Building The Holtzapffel Workbench #14: Final Vise Assembly

Mike,

Terrific! There is a lot to learn, just from this final vise assembly. Thanks!

-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com

Wow, now that more than a posting…great deep in skill and display…many thanks…Blkcherry

that is a nice vice. i liked the little side detail that you did on the edge to. thanks for the post.

That is a fantastic job! Well done!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Wow! That’s awesome! A real piece of work (in a good way ;) ) Your jointer looks like a little baby plane when viewed with that chop!

The roundovers came out great!

That was an interesting idea to add the coved shims. How did you decide that that was necessary? Did Chris Schwarz use flat shims on his?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Schweeeeet! Great job, Mike. Makes me wanna pick up the pace on my own bench. Hey, what are the garters made from? Did the screwmaker supply them or did you have to fabricate them?

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

Mike,

Great job on the bench and vices. Ingenious ides on the support for the bench screws! That really looks to be a very functional bench design.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

Man, you do nice work. Thanks for the inspiration. I love a bench blog.

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Thanks everyone, you are all very kind.

Dorje – I even had to add shims to the twin-screw Veritas vise I had. I think the guy I bought the screws also recommended it. The screws are pretty long and there is some needed “slop” built in. This requires some kind of support to help them operate smoothly.

J.C. – the garters came with the screws. They look like large steel washers. I may try to dress them up a bit, but I haven’t figured out what I want to do with them yet.

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/

I am in awe, what a great bench and great craftsmanship. The detail of the blog is incredible, well done all around…I wanna be as skilled as you when I grow up :-)

-- ....next big purchase is wood for the next project, Mark

Mike, you could drop by your nearest outdoor sporting goods store or gunshop and pick up a bottle of Birchwood-Casey Blueing or Plum Brown solution. Follow the directions and either one will color the steel garters and impart a bit of rust preventative as well.

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

Thanks J.C., Blueing or Plum Brown sounds like a great idea. I hadn’t heard of Plum Brown before, I might have to try this out on a couple test pieces.

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/

Very nice Mike, the bench looks great. Hope I finish mine one of these days!

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

That looks nice Mike.

I hadn’t thought about the wooden screws sagging. I suppose it doesn’t matter as long as you can get the work piece in there and tighten down the screws.

It’s been a few months since I read Schwarz’s book – does he address that in his plan? How far out can you unscrew your vise before it starts to sag noticeably?

-- johnjoiner

I had the same issue with my twin-screw Veritas vise, it’s not just the wooden screws. Most metal vises have support rods built in, to help with sag.

I don’t think it was in the book, but in an article Chris wrote about the Holtzapffel Workbench. If you bought the book from Chris, he was given out a CD with it that had the article on it. I’d have to look around, but I think the article is available on-line. You start to feel it pretty quick. It still works, but if lift up on the chop just a little, they turn much easier.

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/

Excellent blog Mike.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

I am in the process of building a version of the Chris Schwartz “Roubo” bench. The base is nearly done using doug fir from the blue store. Still deciding, and shopping, for the material for the top. I also wish SYP was available where I live. My comments on your project (which I only saw for the first time yesterday – causing me to join this forum): You found much better looking stock than I did, and you do a much nicer job of working it than I do! Beautiful job all the way around.

Thanks Skydog and welcome to the best woodworking site on the Internet.

When it comes to working with “construction” grade Doug Fir, like I did, it’s best to get the widest boards you can find. Most of mine were 2×12. These generally have fewer knots and you have a little more more room to cut around the knots. I also planned my cuts so that knots would be on one edge of the board. I the put the knots on the underside of top. The underside of my the bench looks pretty bad when it comes to knots. I have good 1” or more of knot free wood, on the top, which will allow me to resurface the top over time.

For those of you waiting for my final installment, it should be coming soon. I’ve been a little busy over the last few weekends. My company shuts down for the entire week before July 4 :). So most of that time will be spent in the shop!! I can’t wait for this week to end!

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/

Hey Mike—

Plum brown is what we/they often finish period muzzleloaders (flintlocks, etc.) with. Jcees has a great suggestion there.

I’m absorbing your blog with anticipation of the day that I get to start my bench. Very cool, and a first-rate blog!

-- There's no tool like an old tool...

I haven’t gotten the Plumb Brown yet, but I want to give it a try. I’m trying to find time finish the face vise. I’m still having some issues getting to move smoothly, but I think I have figured out a solution. I hope to have some time this weekend to finish it up. I have a couple projects that are waiting for me to finish this bench!

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/