Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Bench update
Jeff
>Thought I would show the progress on my bench. Not a furniture quality by any means! But it is staying in my shop and not going the house. :-)
Think I am going to have to redo the vice mounting method. Waiting on my columbian vice for the end to be shipped. Still planning the top flat too. Someday I want to take the shelf out and put in drawers but for now I need a bench quickly! But all in all I am think I am going to be pleased!
Re: Bench update
rtutsky
>Hi Jeff,
I'm in the same boat as you. I am presently gluing up some douglas fir as you did. I find that it's tough to find 2x4 stock without knots on one edge. The Borg stuff is terrible. I had more luck at a local lumber yard. I also like your base, it looks pretty solid. Good luck with the new vise. I have one that I'll be using for my end vise that I got at a flea market for $15 and it sure looks sweet. I can't wait to get to the stage you're at. What's the length of your top? I'm going for 60" because I don't make very large projects.
Rob
Re: Bench update
Jeff
>Mine is 72" at the moment. Mainly because I bought 12' long 2x12's and cut them in half. BTW that is how you find good looking lumber. There are no good 2x4's around! 2x12's are much better! You can get 3 - 3-1/2 boards out of each one.
I need to trim one end of the bench and then I am going to cap it but have not decided how just yet. So it may end being a tab over 6' long.
Re: noise!
paul womack
>Judging by that Peavey cab, you're not into the "quiet side" of woodworking ;-)
BugBear
Speak a little louder please!
Kudzu
>ROFLOL, I wondered if anyone would see that. Those belong to my Church and we had no place to store it. I was afraid of it getting damaged so I keep it. We use it at outdoor events for music. I figured since I had it stored I might as well use it. The really neat part is I just tie it into my laptop or tablet PC and listen to Internet Radio. Something about the Blues and woodworking that really goes together.
And yes I can hear it above the tablee saw if I want too. :-)
Kudzu Bench Photo
Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida
>Kudzu,
FWIW, you seem to keep uploading the picture of your mini-bench every time you post. Perhaps one of the admin folks can help?
That's a stout looking one...
Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA
>Doesn't look like it going to scoot across the floor anytime soon. Nice bench, look like it's suppost to be used and not babied.
Could you tell me how far down the leg vice screw is from the top of your bench?
Can you tell I'm working on the design of mine...
Leg vise opinion
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>It's not clear to me whether the fixed leg of your leg vise - the leg to which the nut is fastened - goes all the way up or not.
My grandfather's bench ran the leg vise on one leg, but attempted to use the top as the upper rear jaw. I found that the top moved visibly when I cranked the vise down, because the screw was putting enough pressure on it to distort the fasteners. The fixed jaw of a leg vise should run all the way to the top, even if it means cutting out part of your benchtop.
Good point, Bill.
Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX
>
Hey, I don't have very many ideas
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>so I repeat them regularly, hoping people will have forgotten between times.
Want to ask me about metal spokeshaves and the #151 style shave?
Re: Leg vise opinion
Kudzu
>Yup, I learned that lesson too. I have decided to leave this one alone for a while and use it as-is. My thinking is if I use it a while I will have a better idea of the best way to fix it. I am leaning toward just mortising it into the top.
:)
Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX
>
Re: That's a stout looking one...
Kudzu
>I will get you some measurements and post it here. I don't know off the top of my head.
And no it doesn't move! I am working on flattening the top a little each night. It's hard work! I have dug a plane into a few high spots and it doesn't budge an inch! Once I get it flat and the end vice done I think I am going to love it!
Re: Leg vise opinion
Davy Barr
>I have a leg vise on my bench and love it. However, I too made the cardinal mistake of not mortising the leg my vise is attached to into the bench top. To fix the problem, I'll have to basically rebuild my whole bench base. As it is, I live with the slight movement of the top knowing I'll have to fix it some day. For all of you future leg vise users: Be sure that you mortice the legs into your bench top and preferably make the legs flush with the edge of your top as well. This will make the leg vise work optimally.