Bowling Alley Workbench #12: All is not lost... or is it? HELP!!!!!!!

I know this mightto sound like a bad idea besides just living with the small variation.

Let everything be determined by the dog hole strip. Think of it as the starting point. Plane/cut some off the dog hole strip side to make that side of the bench parallel with it. And, if you want to plane the other side to also make it parallel. The joint lines of your top won’t be perfectly parallel with the edges but that might not show unless you were looking for it. Of course at that point your bench might not be perfectly square but the ends definitely wouldn’t show it.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

Purp, I really wouldn’t worry about it but I know (as a woodworker)that you want perfection.
If you want to fill the gap I have an idea how you could cut the angle accurately.
Make a jig that will hold your filler pc up 3/16 higher at the one end and then run it through the planer until you take off the 3/16. Then use the table saw, put the square side against the fence and cut the angled side off the fall off side of the blade.
( Be sure to use all the proper safety ) :)

This to me is one of the downside of the schwarzian method. I prefer to build my entire top, entire base, then mate them cleanly. Less chance of this kind of error, imo.

Thanks guys, the more I think about it the less I’m worried about it, measuring the angle offset gives me 0.1 degree , which when planing boards, I probably won’t notice… lol. the dog hole strip although not parallel to the front of the bench IS inline with the vise jaw… so there is no problem there… more esthetics I guess, and once I fill this up, its not even something that will be visible. – hell , even now it’s not visible, which is why I haven’t noticed it to this point.

I guess I had to put it out in the open to clear my mind of it, and get a better chance to rethink this over.

Danial – thanks, but the top is already mortised to the legs, and end cap already installed – changing the angle on the dog hole is practically impossible unless I cut it completely off. but that option did cross my mind…. uuggghhh…

bentlyj – I thought about that too, but setting up the piece to hold the strip of 80” might be tricky unless I construct some sort of 80”+ sled for the planer for this, which I don’t wish to do at the moment, I think I’m going to square out the front of the top, and use a square filler strip.

Jon – what is the shwarzian method? I thought Chris’s method is to build the top from scratch, like you did yours?

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Jon3.. I couldn’t help but wiki he schwarzian method.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzian_derivative

Purplev…. you should read this page to help you avoid this problem again.

;-)

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

shwarzian method?... hmmm better google that one, oh yes here it is.

Rational solutions for Schwarzian integrable hierarchies

Rational solutions? In woodworking?... somehow I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore…

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

damn beaten to the punch by 4 minutes…lol

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

although i do like my text link better (if i say so myself)...lol

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

gotcha – thanks for the links guys.

to be honest – and I think I mentioned it before. if I had the choice ($$$ as well) I would opt to build the top from scratch myself as well, but sometimes we do what we do with what we’ve got – thats what makes us different than a manufacturing machine – we’re able to reshape, and reform things creatively. that… and Jon3 post a while back suggesting to post “errors” and “problems” and how we deal with them – is where this post comes from.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

You’re right jlsmith. Your webpage has a better explanation. It’s much clearer. But, it just may be that you’re not following the math as well as I.

2+2=5 but only for very large values of 2.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

So true Purp….

The sign of a true craftsman: he has the skills to hide his mistakes.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

Mistakes? Mistakes? There are NO mistakes in woodworking!!!!

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

putting on my monk’s robe

To attempt perfection is an insult to God. (or something like that)

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

True – jlsmith, it is said that persians make mistakes on purpose when they make rugs, since people used to claim that they rugs are perfect, and the persians believe that only god can be perfect…

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Sharon,

Since you are using round dogs I would not be too concerned, if you were using square dogs though you might have to make some minor changes to thier faces.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

sIKE, although not as severe as square dogs -but even round holes when misaligned with the jaw create shear force on the part being clamped – and might twist the part out of the dogs if enough force is applied (by planing, or pounding a chisel in). but as I stated in a comment, in an afterthought – the dog hole strip and the vise jaw Are inline – just not parallel to the back/front of the table… and the angle is small enough that even that shouldn’t be a major issue.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

seriously, is it just me, maybe we should be trying to count how many angels can fit on a head of a pin…
all together now, everyone, big breath in, unclench those cheek muscles and exhale (just a suggestion)

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

3/16 over that length shouldn’t be an issue. Most important is the bench is flat. FYI the persian rug story was actualy just a sales pitch invented by turkish carpet dealers in the 19th century, made the rug sound more handmade and exotic, even tho it was made on a machine in a factory. A bit like Roycroft!

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

aww man, Kiwi… you ruined persian carpets for me now… LOL

Thanks for the confirmation though. as it is- I had already jointed the edge of the table top parallel to the front of the legs with a router – I’ll take some picture and post it in the next blog installment. now I have a nice and square gap of 3/8” that I can fill with a simple and square strip of wood.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Thank you for this project may you enjoy many many years of good work with the bench

-- "Not skilled enough to wipe jam on toast!"

a kiwi debunking a Persian legend?... hmmm… Rug or no rug won’t change the notion of attempting to be perfect now will it.

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

Sharon,

I was working off of your 0.1 degree offset. I am preaty sure that ike most things in wood working, trying to get to machinest levels of perfection is often both fruitless and maddening. Looking forward to your next blog posting.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"