Hello Everybody,
Kamusta ka Gary? Sabi ko na nga ba at may bumubulong sa iyo kung ano isusulat mo dyan. hehehe. Just the same, nagagalak ako at kahit papaano ay naipapakita mo at naipaparamdam ang pagmamalasakit mo sa mga kapwa mo LJ. Try to translate that for me without any help ;-) Just the same, I appreciate it very much. Salamat.
As for the others, I am still counting on you. A blog is supposed to be participatory. This will be a lot more informative and educational if you all can share your experiences.
The box joints for the top were probably the toughest I’ve encountered in my otherwise short woodworking bio. Never really knew if I can until I tried…
After dry fitting all the joints, glued it all up. I really don’t know if the dowel on the joints is necessary. Did it anyway. What’s your call? BTW, those bamboo chopsticks have yet to fail me and they are cheap. Perfect size (1/4”) for the kind of application I use them on, carcass construction.
I want the aprons to sit flush with the legs on both sides but I forgot to take measurements of the final width of the legs before glue up above. So I made two full notches on one side and partial notches on the other side and I also trimmed the mating part on the leg uprights….
At this stage, this is how it looked like with the top mounted on the legs…
I then laid out the lines for the dado to accept the crossmembers, routed it and squared it up with a chisel…
The crossmembers installed. I also added the feet at this stage. I used the cut-offs from the 2 X 3 crossmembers. Routed a stopped groove following the thickness of the legs. Put some glue and slipped it on…
I also drilled holes through the crossmembers (the top’s and the leg’s). 3 bolts sized 5/16” secured each leg to the top. It aint wracking no more.
It is not finished yet but already serving its purpose. This is the reason why I constructed my bench with its top plush with the legs. It is very easy to work on an edge of a large workpiece clamped to a bench like in the picture below. Here, I am trimming the edges of the plywood top to fit the rabbets…
The first layer of the plywood top glued and doweled..
I never really intended to dowel and glue the top layer but the contact cement I used to attach the second layer to the first layer failed when I applied stain on it. The plywood ends curled up. At this point, I was too lazy to take out the top layer and redo it besides there might be areas that the contact cement had not failed yet. Taking it out might damage one or more plies of the plywood. The wood filler made the top look bad. It made the gap more noticeable.
I then drilled a hole for a 3/4” pipe vise. That’s a US$2.00 forstner bit on my drill.
The pipe vise on. I will probably drill another hole on one end. Sort of an end vise. I don’t know about dog holes though. I still do not have a need for it. Time will tell….
It is already stained and varnished. Still have not taken a picture though.
I hope you enjoyed the ride…. like I did!
-- "Real jocks do it on a bench"
7 comments so far
Scott Bryan
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8584 posts in 273 days
posted 112 days ago
This came together pretty nicely. I hope you had some help moving the bench inside as it looks solid.
I would like to see the final pictures and let me say that this has been an enjoyable posting.
Well done.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
GaryK
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8411 posts in 440 days
posted 112 days ago
No more Tagalog from me. It’s our secret. :-)
Very nice job. I don’t think that the dowels are necessary, but they sure won’t hurt!
Great job so far.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
manilaboy
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63 posts in 387 days
posted 111 days ago
Thanks Scott. I enjoyed it as much as the real work and sharing it with all you Jocks. I hope to have provided amusement if not inspiration to all the newbies. ;-)
It is our secret then, Gary. I really appreciate the interest and genuine regard for the success of my journey and all the beginners at Lumberjocks. With you and all the other masters in here, I see no reason why we can’t succeed. Salamat!
-- "Real jocks do it on a bench"
jcees
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453 posts in 251 days
posted 109 days ago
Can’t wait to see it stained and finished. Bet it’s pretty.
always,
J.C.
-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein
Miket
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179 posts in 223 days
posted 56 days ago
So how is your workbench working out for you?
-- It's better to have people think you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
manilaboy
home | projects | blog
63 posts in 387 days
posted 54 days ago
Hi Mike,
It is everything I had hoped it would be and then more.
Foremost of which is the confidence it gave me to take on larger and more complex projects. My workbench is not perfect, very far from it. But the experience I gained in its design/construction provided me with invaluable insights on how to go about the work at hand. I have to match my skill and my limited access to tools and materials to the design I had in mind. The design is really that. It is all in my mind. No formal plan.
Secondly, I now have a workbench. With a pipe clamp on it, I can hold any project with authority. With a few more holes on the aprons and another pipe clamp on, I can virtually hold a project any which way I can imagine. I now have a place to put my pencil on. Just like any other ‘jock, I too lose my pencil at the most inopportune time ;-) I now have a place to put down my hand tools on where it is safe and within easy reach. However, I still do not do heavy chisel work on it. I do not want to mar the surface. After all, it is the first flat surface I have worked on.
Thirdly, a flat surface is a good surface to take a nap on. Hehehe
I love my router but my bench is quickly gaining favor as my favorite tool in my shop.
-- "Real jocks do it on a bench"
jeanmarc
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1693 posts in 168 days
posted 42 days ago
Very nice job.
-- jeanmarc manosque france