My First Workbench Build - A Journal

[Chris Hachet]

I got a bit sidetracked today working on another project, so I didn't make a ton of progress tonight. However, I took care of a few tasks that needed doing in my shop area. Cleaned up a bit. Took out a huge bag of shavings to the trash. Sharpened my #7 again. And I did get about halfway done on my last 4x4, so I'm almost done with this phase of the project.

I have found a zen like life altering mindset with hand tools. It helps with the "just keep making progress..." way of thinking. Since I adop0ted the "I got further along, I am in no hurry..." mindset, I am actually getting a lot more done.

#7 is a sweet tool, mine lives on a shelf under my bench.

[Robert Engel]

Kris, I understand. Sometimes you can pick up used Stanley blades in the $20 range off Ebay.

BTW, the back bevel technique aka the "Charlesworth ruler trick" may make life a little easier for you re: sharpening.

[Eric Schubert]

Nothing very exciting tonight. Got my #7 in shape to continue after "The Screwing" incident.

I did have a minor epiphany while sharpening, though. I realized I wasn't spending enough time on my first honing film (around 1k grit). After my coarse DMT, I needed to spend more time removing the coarse scratches from that diamond stone. After doing that, I got a really nice, smooth shaving when I reassembled my plane. I'll have to pay more attention to that step...

[Eric Schubert]

Got a bit more done last night. I sharpened up my 1/4" chisel again, so it's ready for my next use. No sense in leaving it dull. I also worked on squaring and flattening my first stretcher. I finally got it square and flat on all sides. It's ready for cutting tenons.

Of course, it wouldn't be right to go another session without having to sharpen my #7 because I hit another piece of metal... It wasn't a nail, but it looks like a piece of screw threads peeled off and was stuck in the wood. I pulled it out, but it was already too late. Time to hit the stones again...

I also need to keep better track of my sizing. I'm over 1/8" thinner on one end than the other, in one direction. It's not terribly critical for this build, but it's something I tend to forget to check as I'm planing away. Just another lesson as I continue working away on my bench.

Photo below is after I cut it to length and squared up the ends.

[Phil Mueller]

Looking good Eric!

[Eric Schubert]

Thanks, Phil!

I got the dings sharpened out of my #7 and got back to work today. Time to work on the second long stretcher.

This board is a bit out-of-square. More like a parallelogram, really. Two sides are nearly parallel, and the other two are parallel to each other but not 90 degrees to the first two. Just have to take down a little material to get my right angles again.

I managed to get two adjacent sides to square up. The third side is nearly there. So, not too much longer and I'll have the second long stretcher done. Hooray for progress!

[David Eisenhauer]

Progress, step-by-step. Long live the #7.

[Eric Schubert]

Got a bit more done tonight. I realized I had left a little twist in my workpiece, so I went back and corrected that. Then re-squared the second face, and finished up the rest. So, the second stretcher is ready to go.

I was just thinking about previous posts... I do have plenty of 3x3 pieces. If I wanted to, I could probably double up the width of the long stretchers to help prevent racking. As I continue smoothing, flattening, and squaring my pieces, they continue to get thinner. Might not be a bad idea to glue two pieces together to get more stability in my bench. Any thoughts?

[Robert Engel]

Yes I would do that. I never thought 3x3 was wide enough for long stretcher.

[Eric Schubert]

Considering you have a bit more experience at this than I do, I'll try to work that into the plan. Shouldn't be that much extra work to do. Thanks, Robert.

[Phil Mueller]

Hey Eric, just noticed this build started a little over a year ago. Just wanted to say "good for you" for the perseverance and continued attention to detail. I have to admit, I might have been tempted into "good enough" by now. Nice job on the build and look forward to the updates!

[Eric Schubert]

Thanks, Phil! I feel bad that I'm taking so long. Yet, I also feel good that I'm keeping things progressing, even if it's a little at a time. I will get this done! Eventually.

[Eric Schubert]

Got a bit more done today. I completed a glue-up for one stretcher. This is a new 3x3 piece that is the straightest I had. I cut the two pieces to length, then got them matched up. It took a little fitting to get a nice, close fit between the two pieces, but it should be nice and solid when it's dry.

First, I got them cut to the same length, at 42". Then I checked to see which sides would be closes to a perfect fit for gluing, and made a few minor adjustments with my #7.

Here's how they fit:





There's a small gap, but when measured it's less than 1/64". Easily closed with clamps.

Then I got to gluing. This still needs squaring/flattening, but I'll do that during the next session. Got a nice bead of glue all the way down the entire length of the top and bottom of the joint. My best long glue-up, yet.



Unfortunately, the first two pieces taper a fair amount and don't have a consistent thickness between the two. So, either I need to take at least 1/8" off of the thickness of one piece before or after glue-up. Or I can try using a different piece with a more consistent thickness, but it's not as straight.

[David Eisenhauer]

Thanks for the update and photos Eric. I bet you are ready for the base to start coming together.

[Eric Schubert]

I am SO ready to start assembly! I know I still have a bit to do before then, but I can feel it getting closer.