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Thread: Building Potting Benches

  1. #16
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    Everything Including the Sink

    The slats were laid out to mark where the dry sink will fit in.

    They were checked for square:

    Getting it all Square.jpg

    There will be three slats to the left and three slats to the right of the cavity for the sink. The tub used on these is a 12 quart dish tub available for a few dollars. The base needs to be about 7" below the bottom of the shelf slats. The rails for mine were cut from a piece of 1X12. The piece was ripped to be 8-5/8". This allows for 3/4" of wood under the slats to support the tub. It can accommodate a larger tub or people can figure out other ways to hold dirt. We always tell folks it is a great place to hold a large bag of ice if they are having a party in the back yard.

    The space between the slats is 11/32". Haven't decided if that will be maintained on the sink cover or if the center will be left wide for a hand hold.

    A line was marked at the edges of the slats to mark a center line for the sink rail dados. The story stick was used to check if both sides are equal:

    Story Stick Sink.jpg

    After taking a break to come back and look again, the dados were laid out:

    Dado Layout.jpg

    The dividers were set to half the width of the wood for the sink rails. Each side of the dado was stepped off with the dividers from the center line. The square was set against the divider point and then the sides of the dados were scribed with a knife:

    Scribing Dado.jpg

    Then the depth was checked on both shelf stretchers and marked on the underside of the shelf stretcher for depth of cut:

    Dado Depth.jpg

    This is one of the things that is nice about a wheel style gauge. Most pin gauges have a bit hanging beyond the pin.

    Sawing to the line:

    Sawing Dado.jpg

    The bottom of the dado is flush to the rabbet for the slats. Half of each sink stretchers will be underneath the slat on the sides of the sink.

    Too many images for one post so to be continued… (after dinner)

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 03-02-2015 at 1:57 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  2. #17
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    (long dinner... there was some music, dancing and a movie... )

    When the sawing was done the waste was removed using chisels:

    Skew Chisel.jpg

    Here a skew chisel is paring out the side of the waste. Making a mound in the center of the waste material. This makes it easy to remove with a straight chisel followed by a router plane.

    Routing the Bottom.jpg

    It may be hard to see the dog against the edge of the tail. The chisel force is mostly one direction. After this picture was taken the set up was changed to what is shown below.

    A router plane isn't absolutely required. It does make the bottom of the dado neater. The router also helps if the dado is visible at both ends to help eliminate gaps from bumpy dado bottoms.

    Here is the set up for holding the work piece in place during the chisel work and routing:

    Hold Still.jpg

    A bunch of dogs popped up along the front and a big dog and hold fasts on the other side. The piece was loose, but stable for the direction of forces from the router. This makes moving it around easy. Another one of those vise less solutions.

    This is #3 pine. It is about half the price of the #2 pine at the borgs. If selected carefully it is as good as the #2. It does have some squirrelly grain at times. For this piece I know the grain switches and isn't near straight. So that is where a marking gauge with a knife point helps a lot:

    Scribing the Edges.jpg

    Both sides of the area to be plowed are scribed

    Plough Time.jpg

    Sometimes with the piece being plowed that far over the edge it helps to have a clamp holding the far side. Here it wasn't needed. The grain was so bad at the far end full depth could not be reached. When the slot was established to depth at the end closest to the camera, the fence was taken off and the plane was run left handed to finish the reversed grain area.

    Finally the bottom edge of the sink has the bottom rounded so someone reaching under the bench doesn't hit their hand on a harsh corner:

    Rounding the Bottom.jpg

    Next comes the fitting it all together and then gluing up the frames.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 03-02-2015 at 2:38 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #18
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    So much to do, so little time to do it all.

    Thanks to all for the kind words.

    Something to remember when drilling the pilot holes for the nails, don't drill holes in the pieces that will be used for the hatch.

    Here is a bit of the progress to date. After cleaning out the dados a piece of scrap is used to make sure the dry sink framing can fit:

    Fit Check.jpg

    A side rabbet plane or a chisel can be used to trim a dado if it needs adjustment:

    Side Rabbet Dado Trimming.jpg

    If trimming was needed it was only done to the edges of the dados toward the inside. Of course, this is if all the dados match before any trimming is done.

    Keeping a few pieces of scrap from a project in progress can be helpful. If vises rack, use some scrap. Want to check fit or even a plane's setting use some scrap.

    With the preliminary fitting settled the glue up was next. Still too cold in the shop so this was brought inside the house:

    Glue Up.jpg

    The blocks under the clamp faces were made to be narrower than the thinest part of the tails.

    The shelf slat is snug when in place so it was used as a gauge to see if the undercarriage pieces needed adjustment:

    Checking Fit.jpg

    Off the saw it tended to cause the slat to be loose. A few shavings on the shoot board fixed the fit.

