Howdy–
Never officially introduced myself. I’ve posted a few questions and responses on this forum – at least 20. Somehow they have all been deleted. Don’t know how I managed that, maybe I forgot to pay my bill. No matter, the significance of my posts are lost in the flood of truly knowledgeable information that is always being submitted on this forum.
A sidetrack on my kitchen remodel required a larger work surface. The table-saw surface works in a pinch, but becomes a conflict of interest if used repeatedly. What started as a single afternoon project ended up taking most of three weekends (including Labor Day). Built almost completely from scrap, this hodgepodge of a bench is likely going to crack wide open the first time we get a good humid day or a cold spell.
The top is made of laminated Ipe and is approximately 28” x 71”. Each side, and the middle are made of four laminated 1x4s. The rest of the top was built from 1x4s with 2” notched out starting about 4” from each end. I screwed two 10" x 1.75" x 62” MDF type door slabs into the two built up notched sections. I’m hoping the sealed door slabs will give some stability to the top as it expands and contracts (floating on the door slabs). SWMBO thinks I may have overdone it. Strained my back moving the top around.
The frame is built around the Geoffrey Noden Adjust-A-Bench legs and casters. The stretchers are laminated 1x8s of Maple, Poplar, and Red Oak. The tray area under the table is walnut plywood. The feet are two laminated 2x12” of D.Fir with Ipe soles. The crossbeams are 4x8 Douglas Fir.
The top was flattened to ~3.75” thick with a router using the Tage Frid method, and sanded to 400 grit. The holes were plunge routed for the first 1.5”, and then Auger drilled the rest of the way through. Each hole and the end grain have been coated with thinned epoxy. So far, the only finish is one coat of BLO.
I thought I could get by with using the Veritas Wonder Dogs instead of an end or tail vise, but they look rather inadequate now that they are installed on the bench. One more note about the photos; they capture my crowded 2-car garage/shop in full disarray. May post more photos when the top starts cracking or warping.
Has anyone else tried laminating Ipe? Does my description of the construction make sense? Do you forsee any problems in the design? What would you recommend for a bench vise? Front, tail, or end? Single or double screw? Should I coat the top with a varnish? Poly or more oil? Is it too late to coat the top with epoxy if I’ve already oiled it with BLO? My jig must have bowed a bit as I flattened the top. Should I belt-sand out the waves and bows more? Or start over? How flat should the top be?
All comments are welcome. Not just courteous comments. You people are too kind. Some of us need constructive criticism to push it a little further. Thanks for lookin.
rick