material Flooring


Try to do this in one smooth motion.

Once it was cut out, I sand the bandsaw marks out and fair the curve. There were three places where the bandsaw kerf was a bit deeper - the spots where I paused in the cut to adjust my position. So I mixed up some glazing putty to fill the indentation:
Wood Dishware Wood stain Hardwood Rectangle


That's way more than I will need - and way more hardener than necessary for the blob of putty.

Mix it up and apply it. Quickly. Once it is mixed, you have about 3 or 4 minutes to work it.
Road surface Wood Asphalt Flooring Composite material


It is sandable after 10 minutes, but while it is curing, I bandsaw the outer curves of the chop. Check to see what it looks like at this point:
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Natural material Gas


After sanding down the filler, I clamp the template to my marks on the chop and route out the relief detail using a pattern bit. Set the depth appropriately - more on this topic later.

Saw Table Pneumatic tool Wood Handheld power drill


Route one side to the curve:
Wood Automotive exterior Gas Bumper Composite material


Flip the template, do the other side, and check the look:
Cabinetry Wood Door Drawer Wood stain


Next, lay out the round over on the top. I just do this by hand, but you could use something like the lid of a jar for a template.
Wood Rectangle Shade Fixture Building material


I need to cut this out on the bandsaw, but because the chop is no longer square I need to tape the offcut back on to level it out.
Wood Outdoor furniture Gas Table Hardwood


And cut the curve
Wood Rectangle Hardwood Flooring Gas


Next, some hand work. Fairing and smoothing the top curve with rasps goes very quickly. You could sand, I suppose, but this is way more satisfying.

Table Furniture Tire Wood Wheel


Do the same to the side curves, but start with the spokeshave
Table Wood Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Back to setting the depth of the pattern bit. I planned on adding a 1/8" roundover on the inner curve, and the step wasn't deep enough for the roundover bit. So I had to deepen the step. It is almost impossible to match up the template with the curve, so you have two options. The first would be to set the template to take slightly more from the curve - basically establish a new curve. Easy enough, but there is another option. I have an undercutting slotting bit to which I've fit a bearing equivalent to the outer diameter of the bit. This effectively makes it a very short pattern bit. That's the option I choose, and I deepen the step far enough so my roundover bit fits.

I add a 1/8" roundover to the inner curve, a 1/4" roundover to the outer curve and a 1/16" roundover everywhere else just to protect edges.

Checking the look:
Cabinetry Wood Door Wood stain Hardwood


And I had to leave. Not bad for 3 hours of work.

Most of the work on the chop is done. I just need to fair out a couple areas, including where the curves blend together at the top. Then sand and apply finish.
 

Attachments

#118 ·
Shaping the chop

Had about 3 hours in the shop Saturday to shape the chop. The basic shaping is done, just need to fair out a couple sections, sand and finish.

Started out by drawing some curves.
Wood Grey Floor Flooring Wood stain


It may not be obvious, but there are two curves on each side. You'll see why shortly….

I laid out the inner curve on a piece of scrap MDF, which I'll be using as a template.
Wood Naval architecture Floor Rectangle Triangle


Cut that out on the bandsaw
Wood Rectangle Gas Composite material Flooring


Try to do this in one smooth motion.

Once it was cut out, I sand the bandsaw marks out and fair the curve. There were three places where the bandsaw kerf was a bit deeper - the spots where I paused in the cut to adjust my position. So I mixed up some glazing putty to fill the indentation:
Wood Dishware Wood stain Hardwood Rectangle


That's way more than I will need - and way more hardener than necessary for the blob of putty.

Mix it up and apply it. Quickly. Once it is mixed, you have about 3 or 4 minutes to work it.
Road surface Wood Asphalt Flooring Composite material


It is sandable after 10 minutes, but while it is curing, I bandsaw the outer curves of the chop. Check to see what it looks like at this point:
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Natural material Gas


After sanding down the filler, I clamp the template to my marks on the chop and route out the relief detail using a pattern bit. Set the depth appropriately - more on this topic later.

Saw Table Pneumatic tool Wood Handheld power drill


Route one side to the curve:
Wood Automotive exterior Gas Bumper Composite material


Flip the template, do the other side, and check the look:
Cabinetry Wood Door Drawer Wood stain


Next, lay out the round over on the top. I just do this by hand, but you could use something like the lid of a jar for a template.
Wood Rectangle Shade Fixture Building material


I need to cut this out on the bandsaw, but because the chop is no longer square I need to tape the offcut back on to level it out.
Wood Outdoor furniture Gas Table Hardwood


And cut the curve
Wood Rectangle Hardwood Flooring Gas


Next, some hand work. Fairing and smoothing the top curve with rasps goes very quickly. You could sand, I suppose, but this is way more satisfying.

Table Furniture Tire Wood Wheel


Do the same to the side curves, but start with the spokeshave
Table Wood Hardwood Wood stain Plank


Back to setting the depth of the pattern bit. I planned on adding a 1/8" roundover on the inner curve, and the step wasn't deep enough for the roundover bit. So I had to deepen the step. It is almost impossible to match up the template with the curve, so you have two options. The first would be to set the template to take slightly more from the curve - basically establish a new curve. Easy enough, but there is another option. I have an undercutting slotting bit to which I've fit a bearing equivalent to the outer diameter of the bit. This effectively makes it a very short pattern bit. That's the option I choose, and I deepen the step far enough so my roundover bit fits.

