Bench Progress Pics

[John McBride]

IMG_20150615_8300.jpgIMG_20150615_56531.jpgIMG_20150615_24905.jpg


OK, Let's see if this works, I am attempting.....once again.....to upload some pictures of the progress on my BORG wood bench. The three pics I am trying .... hoping are attached here, are of the glue up, in a friends glue rack, and a couple of the top on a cart after being flattened. Fingers crossed.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Looks good!
What are you building it out of?

[John McBride]

Looks good!
What are you building it out of?

Steve,
It's all BORG 2x6x8. ..... LOL.....Something inn the "FIR" family. The material was marked Douglas Fir, but I am dubious. Regardless, it is dry, flat, and suprisingly stable. Colorado has had prretty continuous cycle of super dry weather, and monsoon like rains. Sometimes in the same day. The top will need more flattening at some point I am sure, but so far, ZERO signs of checking or splitting, and virtually no twist or cupping.

As slowly as the build is coming, I am actually kind of glad. It is allowing for the new lamination to rest and do whatever moving it is going to do. Ill put it on horses and flatten it before final assembly, but right now, it is just as flat and true (mostly) as it was when initially flattened back in March.

[John McBride]

By the way Steve,
I was reading your post on the new shop. How is that getting on?

[Steve Meliza]

Looks like Doug Fir to me. Sadly, around here it is very challenging to find kiln dried DF lumber and in the BORG 2"x4"x8' pretzels are the only KD option in construction lumber. I have to buy green then store for 6-12 months or more.

Are you following any particular style of workbench?

[John McBride]

Looks like Doug Fir to me. Sadly, around here it is very challenging to find kiln dried DF lumber and in the BORG 2"x4"x8' pretzels are the only KD option in construction lumber. I have to buy green then store for 6-12 months or more.

Are you following any particular style of workbench?

Steve,
The short answer is....sort of. Originally, I had planned to build a Douglas Fir Scandi/Klausz bench. To some degree, I still am, except no shoulder or tail vise. In fact, there will be no vice on the right hand end at all for the forseeable future. I had planned to dimension the bench down to 7ft long, but kind of fell in love with the 8ft length once I got the bench together. In my 11'x20-something garage, there just really is no room for that end vise.

the base will be traditional trestle. All 4x4 construction, all mortise and tenon joinery. Since the top is so thick, I thought I would take the opportunity to explore various vise options, discarding ones that would not work well with such a thick top. While the more traditional face vise hardware is still on my short list, lately I am thinking that the 10.5" Record clones, with a nice hefty set of 16" long maple chops, might just be the ticket. Honestly, I would love to put an all wooden face vise on there. Big a$$ maple screw and nice thick chops, but the pragmatist in me is screaming at me to buy the biggest, most "Record-est" QR vise and be done with it.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Like waiting for water to boil
The shed is do any time now. Could be this week or next.
Then I have to inspect it at the dealers lot and set a date for delivery.
Then all the time consuming work of insulating, wiring, putting in wall board and painting
But I wouldn't have it any other way.

[John McBride]

Like waiting for water to boil
The shed is do any time now. Could be this week or next.
Then I have to inspect it at the dealers lot and set a date for delivery.
Then all the time consuming work of insulating, wiring, putting in wall board and painting
But I wouldn't have it any other way.

So going to be worth it though. I know I have enjoyed putting my shop "pieces" together. Though I do have to admit, now that I have all the basic tooling, I am already looking to upgrade, and I don't even have power to the garage yet...lol...pathetic...but I love it.

[Steve Meliza]

Oh, I know the quest for the workbench. I went out and purchased the wood to build a bench just like Bob Rozaieski builds but was so disgusted with the 2x12 DF lumber that I went out and got 8/4 poplar 12" wide for the tops. Then I came across Chris Schwarz's knock down Nicholson so I decided to build it and bought all the hardware for it. Then before I could get started I came across Paul Sellers and really like his methods so now I'm planning to build his bench. That means shrinking from 8' length to somewhere around 5'-6' which is a needed space savings, and ponying up the cash for the largest QR vise that Lee Valley sells which will arrive in a few days.

[John McBride]

Oh, I know the quest for the workbench. I went out and purchased the wood to build a bench just like Bob Rozaieski builds but was so disgusted with the 2x12 DF lumber that I went out and got 8/4 poplar 12" wide for the tops. Then I came across Chris Schwarz's knock down Nicholson so I decided to build it and bought all the hardware for it. Then before I could get started I came across Paul Sellers and really like his methods so now I'm planning to build his bench. That means shrinking from 8' length to somewhere around 5'-6' which is a needed space savings, and ponying up the cash for the largest QR vise that Lee Valley sells which will arrive in a few days.

YAY!!!! I'm not alone in my insanity.....welcome to my world. Though, I am staying pretty close to my original Scandi/Klausz hybrid-ish bench. It's just the details I keep bouncing back and forth on

[Jim Matthews]

Some swear by the protruding Scandi vise.

It's a glorified Crochet, and in the way if it has any capacity greater
than 6". All that material will stick out in front of your bench.

If you do any edge planing of long boards, that makes you
step away from the bench at the end the face vice occupies.

The Nicholson solves this by using holdfasts in the legs.

It should be noted that a sufficiently stout leg vice takes
up as much real estate in front of a bench as does the Scandi
face vise, and isn't as effective as a crochet analog.

The modern quick release face vise is an excellent compromise
and very easy to get installed properly on a new bench.

I put a flush mounted Moxon in that position and it covers all the edge trimming tasks.

The idea was lifted from David Barron.

https://youtu.be/D7ZNU7atoxc?list=PL..._WvA45ygXN7RL6

[Steve Kinnaird]

Yes, I know it will be worth it.
It is costing me more money the longer it takes
I have already decided to sell my 14" band saw and purchase the Grizzly 17" 30th Anniversary band saw.
I figured, new shop needs at least 1 new tool

[John McBride]

Some swear by the protruding Scandi vise.

It's a glorified Crochet, and in the way if it has any capacity greater
than 6". All that material will stick out in front of your bench.

If you do any edge planing of long boards, that makes you
step away from the bench at the end the face vice occupies.

The Nicholson solves this by using holdfasts in the legs.

It should be noted that a sufficiently stout leg vice takes
up as much real estate in front of a bench as does the Scandi
face vise, and isn't as effective as a crochet analog.

The modern quick release face vise is an excellent compromise
and very easy to get installed properly on a new bench.

I put a flush mounted Moxon in that position and it covers all the edge trimming tasks.

The idea was lifted from David Barron.

https://youtu.be/D7ZNU7atoxc?list=PL..._WvA45ygXN7RL6

Excellent info....thank you.

[John McBride]

Yes, I know it will be worth it.
It is costing me more money the longer it takes
I have already decided to sell my 14" band saw and purchase the Grizzly 17" 30th Anniversary band saw.
I figured, new shop needs at least 1 new tool

AT LEAST one.....three or four if you are as far gone as I am

[Steve Kinnaird]

LOL
Yes, the 24" drum sander is looking like it needs to be in my shop. Who am I to say no to a tool that needs a home