Well my Friends I have been at if for some time now and felt it was time to get busy I worked on the legs first after a critical error the leg assembly had to be broken down which was a big job and then the legs were taken back one step the outer legs were re worked and the bench was put together for a test fit and to let the tops lye flat for a while to get them as flat as can be.
First we made the leg assembly this is a through mortice that is back cut and wedged together for a tight fit 
Next we cut the mortice for the half lap dovetail the edges were cut with a hand saw and then the waste was removed with a router. Using the CRB7 from M-power and an extra wide base to bridge the mortice. 
After Routing close to the boundary cut I cleaned up with a sharp bench chisel. 
Now the Half Lap Dovetail Mortices are ready to go there are two per leg the upper and the lower
Next it was time for the dry fit no bolts just to make sure every thing is going to fit. 
After the dry fit I glued the outer legs to the Leg assembly. No room for error on this so hurry up because when its 120 in the shop the glue is a fast set up less than 4 minutes and it wont budge.
The next step was letting it settle I have it set up in the shop and am letting it sit clamped flat for a couple of weeks to insure it is done moving for a while. The Old timers call this step resting the piece. I believe it helps and so I am doing it. After a week I will cut the tops to their finished length of 90 inches. I don’t have a 12 inch Sliding compound miter saw so I will make the cut with my Bora wide body clamp and my Circular saw. Then I will finish the cut with My trusty D7 Hand Saw. After that I will be time to make the tool trays they are 4 boxes that are make to sit on cleats in the gap between the tops they have a dual purpose. They are tool trays or if you flip them over they widen the flat top of the bench. I will be making mine out of Black walnut. As that is the accent wood I chose. The plan calls for locking mortice joints I feel that is a big understatement and am leaning towards dovetailed boxes. I think the Dovetails will be done on the Woodrat. I have too many to do by hand and feel the Woodrat is second best. I will be doing a prototype box first and I hope it looks as good as I see it in my plan. The next Blog entry will be on the Tool Box build so stay tuned for the next issue Cheers.
The Dude
-- when I am not on Lumberjocks I am on @ http://thisoldworkshop.com where we allow free speech
10 comments so far
Joe Lyddon
home | projects | blog
6393 posts in 2221 days
#1 posted 260 days ago
You’re making progress!
Looking good!
Thank you.
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"
thedude50
home | projects | blog
3316 posts in 647 days
#2 posted 260 days ago
Thanks Joe I am shooting for the end of the month Once they are both done I will re visit my trip to the Maloof museum
-- when I am not on Lumberjocks I am on @ http://thisoldworkshop.com where we allow free speech
GrandpaLen
home | projects | blog
952 posts in 441 days
#3 posted 259 days ago
Lance,
That is shaping up to be one ‘Heavy Duty Beauty’. I’d be proud to have that in my shop, but with the degenerating discs in my lower back the heavy work, to my remorse, is now a thing of the past.
We are enjoying your Blog on the build.
Work Safely and have Fun. – Len
-- Mother Nature should be proud of what you've done with her tree. - Len ...just north of a stone's throw from the oHIo, river that is, in So. Indiana.
Jason™
home | projects | blog
84 posts in 296 days
#4 posted 259 days ago
Lance Man,
Looks Good Bud!!! Really like the bench so far. Looks really big and a nice solid powerhouse of a bench compared to my setup… LoL. I don’t feel so awkward about having a messy shop now since you showed us your workshop/season storage/man cave. I like the messiness though! When someone enters at least they know you are busy and have a ton of things on your plate!!
Keep up with the bad work my friend. Imma hold you to that deadline btw.
-- Im all night long!! all night .. all night .. ALL NIGHT LONG
shipwright
home | projects | blog
3389 posts in 967 days
#5 posted 259 days ago
Big, solid, heavy and pretty…. Yup, it ticks all the boxes.
Nice one.
-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/
thedude50
home | projects | blog
3316 posts in 647 days
#6 posted 258 days ago
Len Thanks I too have a bad back so I have help on the heavier stuff but such is getting older and with a bad back it is time to pass stuff along.
Jason I am sure you will get a big bench built soon I know you can do It. I guess I should select less busy camera angles for my shots. I call the shop structured chaos.
Paul Thanks so much a compliment from a great craftsman means a lot to me. And I do consider your work to be great.
-- when I am not on Lumberjocks I am on @ http://thisoldworkshop.com where we allow free speech
shipwright
home | projects | blog
3389 posts in 967 days
#7 posted 257 days ago
Thanks Lance.
I call my mess “my beloved chaos” and I work best in it.
I do a very fussy clean-up at the end of each job but by that time sometimes it’s hard to find the shop for the litter.
-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/
HorizontalMike
home | projects | blog
4931 posts in 1083 days
#8 posted 256 days ago
Lance,
I am late to the game on this build, however all things look great!
A suggestion: If you are going to use Walnut and dovetails for your trays, then why not mix some Maple into each tray? Make the sides in Maple and the ends in Walnut, or vice versa. Do this to show off those dovetails. Maybe laminate alternating pieces of Maple and Walnut for the bottoms as well..
Just a couple of ideas… ;-)
-- HorizontalMike -- "Woodpeckers understand..."
handystanley
home | projects | blog
152 posts in 1082 days
#9 posted 134 days ago
I am waiting for my M-Power CRB7 to be delivered.
-- "Projects beget projects and projects beget the need to buy new tools and that is what the cycle of life is all about." Stan Pearse, Novato, CA
thedude50
home | projects | blog
3316 posts in 647 days
#10 posted 133 days ago
It is something i use at least once a week it does so many things I hope you like it
-- when I am not on Lumberjocks I am on @ http://thisoldworkshop.com where we allow free speech
Have your say...