I add a 1/8" roundover to the inner curve, a 1/4" roundover to the outer curve and a 1/16" roundover everywhere else just to protect edges.

Checking the look:
Cabinetry Wood Door Wood stain Hardwood


And I had to leave. Not bad for 3 hours of work.

Most of the work on the chop is done. I just need to fair out a couple areas, including where the curves blend together at the top. Then sand and apply finish.
Gray looking chop Mark. Haven't seen one quite like that, unique!
 

Attachments

#122 ·
Wrapping it up

(Edit: I've posted this as a project, too. Here.)

This will be the final blog post of my bench build.

There wasn't much left to do. I finished the shaping of the chop and deadman, which mostly involved adding roundovers, fairing curves and sanding. Then I applied a coat of Waterlox:
Wood Art Wood stain Hardwood Room


To assist with grip, it helps to add a facing of leather to the inside of the chop. Fortunately, part of the Benchcrafted package.
Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor


Sized almost perfectly. Roughed up the chop face and applied the leather with a bit of contact cement later.

Cut the chop pin for the Crisscross to length. Enough to recess it about 1/16" on each side.
Bumper Automotive tire Wood Automotive exterior Gas


Put the deadman in place
Wood Wood stain Floor Hardwood Flooring


And the chop
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Varnish Gas


Here they are together. Already accessorizing…
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas Plank


Here's closeups of how I blended the curves at the top of the chop. Was done with a rasp. Awesome tool!
Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Plank


Brown Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring


And then levelled the front board and endcaps to the rest of the slab.
Wood Hardwood Table Event Machine


At this point, I'm calling it done. The top needs to be flattened at some point, but it is close enough to flat that I can defer that task to get to some more pressing projects.

And some overall pics of the bench:
Table Window Wood Floor Desk

Sewing machine Window Wood Textile Table

Wood Hardwood Creative arts Rectangle Wood stain


And, of course, the Bondo pose:
Jeans Wood Table Comfort Outdoor bench


The overall dimensions ended up being 33 1/2" high, 99" wide (long?) and 25" deep. The slab is 3 15/16" thick and the legs are 5 11/16" square.

I uploaded my SketchUp model to the warehouse - here's the link

Most of us will only build one bench like this in a lifetime (that's my plan, at least) and I know that I'd do some things differently. While I haven't yet used the bench much, I don't know if I'd end up with a significantly different result, though. I think I've covered off all the basic requirements and it is something I can't ever see outgrowing.

It has been an interesting process, documenting my bench build step-by-step. Sometime I think I've been a bit too wordy or have too many pics, while at the same time thinking I'm not showing the right details. Thanks to all who have read parts of this. And my apologies to all who have suffered through the entire thing.
 

Attachments

#123 ·
Wrapping it up

(Edit: I've posted this as a project, too. Here.)

This will be the final blog post of my bench build.

There wasn't much left to do. I finished the shaping of the chop and deadman, which mostly involved adding roundovers, fairing curves and sanding. Then I applied a coat of Waterlox:
Wood Art Wood stain Hardwood Room


To assist with grip, it helps to add a facing of leather to the inside of the chop. Fortunately, part of the Benchcrafted package.
Brown Rectangle Wood Flooring Floor


Sized almost perfectly. Roughed up the chop face and applied the leather with a bit of contact cement later.

Cut the chop pin for the Crisscross to length. Enough to recess it about 1/16" on each side.
Bumper Automotive tire Wood Automotive exterior Gas


Put the deadman in place
Wood Wood stain Floor Hardwood Flooring


And the chop
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Varnish Gas


Here they are together. Already accessorizing…
Wood Wood stain Hardwood Gas Plank


Here's closeups of how I blended the curves at the top of the chop. Was done with a rasp. Awesome tool!
Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Plank


Brown Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring


And then levelled the front board and endcaps to the rest of the slab.
Wood Hardwood Table Event Machine


At this point, I'm calling it done. The top needs to be flattened at some point, but it is close enough to flat that I can defer that task to get to some more pressing projects.

And some overall pics of the bench:
Table Window Wood Floor Desk

Sewing machine Window Wood Textile Table

Wood Hardwood Creative arts Rectangle Wood stain


And, of course, the Bondo pose:
Jeans Wood Table Comfort Outdoor bench


The overall dimensions ended up being 33 1/2" high, 99" wide (long?) and 25" deep. The slab is 3 15/16" thick and the legs are 5 11/16" square.

I uploaded my SketchUp model to the warehouse - here's the link

Most of us will only build one bench like this in a lifetime (that's my plan, at least) and I know that I'd do some things differently. While I haven't yet used the bench much, I don't know if I'd end up with a significantly different result, though. I think I've covered off all the basic requirements and it is something I can't ever see outgrowing.

It has been an interesting process, documenting my bench build step-by-step. Sometime I think I've been a bit too wordy or have too many pics, while at the same time thinking I'm not showing the right details. Thanks to all who have read parts of this. And my apologies to all who have suffered through the entire thing.
Awesome! It was fun watching this build and you did an incredible job. Thanks for posting.
 

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