Very well done, Eric! I can only imagine the work out with final fitting...lifting that slab on and off checking to see where it needs some fine tuning. You did good. Real good.
Friend of the Creek
Very well done, Eric! I can only imagine the work out with final fitting...lifting that slab on and off checking to see where it needs some fine tuning. You did good. Real good.
Contributor
General comment: I think building your own Bench is one of the most fun, satisfying and practical projects for a serious WWer. It means MORE when you've built it yourself..I love working with large timbers/stock and the joinery is very rewarding/satisfying as it comes together...You're doing a great job and I'm enjoying your journal!!! Thank you..I am full of envy...But now I'm finding I'm getting motivated to perhaps build a 2nd bench
Jerry
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Member
Thanks, Phil! It was definitely a bit of a workout. That top slab is around 50lbs. I'd get the tenons started, then it would get stuck. Pull it back off, trim a little bit off, try it again. Repeat until it finally fits all the way to the bottom. I must have taken that board off a good couple dozen times.Originally Posted by Phil Mueller
Thanks, Jerry! The project has taken way longer than it should have. But, I lost motivation for a while. It's been good to pick it up again. Seeing real progress as the pieces fit together is very satisfying and motivating. I'm so close!General comment: I think building your own Bench is one of the most fun, satisfying and practical projects for a serious WWer. It means MORE when you've built it yourself..I love working with large timbers/stock and the joinery is very rewarding/satisfying as it comes together...You're doing a great job and I'm enjoying your journal!!! Thank you..I am full of envy...But now I'm finding I'm getting motivated to perhaps build a 2nd bench
When you built your bench, did you find the joinery challenging due to its size? There's so much surface area to mate with the other pieces that it just takes a while to get it done. It definitely required patience.
Once I get the second slab in place, the only things left to do are mount the lifting casters and move my quick-release bench vise to the new bench. It's also likely I'll need to fabricate some new vise jaws to match the height of the new bench.
Contributor
When you built your bench, did you find the joinery challenging due to its size? There's so much surface area to mate with the other pieces that it just takes a while to get it done.
I actually found it "easier" and more "forgiving" because of its size but very satisfying ...You know you've added strength and "built it right"...Your pride expands and you enjoy using it more later!!
Jerry
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Member
Had at it again tonight, managing to get the second slab fitted to the tenons. As with the first slab, there are some gaps around the sides of my tenons. It's not perfect. But, it is solid. The slabs aren't going anywhere. I'm still debating about lag screwing them down to keep them in place, just in case they dry and shrink at all.
It took a lot of effort, but I'm glad these are finally fitted to the base. But, I still have plenty to do.
The legs aren't perfectly flush or parallel with the edges of the slabs, so I need to get that done. I also need to plane the top slabs into a single flat plane for a continuous work surface. And I need to plane the ends of the tenons flush with the top of the bench. After all of that, I'll add the casters and vise to finish things off.
Some pics from tonight's effort:
Member
looks good! Thanks for keeping the posts coming!
Contributor
Congrats. That's a major milestone. Glad you could celebrate!
Friend of the Creek
Nicely done, Eric. You’re on the home stretch. Regarding the lag bolts, I think you could certainly work with the bench for a bit and see if you think it’s needed. There’s going to be some movement in any bench. You’ll want to check/flatten the top in a few months or so anyway. If the joints are tight and solid, not sure lag bolts will add a lot.
Look forward to seeing the next updates.
Member
Thin shims can be inserted into gaps in DT's and other joints to close up gaps (how do I know that..................... LOL). Epoxy gives additional gap filling and strength.
Rather than lag bolts I would use 3/4" dowels and pin them.
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Member
Thanks, Oskar, Pat, and Phil! I can see light at the end of the tunnel!
Robert, if I wanted to permanently join the pieces together, I'd definitely pin the top to the legs. The other pinned joints I've used so far seem very strong. But, I designed the bench to be disassemblable in the case that we ever move, or I ever decide to build a second one. Then I can move the bench out of the basement without hiring 4 guys with gigantic muscles to maneuver it up the stairs. As it sits now, I can pull the slabs off, then remove the barrel nuts to take the ends off of the base. The whole thing breaks down into pieces that are easily moved.
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BTW... I will say that knots in wood SUCK... I ended up dulling my chisels, and chipping the tip of my 1/2" chisel trying to cut through a knot passing right through one of my double mortises. I ended up breaking down and just using my oscillating multitool to cut through that super-dense wood. It also causes crazy changes in the grain around the knot, which ended up causing some tear-out inside the joint. Not a show-stopper, but it sure made it challenging.
Time for a sharpening session... it could take a while to get that chip out of my chisel...
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Member
Got a bit more done tonight. I shaved the tenons flush with the bench top. I also checked how flat and aligned the top slabs are. They seem to lean a little into the middle, leaving a bit of a dip there. Nothing huge, but probably a good 1/8" or so. Wondering if I should take that out, or just use it as-is..?
Friend of the Creek
Well Eric, just my opinion, but you’ve come too far to have that bench top anything but level. 1/8” isn’t a lot, but it could make a difference especially if your working pieces that sit across the two slabs. Have another one of those cold ones and work through it. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Nice beer choice. Left Hand Milk Stout was one of my favorites, before I went gluten free. I have been working on making a Roman Workbench\Sawhorse from a red oak log. Planes with wide or adjustable mouths come in handy for passing larger chips/shavings. I also ordered a “real” E.C. Emmerich scrub plane just before the LV free shipping period passed me. I am working on two other benches too. One bench is similar to yours. If I can ever get all my tools in one place. I am in the process of moving.
Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 11-14-2017 at 8:11 AM.
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Member
Thanks, Mike! Left Hand is only about a half hour away from me. They have a nice little tap room and tour. I'm definitely a fan of their milk stout, both regular and on nitro. There are so many breweries around here, it's kinda ridiculous.
I ended up just going to town on the bench top over lunch. Worked up quite a sweat! I flattened the top slabs so they were just about co-planar. It's hard to get them perfect, but they were pretty darned good all the way down the length of the bench. I achieved this by planing high spots to get them close. Then I worked diagonally across both slabs, in two directions (like an X) to try and get them to be pretty even. There are still a couple of low spots, particularly near the ends. But those would have required considerable planing to remove, and I want to keep the slab thickness as large as possible. The majority of the bench is looking good.
Now, I want to tip the bench on its sides and plane the legs flush with the edges of the slabs. They twisted a bit when I tightened everything together. So, I just have one high side that needs to be corrected on each leg. The inside edge is just about right on all of the legs. The outside edge is protruding a bit. So... more planing to go!
Once those are done, I'll attach the casters and install the vise. I may need new vise jaws... the ones I have may not be tall enough to match the height of the bench top. But, I'm considering just leaving it for now to see how much that affects how I work. Any opinions here..? How critical is it to have the top of the vise flush with the bench top?
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