The workbench two
I complete the turning of the legs for the workbench and compare minor differences that occurred while turning. While the differences are not obvious to the casual observer and don’t affect the overall project I can’t help but to critique my work. This critiquing is an important step in my learning process. Being self taught for the most part, many times in the past the first step in a project was to just do it, then analyzing what went wrong or right. Having chosen to do this line of work as a profession you can understand how developing efficient, methodical work routines directly affect the bottom line, my paycheck. One problem I have struggled with in my career is not being able to cut corners I just can’t seem to sacrifice quality. My solution is to not even try to cut a corner anymore (because I know I will just end up redoing or agonize over some stupid detail) and to develop efficient work methods. The efficiency allows me to spend the extra time required to do quality work and yet be competitive regarding cost. I think that developing this skill is as important as any skill you may learn from woodworking.

In the second half of the video I start mortising the table legs, and right from the get go I have to improvise. I had planned on using my chisel mortising machine, but the legs are so big they exceed the capacity of the machine, so I used my drill press. In retrospect this was a very efficient method and probably a much more common way of hogging out the wood for viewers of this video.

At the very end is a short segment of sharpening a chisel with an oil stone, this is my preferred way to sharpen my chisels and plane irons and I offer showing it only to continue the controversy in the woodworking world as to which method of sharpening is best.

Coming soon, Third in a series.
Deals with refining the mortise for that snug fit, developing a cutting list from available materials, preparing materials and finally cutting the tenons.

Chips and shavings

Well it was just about a year ago that I started on this project, eventually I entered it in the Winter lumberjocks contest, some may remember it,it even got a few votes. While I was constructing the workbench I was shooting video and have about nine hours of video. This is the first of a series of nine.
I also have a website That I will be posting future episodes to, as well as here at lumberjocks. Prior to starting the bench I checked out the www. to see what kind of videos were available regarding building a heavy-duty heirloom quality woodworker’s bench and there were few, maybe none. There were plans but no actual video of actually building a bench.

I am getting to a question here so please bear with me.

My BIL who is a web master and helped build my site tells me a video needs to be short maybe ten minutes max., because peoples attention spans are short and anything after that people will just tune out. And I can’t really disagree with with him, but, I disagree with him on this point.

If you are going to use the web for entertainment or socially then short is good, but if you are using the web as a tool and you want to find out how to do something then short is not so good. And that is the niche’ that I would like to fill. I know lot’s of thing about working wood, somethings learned at great expense, other things just from doing.

So, here is the question “Do you think this kind of format will work or should I edit the videos?”
Anyways enjoy!

The workbench
1 thru 9

These videos (one thru nine) detail the building of a heavy duty woodworking bench. The bench is often considered a watermark in a woodworker’s career, testing skills to blend form and function. All is revealed, along with my thoughts on the hows and whys I did what I did.

The captured video is in raw form, without editing, in real time. My hope is that you may see me do something while constructing the bench that might help you build yours, but might have been edited out as being unimportant. The video is not meant to be strictly instructional but more of a visit to a friend or mentor’s shop. While I make no claims of being a master woodworker, I do have 25plus years of experience being a carpenter and cabinet maker and would like to share what I have learned. The learning never ends and I am always seeking a better way to do things, join me on my journey.

ONE
That was the case with this workbench, using salvaged materials from a remodeling project is the starting point. I discuss preparing the used materials for the project and finish with using a lathe to turn some massive, yet elegant legs.

There are no drawings for the bench, I have an idea in my mind of what I want to build, and the available materials will ultimately dictate what is produced. I sometimes like to build something with materials that I have, as opposed to buying what is needed. This is fun for me, the challenge, is bringing into balance what I want to build with what I can build. Many times this kind of project causes me to be creative, pushing the boundaries and causing a great deal of thinking, which is a good thing. And if I can clean up a pile of material and build something, so much the better.

Two

Coming soon to www.underconstructionlive.com

Here is a link to the site http://svtplay.se/v/1371071/oppet_arkiv/vagnmakeri_pa_soder__utan_ljud__1932?cb,a1364145,1,f,103007/pb,a1364142,1,f,103007/pl,v,,1371069/sb,k103004,1,f,103007

enjoy

She loved the table but it just would not fit in the room and there was nowhere else to put it(the house was already packed, down sized from a bigger house).

She asked ” Could you cut it down somehow”?

” Some how” I said?

“You know to make it smaller”.

“Maybe” I said.

I explained I could not make any Guarantees, but that I would try if she understood she may just end up with a box full of scrap. She said she did. I said that ’s great and I asked her for a check to cover expenses while exploring whether it was possible. I have in the past modified kitchen cabinets and reworked furniture, but this was bordering on the brink of being cheaper just to build what she wanted. I had a good idea what was involved.
After I had the check and I think the reality of the Project was sinking in she asked what I thought the cost might be, If possible . I said somewhere around $2500.00-$3000.00. She thought a minute and said “O.K.”

There were several factors that made the cabinet modification possible and that importance cannot be overlooked or their importance underestimated.

The cabinet was very well made, it disassembled into its main components,(the top, drawer carcase, and base) and probably most important the finish.

The cabinet was very well made, square and accurately assembled, using good joinery techniques and quality materials. I was able to disassemble the cabinet into its components that could be worked on without falling apart or moving out of square and parallel. The most important factor, in my opinion, was the finish. The distressed finish allowed me to conceal all the modifications inconspicuously. Unfortunately this is my weakest area of expertise.

The hardest part of the project turned out to be the reworking of the drawers. The most stressful for me was matching the finish.

In retrospect, at first I thought this was just crazy to even consider doing this because the table was brand spanking new and expensive. But, essentially, the client for twice the cost of the original table got three times the product and to her that made sense and the project feasible.

So pull up a chair and a cup of coffee, or favorite adult beverage and enjoy. Don’t miss the crackle glaze craze as you sit and watch paint dry.

The problems as I saw them was how to get the step stabilized when in use and how to make the steps easy to use. I believe the actuators solved those problems nicely.

Anybody wanting to incorporate linear actuators into a project just give me a shout and I would be happy to talk with you and tell all.