    Once the pieces were adjusted to fit their corners were marked for a radius cut:

    Marking Radius.jpg

    The ends of the carriage pieces were marked for the dado length. All the area outside of the dado was rounded over including the end of the slots:

    Rounding with Gouge.jpg

    A gouge is used here, but a chisel could also be used to trim this to eliminate any points or sharp edges.

    When all was right, the sink frame sides are set aside. The shelf slats are installed first. Some time was spent before the sink frame fitting to arrange the slats for a pleasing appearance. Once that was decided one end of the slat is marked with its side and position with an arrow pointing to the side from which it is numbered. (L1, L2 & L3 for left 1, 2 & 3)

    Then the slats are attached using 4d galvanized finish nails:

    Hitting the Nail on the Head.jpg

    The slats are installed starting from the center of the dado for the sink hangers. the second one is installed using a spacer. For this bench 11/32" works. Having a little space between the slats allows any spilt potting soil to fall through for easier clean up over time.

    It is fairly easy to determine the spacing between each slat by setting all the slats tight together and measuring the extra space. Do a little math and dimension a piece of scrap hardwood. Attaching a handle helps to keep it from falling through the cracks.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #19
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    Getting back to work on the potting bench build is a bit hap-hazard this time of year with all the other things to be done.

    The legs are being worked on currently.

    The first order of business is laying out the lap joints to support the shelves:

    Potting Bench Leg Layout.jpg

    The bottom of the lower lap joint is marked with the leg and the story stick butted against a fence clamped to the end of the bench.

    A piece of the scrap from the wood used has a little bit shaved of with a plane so it will set securely against a try square:

    Lap Size.jpg

    This will make the cut out just a bit smaller than needed. A little paring with a chisel or a side rabbet plane will be used for the final fit.

    My preferred saw for cutting a lot of lap joints is a Bishop 10. It has a back than can be set to control the depth of cut.

    Setting the Bishop 10.jpg

    A piece of scrap is marked to the same depth as the lap joint. A pencil line makes it easy to see.

    To make things easier the knifed line is notched with a chisel:

    Notching the Line.jpg

    There is a fence set up at the end of the bench held in place with a dog and a holdfast.

    For a run like this it is easier for me to do all the marking, then the notching & cutting of all the pieces and finally the pairing:

    Cutting to Depth.jpg

    For paring, it helps me to cut the edges of the saw cut into the waste:

    Let the Paring Begin.jpg

    Then to pare the edges of the waste to help prevent any blow out:

    Edge Paring.jpg

    A rabbet plane and router plane were also used in the clean out the waste.

    This was all done under the supervision of the "shop cat" Turner:

    Turner - Shop Cat .jpg

    She tries to stay in the shop occasionally when it is locked up for the night. She doesn't like the sound of a mallet being used so when she may be hiding, banging a couple of pieces of wood together usually gets her to beat a hasty exit.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 03-15-2015 at 5:54 PM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #20
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    Nice work Jim, coming alone well!
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  6. #21
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    One point that wasn't mentioned earlier, often my bench is set up with blocks and end fences so a piece can be easily moved yet it is still held in place from three or even four sides with no need to adjust a vise. This helps speed the trimming of lap joints.

    Some people are blessed with the ability to fit a joint perfectly straight from the saw. For me it is easer to get close with the saw then take a shaving or two for a tight fit. Isn't that the purpose of sharp paring and skew chisels?

    Here are a few of the minor points of fitting a lap joint.

    After the waste has been removed from all the joints, a piece of scrap is used to check/mark the final fit.

    Closing In.jpg

    The scrap is set square against the bottom of the lap and the top is marked. The bottoms of the joints should all be the same height. The edge of the square is held slightly under the edge of the scrap, the scrap is removed and the line scribed.

    After it is scribed a large chisel is set in the scribe mark overhanging the edge. When it is lined up, it is pushed over the edge to scribe deeply to the depth of cut at the corners.

    Cutting Corners.jpg

    Then a skew chisel makes fast work of taking off the edge of the cut.

    Skew Chisle Paring.jpg

    Another note that was forgotten earlier. It is helpful to mark any fixtures as to their projects or purpose. Some of my old templates/story sticks or sawing guides from odd projects have me scratching my head at times. Now my story sticks have the item they are used to measure marked on them as do fixtures and templates. There is starting to get to be a pretty good collection of them around.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 03-18-2015 at 2:36 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #22
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    Hi Jim,

    +1 on this article.

    Stew

  8. #23
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    Look at Them Legs

    Some more time was spent in the shop today on the potting bench project.

    The laps are finally tuned to a snug fit:

    Snug Fit & Square.jpg

    After completing and fitting the leg lap joints the sink side structure was glued into the top shelf. It is much easier to move around without all the under shelf construction:

    Glue Up.jpg

    The only long grain to long grain contact here is the rough bottom of the slats against the top of the pine. That isn't a very good joint. Dowels will be inserted through the front and back stretchers to add strength and support.

