| Project by booyeah | posted 850 days ago | 1077 views | 2 times favorited | 12 comments |  |
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A coworker asked I help him build a workbench for his garage. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity to get more time in the shop. It’s especially fun when it’s somebody else’s project and materials and they are learning alongside you.
The workbench is very simplistic and from a plan in ShopNotes. As the description eludes, it is built with three 10” planks for the worktop surface. What is interesting is the use of mortise and tenon joints in a non-traditional buil up method. Instead of drilling the through mortises with a dedicated mortiser or other method, the legs are split down the middle and using a dado blade, I was made cooresponding half laps. The legs were then glued up and the matching half laps created mortises!
Next Steps: Finish cutting and attaching the 8’ stretchers for both the top and bottom of the bench. Cut and install bottom shelving. Cut and bolt the top to the bench. Sand everything, then finish with some protective coating.
8/6/07 Update
All the stretchers are installed and I’ve dry fit the top planks. Need to finish with some cross supports for the top and then cut and install the bottom shelving. Once everything is where it should be, I’ll disassemble to add some chamfers, fine tune anything, sand it down and finish it up.
10/29/7 Update
The bench is now completed and delivered to customer, he chose to not have me finish it so the look is a bit incomplete.
edit: got my Zooomr account back up and running so the images are now hotlinked. Enjoy!
-- James, SE Michigan, novice sawdust creator
12 comments so far
Bill
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2561 posts in 1060 days
posted 850 days ago
I am looking forward to seeing the top for this workbench. Looks good so far though.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
mot
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4904 posts in 935 days
posted 850 days ago
Doing a great job!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
MsDebbieP
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14181 posts in 1059 days
posted 850 days ago
yes indeed… lookin’ GOOD ! :)
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Joel Tille
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214 posts in 1143 days
posted 850 days ago
Should be a sound bench when completed. Keep us posted.
-- Joel Tille
Aubster
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122 posts in 927 days
posted 850 days ago
Look like it going to strong. Can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.
-- A man who moves mountains starts one stone at a time.
TheGravedigger
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211 posts in 923 days
posted 850 days ago
Looking good! The bridle joints and through-tenons are a nice touch. I’m curious to see how the top goes on.
-- Robert from Raymond, MS. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not a practice, but a habit." - Aristotle
booyeah
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10 posts in 851 days
posted 843 days ago
I’ve not yet decided on how to finish the worktop. Any suggestions?
-- James, SE Michigan, novice sawdust creator
oscorner
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4572 posts in 1210 days
posted 843 days ago
Nice work.
-- Jesus is Lord!
TheGravedigger
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211 posts in 923 days
posted 843 days ago
I used Watco on mine, then found out that a 50:50 mix of boiled linseed oil & spar urethane would work just as well for a LOT less money. If you go that route, just be sure to add turpentine to the first coat to make it 1:1:1 so the first coat will penetrate.
A good coat of paste wax over the last coat will help keep glue etc. from sticking.
-- Robert from Raymond, MS. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not a practice, but a habit." - Aristotle
Dorje
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1767 posts in 896 days
posted 843 days ago
Looks like a fun project!
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
booyeah
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10 posts in 851 days
posted 761 days ago
Gravedigger, I’ll let my client know, sounds like a great finish.
-- James, SE Michigan, novice sawdust creator
Bill
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2561 posts in 1060 days
posted 756 days ago
Looks like the bench came out well. Good job.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com