8 Attachment(s)
Traditional European Workbench Build
Hello - I joined the site yesterday and posted in the general forum. I thought I would post pictures of my workbench project here. I have been wanting a good workbench for many years. I finally have the tools and space to get it done. We shall see about the time component.
I was working out of town this past year and managed to score a bunch of hard maple (for $3.55/BF) which I hauled home. I also have some 8/4 Walnut that I am incorporating into the bench. I have the LN tail-vise hardware and I also have a vise screw from LV for the shoulder-vise.
I glued up the top in sections which I haven't connected yet. I used maple splines to help register the faces. I will drill some holdfast holes (while I can still get them in the drill press) before I glue the sections together.
Attachment 350756
This is a rough mockup of the layout to make sure I have my dimensions correct for the trestle rails and feet.
Attachment 350755
Here is a mockup of the shoulder vise to check dimensions.
Attachment 350754
Mortises cut last night for the trestle rails and feet
Attachment 350753
Cutting tenon cheeks
Attachment 350745Attachment 350746
Cutting shoulders
Attachment 350747
Tenons rough cut. I will tune them up by hand to fit them to mortises.
Attachment 350748
I probably won't go into this much detail for the entire build but I will continue to post pictures of my progress.
Kris
Lie Nielsen Tail Vise Hardware
I am wondering if anyone has installed the Lie Nielsen tail vise hardware. I saw some older threads on here but it seems like maybe this is a newer design?
The only 12/4 hardwood I could find locally is soft maple. Jaw will end up 15-3/4" long by 4" high by 5-1/2" wide. I planned to use two 2-3/4" by 4" blocks to make the jaw. The hardware is designed to be mortised in and anchored by machine-thread bolts that are tapped into the wood. The bolts are 5/16"-18 by 1-1/2" for the rails and 3/8"-16 by 2" for the slide assembly. The way it is set up the stress on the bolts would be mostly shear. I am not questioning LN's engineering here but I am wondering:
- should I tap the holes and then reinforce with epoxy?
- should I think about inserts?
- should I find a harder wood? I do have 8/4 hard maple but was hoping to avoid multiple laminations.
- go with the soft maple and not worry about it?
Any input would be appreciated.
Kris