Bench is Finished! (Pictures)

[John Dingman]

Thanks for looking at all the progress pics and thanks for all the words of encouragement. I appreciate all the advice that was given as well. Well here it is with two coats of BLO. Constructed of Douglas Fir and a left over kitchen cabinet from a past remodel job. The face vise is the Veritas Twin Screw Vise and the tail vise is Lee Valleys Tail Vise. Both are awesome! That twin screw vise is really going to work out great as a face vise. Total cash investment was just a tad over $300.00. This was a really fun project. Now I have to build a Chimney Cupboard for the LOML







Thanks again for looking.
John

[Ted Shrader]

John -

Thanks for the finished pictures. Look LOTS better with the BLO on it. Now, to get it broken in. . . .

Regards,
Ted

[Jim Dunn]

That is one pretty bench. Hope you don't have to overhaul lawn mowers on it

[Lou Morrissette]

Sweet looking bench, John. Nice combination of the old and new. I kick myself for having thrown or given away all those cabinets during various remodels. Nice job.

Lou

[John Miliunas]

One mighty fine lookin' bench you have there, John! Almost looks like you could land a small plane on that puppy! I'm "in the process" of building one myself, albeit, I cheated and purchased the top on sale at Woodcraft and it's not nearly as big as yours. Good use of materials and recycling!

BTW, how's everything back in Racine? Lived in the Union Grove area for quite a few years and LOML is also from the area. Her dad and brother both retired from Case. I hear they're tearing down the plant by the lake. That should be quite the gargantuan project!

[John Dingman]

BTW, how's everything back in Racine? Lived in the Union Grove area for quite a few years and LOML is also from the area. Her dad and brother both retired from Case. I hear they're tearing down the plant by the lake. That should be quite the gargantuan project!

Thanks to all for your very kind remarks and encouragement. John, things in Racine are "Super" The plant that you are talking about is just about gone. I think only a 1/4 of it remains standing. You are right.......That is a lot of building they are tearing down. But I bet some developer will scarf up that land and develope it. Land that close to the lake is going for a ton.

Have a good one!
John

[Jim Becker]

Wow! Looks GREAT, John!! Congratulations on the completion of your bench. It's a beauty...

[Mark Singer]

That is a great bench!!!!!

[Herb Blair]

Super looking bench! It will serve you well.

[Marc Hills]

John:

Your bench looks fantastic! Love to see completed projects, especially one as exquisite as your's. Thanks for giving us the blow by blow as it developed.

You'll appreciate all your hard work everytime you weild a chisel, plane or saw.

Now a bit of unsolicited advice. It will never look as pristine as it does in that picture. Just get your head around that inevitable fact and you'll be a lot happier. That being said, some jobs are dirtier than others, as Jim Dunn implied. Use lots of newspaper/drop cloths if you are contemplating something like, oh, I don't know; say, restoring old bench planes, for instance? Powdered rust, WD-40 and oilstone grime can sure wreak havoc on a beautiful BLO finish. DAMHIKT!

[Tyler Howell]

Bravo Bravo and without breaking the bank

[Christian Aufreiter]

Good looking bench!
Now it's really not a great idea that I ask those questions as your bench is already finished but I can't help.
Don't you think you will face problems using clamps as there's no space between the top and the storage?
Can you stand close to the bench? I tend to place me feet under the bench when standing close to it, seems impossible with yours.

Sorry for those questions!

Regards,

Christian

[John Dingman]

Don't you think you will face problems using clamps as there's no space between the top and the storage? Can you stand close to the bench? I tend to place me feet under the bench when standing close to it, seems impossible with yours. Sorry for those questions!

Christian, questions are not a problem. It's hard to tell from the pic but there is ample overhang to clamp to the bench. Also difficult to see in the pictures in that the top is out from the cabinet about the distance of the front of the feet. the camera angle doesn't quite depict that though. The height and the bench are a very comfortable fit for me and the way I like to work. But I'll let ya know after I spend about 20 or 30 hours by it. Thanks for your kind words and I hope I answered your questions ok.

Have a great day!
John

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hi John,

thanks for your response. As you said, pics don't show everything and more important, if you like working at your bench and feel comfortable with it, that's all that counts.

Regards,

Christian

[Chris Padilla]

Hi John,

Slick looking bench and although this thread is 6 months old, I wanted to ask how the bench is working out seeing how that you only have access to 2 (2 1/2? ) sides of the bench?

Do you ever move to bench to access it all around? The reason for my questions is that I'm planning a bench that will most likely only be accessed by two sides and i wanted to see how it was working out.

I think I will end up placing my bench on wheels but the plan is to keep it more or less in a corner.