849 days ago
by TheGravedigger |
11 comments »
Well, it’s finally done. The workbench base is done and has been mated to the top.
I gave the finished base three coats of finish. The first was equal parts turpentine, BLO, & spar urethane. The next two were just BLO & spar urethane 50:50. All were applied with a rag & then rubbed dry like all finishes of this type. This gave me a good seal for the wood, and gloss wasn’t really a consideration. Yes, I know lots of folk will go for a proper finish, but I’...
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111 days ago
by mreagleeyes |
18 comments »
I am working on yet another piece and thought I’d share me project so far with you guys.
The Magnolia ‘Salicifolia’ tree had stood in the grounds of the Inner Temple on London’s Thames for over 80 years but due to a fungus it had to come down.
My original plan was to use the timber as a practice piece that I could use my new Arbortech grinder on, however whilst the guys where cutting the tree down the girl in charge of the gardens asked what I would do with the t...
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284 days ago
by Loogie |
10 comments »
Ok, All the parts have been trimmed and fit so it’s time to put the base together for the the first time. It will have to come apart multiple times after this for some finishing touches.
I can attest that I am unable to rack this base AT ALL – even though the top rails aren’t secure with their lag bolts yet. That sure will be nice. My old bench would shake and jiggle when I was planing on it. Next I will be drilling the holes in the two rails on this side of the bench...
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188 days ago
by Gary Fixler |
5 comments »
Up early, I got a little done this morning before work. I tested 2 stains from my small stock pile on some scrap poplar, the same stuff I used in this rolling base.
That’s Minwax “Golden Pecan 245” on the left, and “Red Oak 215” on the right. The pecan is less saturated than the online sample. The red oak is much less red, and much more like chocolate, but I like how it makes the poplar sort of look like a hardwood. I’m tentatively going to use that ...
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448 days ago
by PurpLev |
12 comments »
So I’ve been planning on getting a bandsaw for a long time, but at first I didn’t have the space for it – then I figured, maybe I can squeeze a 12” version in the tight space that I did have – but that would mean I will not be able to resaw – which is one of the main reasons I wanted to get a bandsaw, so eventually I just had to put this wish on the back-burner…
I had recently moved to a larger place, with a larger garage that is currently dedicate...
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908 days ago
by TheGravedigger |
9 comments »
As requested, here is my basic plan for the workbench base. This was my first (semi) successful drawing with Google SketchUp, so please pardon the crudeness. I plan on starting on this phase in the next week or two (after payday).
The wood will be southern yellow pine dimension lumber. With the exception of the 2x6 lower stretchers, the rest will be 2x4's. The upper stretchers will be single thickness, the outside legs and feet will be glue-lams of 2 studs, and the center legs and ...
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922 days ago
by mot |
8 comments »
Yeehaw! I anticipated this step all day. I had originally planned to use Dowelmax to join these pieces because I was more comfy with the jig and this has to align perfect. I then though, phooey! I’ll use Domino and give it a good test drive.
The first picture shows the Festool Domino fitted with the Trim stop. This fitting allows you to “center or off-set the Domino joiner on narrow work pieces for perfect positioning.”
HA! If anyone can screw this up, I can! I d...
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55 days ago
by ChunkyC |
0 comments »
Right hand sideLeft hand sideThe underside
I not certain that this qualifies for a “project” but it’s been raining here for the last two days (on vacation not withstanding!) so I had to do something.
The base started from a 12×12 blank of 1/8” hardboard and trimmed down to final size of 12×11-1/16. I made the base a lot wider on the left hand side so that I can use the saw with my good hand (left hand). The way is was before, the motor would hit the c...
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133 days ago
by PurpLev |
13 comments »
After last week’s ongoing progress, it felt a bit slow this week (which it is), but I did have some things I wanted to share, and also was able to finish the base with 3 coats of BLO which is what I’m going to keep on it for conditioning the wood, and protecting it from moisture.
Mistake #1: Drawboring to the wrong side (cringe) 2 legs on each side of the base are connected together using 2 short rails. The top one is using a sliding dovetail, while the lower one uses M&T. ...
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185 days ago
by Gary Fixler |
8 comments »
I didn’t like how the “Ebony 2718” Minwax stain looked in the last entry in this series, so I grabbed a can of flat black paint from a recently completed project for my friends’ wedding, and after a 24-hour drying period, painted right over the stain.
I went out to the shop several times yesterday to sand @ 220-grit, and apply another layer of Minwax’s water-based polyurethane. Water-based simply because I had it, and I also don’t love finishing ...
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