    In the picture are a lot of the brushes used in my shop. The 1/2" brushes are great for spreading glue and are fairly cheap. The borgs do not seem to carry them currently. Mine were purchased before they stopped carrying them and more recently at Michael's Art & Crafts supply store. The 1" brush is used for brushing dust and other debris from my planes.

    The top of the back leg gets an ogee at the top:

    Ogee Template.jpg

    The note reminds me of how difficult it can be to work on a piece with an ogee if any joinery cuts need the piece held in the tail vise.

    This is where the final decision has to be made as to which leg is which. If there is any flaw that can be removed by the ogee or rabbet or if there is a knot in the way on one side or the other. One of my preferences is to have any "cathedrals" on the legs point upward if possible. Of course that is part of the layout before this point. Like any project each piece has to have a place to belong before the cutting begins. There is a lot more to making something than cutting to a list and slapping it together.

    Then the layout for a shelf and a back behind the shelf:

    Rabbet Layout.jpg

    The back board was used to set the dividers and then transfered to the leg. A marking gauge was set to the thickness of the board. The dado was laid out using the dividers and square. In this case the lumber being used for these parts has not been dimensioned.

    Finished Rabbet and Dado Layout.jpg

    The dado is sawn and the waste cleaned out first. The far edge is chamfered first to help prevent any blowout:

    Chamfer Far Edge.jpg

    Next a 1" chisel is used to take the waste off the sawn sides:

    Chamfer the Waste.jpg

    This leaves a peak in the middle that is easy to remove while keeping track of the dado depth.

    When the dado is finished there is now room to use a saw to cut the rabbet. It didn't occur to me to try a bull nose rabbet plane, sawing is likely faster and less stressful.

    Dado & Rabbet Done.jpg

    Next is finishing the sink and putting it all together.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 03-19-2015 at 1:51 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  9. #24
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    Forgot to mention my experience with one of my Jorgensen/Pony pipe clamps.

    One has had problems with the clutch plates over the years and finally the last one broke.

    Their web site has the clamp model numbers and parts lists. When all the parts had a price but the clutch plates I sent an email to the contact listed.

    The response was if they are ordered the shipping is too high and they would just send replacements in the mail.

    They arrived quickly. I sent an email to let them know they arrived and thanked them for the quick service.

    So there is another company out their with service that deserves a mention.

    Somewhere some other makers pipe clamp set was purchased. They may have been a couple dollars less. They do not have any marking on them. If a replacement part is ever needed, those couple of dollars saved won't look so good then.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #25
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    The project continues with a few smaller steps:

    There is no long grain to long grain joints in the sink supports to the shelf stretchers so they need to be doweled. Here holes are being bored to ~2" depth:

    Boring.jpg

    The strange looking thing on the auger bit is a Stanley #49 Depth Stop. These are very handy for drilling to a set depth. Masking tape also works but can get a bit messed up after a few holes.

    The dowel stock on hand is what is sold today in many stores. It looks like it may be poplar. It is kind of flimsy. Wanting to have something a bit better some oak scrap was found and riven to make some 3/8" dowels:

    Riving Oak.jpg

    The tool of choice for this is a mini-froe made from an old planer blade.

    A Veritas® Dowel Former was used to form to shape:

    DIP - Dowel In Progress.jpg

    Mostly this was done with the mallet hitting with its own weight. Very little added force from me was used. While forming the dowels the holding plate was rotated to prevent the work from leaning due to the event of uneven blows from the mallet.

    These are about 4-1/2" long and only 8 are needed.

    Fiished Dowels.jpg

    These will be cut in half and glued into the holes bored above.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 03-21-2015 at 1:48 PM. Reason: Depth stop
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #26
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    Proud to be a Dowel

    Been doing a lot of work in the greenhouse. It is kind of fun to work out there and be able to pick a freshly ripened kumquat for a snack.

    Pictures of inserting the dowels into the front rail and shelf supports were not taken. Mostly one end is trimmed with a chisel for easy insertion. Then theyy are covered with PVA glue using a small brush. After this they are set in the hole and driven to depth with a piece of 3/4X3/4" scrap and my small tapping mallet.

    In most cases my dowels are left a little proud. One customer told me it looks like someone is trying to hide a mistake when they are cut flush. He said leaving them proud makes them look like they were meant to be there.

    After the glue on the dowels dries, most of the excess dowel length is sawn off. This is one of the jobs where my pull saws get used:

    Pull Saw Trim.jpg

    Then the ends of the dowels are shaved smooth with a chisel:

    Chiseling Waste.jpg

    The first dowel to be trimmed is visible in the picture.

    With a wide chisel bevel up there isn't much danger of marking the wood. The chisel used here is 1-1/2" wide.

