More bench q's:

Re: More bench q's:

JL work

>Glue - Elmer's Probond or Titebond II is what I like. Sanding or planing the glued surfaces - probably a good idea. As your SYP is kiln dried, it is better to have a prepared surface for your glue.

I am not sure what you are intending with your drilling. When I built my bench, I had end caps and skirts around my bench core. I just drilled the end caps for my twin-screw vise.

Re: More bench q's:

Dean J in MN

>

The holes for my twin screw vise are my biggest concern, I think - any tips on how to do all this? I'm planning on drilling, before glue-up, 1 1/2 holes, 20" between the holes, through 20"-24" of the top. I'm thinking about turning two 1 1/2" cylinders out of anything dry, to use to line up the holes in the glue up - good idea, or no?

I used PVC pipe! Turns out to be the correct diameter (for 1-1/2" holes) and semi glue proof. Head over to your local harware store and grab a length and cut it into two parts. Worked well for me. Oh, I did rub them down with a little paste wax between each glue up, and I pulled them out once the glue had set up a little. I didn't want to take a chance of having them stuck.

Anything else I should know, before attempting to begin this massive glue up? I do plan on doing it two at a time, then progressing from there.

Any advice is appreciated - thanks.

I did my top one board at a time... Takes a few days, but the stress level is lower then trying to get multiple boards to line up.

-Dean

Re: More bench q's:

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>I did my top one board at a time... Takes a few days, but the stress level is lower then trying to get multiple boards to line up.

If you use PVA glue, I think you have to do it this way so you can come close to providing the bondline pressure required to achieve good strength.

Obviously you should bore your holes oversize, then loose fit in the alignment pins. The loose holes will help with alignment. You may find you don't need pins at all.

I would cut in holes for the vise nuts, legs, planing stop hole, or dog holes prior to glue up.

Adam

Re: More bench q's:

Hank Knight in SC

>David, I drilled dog holes in the edge of my bench top before glueing up. I laid them out and drilled them in the first piece and then used the first piece as the template to drill the remaining strips. I used the first piece for the template each time so I didn't multiply any error I made. I used waxed wooden dowels to align the pieces for glue up. The dowels were a snug fit, but the wax made it possible to slide them in and out and it kept glue from sticking to them. Like Dean, I pulled them out when the glue started to set up. Worked like a charm; the holes lined up perfectly.

Re: More bench q's:

Jeff Schmidt (KY)

>I would suggest not tenoning the legs into the benchtop as in the original Roubo bench. First, that design does not accommodate the inevitable wood movement that will occur with your top. Second the through tenon design on a top that is 3 to 5 inches thick with the tenons separated by 60 inches is very difficult to say the least.

Use tenons that are about 1 to 1-1/2 inches tall. The front tenons should fit the mortises in the top snugly so that they keep the front legs flush with the face of the top. This may seem odd but the long aspect of these tenons should run front to back. The rear tenons should be similar except you should increase the size of the mortise (front-to-back) so as to create a gap on the sides of the tenon for top movement. These tenons should fit snugly side-to-side. Do not do this work prior to lamination. Cut your top leg tenons after you have trued up the legs. After the base is assembled, lay it upside down on the bottom of the bench top and mark the mortise locations.

Add a set of stretchers running front to back at the top of your legs. The top of these stretchers would be flush with the shoulders of your leg tenons. Plow a groove along the inside of these stretchers close to the top of the stretcher. With this groove, you can use mounting cleats that are screwed into the top. These cleats will keep the top flat to the stretchers and still allow front- to- back wood movement of the top.

While predrilling the holes for the bench vise is advisable, do not predrill the holdfast holes. You do not know exactly where you will want them yet, and you want the flexibility to drill through glue lines. You will be adding more than you originally envision anyway, many times as the need arises.

Hijack sort of -Pictures Dean ?

Wendell @ Murphy, TX

>Dean,

I read in a previous that you borrow a digi camera.

Any picture of the bench yet? Please takes lots.

Wendell

Re: More bench q's:

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Thanks JL: my twin screw is going on the right front of my bench, not on the end, I should have made that clear. I'm making the vise, so before glue up I have the oportunity to drill my holes nice, neat and perpendicular in each board, without trying to bore a 1 1/2 hole 24" into my benchtop.

Thanks,

David

Re: More bench q's:

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Thanks Dean, the PVC is a great idea. And I do plan on taking my time with this, so I'll probably just go for two, maybe three boards at a time.

David

Re: More bench q's:

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Thanks Adam. I got the wood today, after a little bit of hassle, and bought some Titebond II this afternoon. I hope to borrow my uncle's surface planer real soon, then I'll start actually working with the lumber.

David

Re: More bench q's:

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Thanks Hank - no dog holes in my bench, or tail vise for that matter. I'm just using a planing stop, with holdfasts and battons.

David

Re: More bench q's:

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Thanks for the thoughts Jeff. I hadn't planned on predrilling holdfast holes, because I don't have a very good idea where I want them yet for sure. The mortise and tenons I want to join the top to the base with aren't going to be through tenons - no end grain thru the top. And I was advised not to bother pinning those mortises either, becuase the top will be so heavy. So, without pins, or thru mortises, I think the top will still be able to move. I'm also going to build the base of my bench after I glue up the top, so I can build it to fit the mortises exactly.

Thanks.

David