What is a Bench?

[harry strasil]

What is a Bench?

Basically it's one of the largest tools in your shop, and everything revolves around your bench.

You might also say that a bench is just a big clamp to hold things while you work on them.

There are many different and varied types of benches as we have seen lately due to all the bench posts.

Everyone has their favorite design, some by well known woodworkers and others just an idea from the owner as to what he/she wants in a bench. Others from the pages of history with a few modifications.

There are other types of benches, smaller and less known but still a means for clamping the work so that some particular operation may be performed.

One such clamping device is well known, but seldom used and not as popular as it once was.

I am referring to a shaving horse.

I have had an idea floating around in my processing center for some time about a different style of horse, as setting on a horse and pushing with my legs, causes severe cramps in my legs and causes my injured back to put me down for up to a week at a time sometimes.

So now I have a shaving horse (ungodly looking contraption) that holds the vice jaw tight by me setting on it.

Nuff said. One Picture and one only, I couldn't get my cameras delay to work in this heat.

[Wes Grass]

Brilliant.

[Mark Godlesky]

That is very cool, Jr. I always love to see your ingenuity at work.

[george wilson]

Looks good,Harry. The fly in the ointment is you have to GET UP to release the work!!!

[Trevor Walsh]

Work those quads.

[ray hampton]

a sawhorse and a shaving horse , can the seat be adjusted for lesser weight

[george wilson]

I just had a BRILLIANT idea: You could put an old bottle jack under the seat,and just jack yourself up to release the work!! Turn the little valve,presto,clamped again!!

[Michael Peet]

What a great idea, Harry. Mine is made from an old picnic table bench..

Mike

[harry strasil]

a sawhorse and a shaving horse , can the seat be adjusted for lesser weight

ray, the adjustment is automaticy controlled by six 5/16 thick by 1.250" hickory leaf springs, 3 to a side, so that a constant pressure is maintained at all times.

There are 5 3/4 inch holes in the pitmans, 1-1/8 " apart, and the axle in the dumb head is not centered, but is drilled so that there are 4 different distances between the edges of the dumb head and the axle.

There are 3 of the hickory leaf springs underneath to help raise the head when pressure is released. This needs a little more engineering and possible another leaf to make the dumbhead float as it were.

Nothing is overly fancy so far, just a hurry up and get it done type of thing, before my processing center gets overloaded and my neuron drawing goes blank. After all its just a prototype with no actual drawing to be tied to, this way inspiration is not overcome by having to any specific drawing or idea. This is the way I go about developing an idea. And if necessary, an idea that looked good at the time of inception can be over ridden or changed with a minimum of time and labor, to achieve the goal. And a working drawing can always be made up by measurement of the completged prototype.

This is another project completed of salvaged material except for a few bolts and a chunk of all thread and a few pieces of dowel stock.

so far I have spent about 2 hours yesterday and about 6 hours today on this project, some would have spent twice this amount of time drawing up a set of plans that may or may not work. I can't even remember what the original brain phart for this project was imagined, I just know its a far cry from the original idea.

I'm not a real high tech type of person. most of my projects look pretty much like what they would have looked like if I had made them of iron as a blacksmith.

[Peter Cobb]

"Find a need and fill it"
+1 on brilliant idea, 'tis admirable Jr.
Cheers,
Peter

[harry strasil]

I added another hickory spring leaf to the bottom spring set and also a garter about 8 or 9 inches up from the anchoring site and it now works perxactly like I envisioned it.

Can't remember his name but like the boss used to say on the "A Team", "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together."

Now to cut some grooves in the dumbhead to help grip round stock.

I tried gripping a 1 by 4 last night and then tried wiggling it side to side, BOY, WHAT A GRIP, actually a better grip than a bench vise. AMAZING

Occassionally something works more better than what was anticipated.

Our creeks and rivers are gonna be out after last nights 3.5 inch diluge, I thought I saw where a snake had hired a couple of rabbits with a portable pump to pump out its burrow when I let dog out this morning. My daughter in Texas told me that all the rabbits down there were carrying 2 canteens, and fire hydrants were fighting for any dog that walked by within a city block. LOL

[Peter Cobb]

Can't remember his name but like the boss used to say on the "A Team", "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together."

John "Hannibal" Smith

Cheers

[ray hampton]

John Hannibal Smith
how could we forget that name
what is the " Face " name

[James Owen]

Brilliant idea; beautiful execution! I always enjoy your solutions to needs/problems -- always ingenious and always elegant, direct, and only as complicated as it needs to be.

[harry strasil]

John Hannibal Smith
how could we forget that name
what is the " Face " name

"Face" name, I can remember, George Peppard.
The older you get some things just don't come to you, till your engaged at something else. LOL