    When using even a wide chisel bevel down, levering the chisel can leave marks, especially on soft woods. To prevent marks when working bevel down, a shim can be used:

    Chisel With Shim.jpg

    Then it is back to the finishing touches on the legs. The ogee top was cut out on a bandsaw, but a coping saw could have handled the task. Here it is being cleaned up:

    Clearing the Curve.jpg

    A half round sheer file and a few spoke shaves do a neat job.

    Next it is on to mounting the legs.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  12. #27
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    Due to time, limits of images per post, redundancies or being of little interest, some images have been omitted.

    Before attaching the legs the slats for the base of the sink are cut and installed. The story stick was used for this. It was placed in the right hand slot for the slats and marked to the edge of the left hand slot. This was then marked and labeled on the stick. Four pieces were marked and sawn to length.

    (This is where some images were omitted. There is already an image of my using a story stick for marking parts of this project. Other omitted images include marking a center line for drilling in the next paragraph and hammering a carriage bolt into place.)

    The slats were installed into their slots and spaced by eye. Next a center point was marked at each end on the outside of the shelf support. This was used to draw a center line.

    When my projects involve nails, experience has persuaded me to drill pilot holes in some woods. A piece of scrap was drilled at the same spacing as the shelf slats and used for marking where to drill. The scrap (template) was lined up with the slats by eye before marking;

    Marking Pilots.jpg

    The drilling is only through the pine and not into the end grain of the cedar slats.

    Drilling Nail Pilots.jpg

    2 - 4d galvanized nails are driven into each end of each slat and then set. The vibration from hammering can cause the slats to move so make sure they are where they are supposed to be before driving their nails.


    Next the legs are installed. Before installation the front legs are checked for fit and the top is rounded over with a block plane. The corners can be rounded with a gouge:

    Gouge on Corners.jpg

    If a gouge isn't available the corner can be rounded with a plane or chisel.

    For setting and drilling the legs in place a template is used:

    Leg Placement & Drill Template.jpg

    This can be used for any project where 1X4 or 2X4 lumber is being bolted together with carriage bolts. For this project the rabbet to the outside edge of the handle is where the leg is placed in from the front or back edge. The rabbet to the inside edge is the minimum for the hole spacing to allow clearance when a 1/4 - 1" fender washer is used. There is a second top hole because the first one doesn't allow for the slats on the top being against the edge. It is also easier to install the washer with it below the underside of the shelf slats.

    Here the top shelf is held in the face vise and the other side is clamped to my bench apron. The back leg is being marked for drilling:

    Template in Use.jpg

    A 1/4" brad point bit is being used. The carriage bolts are 1/4-20 at 2" long. The lumber is sold as 5/4 but is closer to 1". The lap joint leaves enough on the end to have a few extra threads out of the nut with a washer. If you are going to buy bolts by the box, you want to make sure on the size. Too long of a bolt is a pain when it is time to tighten the nut.

    Drilling the Leg.jpg

    The top shelf is attached and the bolts are tightened until the head just begins to sink into the wood. Then the bottom shelf is attached to the back leg in the same manner.

    Then the front leg from the same side is attached. The whole piece is then carefully flipped and the legs for the other side are attached.

    Here is its present state:

    Getting Close.jpg

    Still left is the upper shelf with its back, the cover for the dry sink a bit of trimming here and there, some sanding and a coat or two of a BLO and turpentine mix.

    Here is a close up of the top of a front leg:

    Detail - Top of Leg.jpg

    That corner should look a lot better after some trimming and sanding.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  13. #28
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    I love this thread, as soon as it pops up with an updat I get to my iPad.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jebediah Eckert View Post
    I love this thread, as soon as it pops up with an updat I get to my iPad.
    Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

    Besides it gives me a chance to include the unused images.

    Story stick in use:

    x Sticking to my Story.jpg

    For this stick the lines and text will be done in ink. The lines that may vary a bit from build to build will have some indication of this.

    NOTE: Be careful if others are in the shop or your shop cat or dog knocks things down. The head on this moved just a touch and the last two slats needed a touch taken off on the shooting board. This has given me some thoughts on arranging marks on the stick so the side they are on are facing the user for any given measurement and steps.

    A large framing square was used for a straight edge. A piece of scrap would also be fine for this.

    X Marking a Center Line.jpg

    Carriage bolts are only tapped to engage the square.

    X Hammer Home.jpg

    They are pulled home with a nut and washer.


    The image of shaping the top of a leg didn't focus properly. Auto focus has its moments.

    Blurry out of focus block plane.jpg

    And finally for this installment, a confession. After using a beat up eggbeater drill to make the first couple of bolt holes my battery drill came out to do the rest.

    I know, SACRILEGE!!!

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  15. #30
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    Aha! You're a HYBRID!

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