Just yesterday (Sunday) I finished my first project - my workbench. This project has been in the "works" for three years. It was a matter of slowly collecting the necessary machinery and the place to put it.
The center of the workbench is actually a chunk of a bowling alley that my step son gave me two years ago. I had to flatten the surface (bowling ball wear - I guess) with a router sled and rails. I then wrapped it with 4x4 oak, attached a subframe, laminated the legs (oak and walnut),attached the feet (walnut), attached the stretchers (all thread through the centers with walnut caps), attached the skirt and end vise (hard maple), installed the t-track and twin screw vise hardware and finally finished it all off with boiled linseed oil.
It is not perfect but it sure beats using my table saw as a workbench. It is not as long as most workbenches (55") but it is fairly wide (33") and a little bit taller than most (39" - this ole back doesn't bend over as easy as it used to). I plan on building boxes, treasure chests and hope chests so I figure it should be adequate.
This sure was quite the learning experience! When glueing - you can never move fast enough or have enough clamps. Plan your work and then work your plan. Never, ever sneeze while routing - see attachment! SHARP tools (chisels and planes) are SO much easier to use. Measure, think about it and then measure again - hard maple is expensive!
I would like to thank all of you SMCers for all the ideas, tips and tricks I gained by surfing the posts - it was a tremendous help!
Larry
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Originally Posted by Larry VanWinkle
