Bench Plans?

Re: Bench Plans?

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>hey thom, you can add table saw tenon jigs and crosscut sleds to the list of woodworking overkill!

Re: Bench Plans?

Steve Kubien

>I agree with you Thom but I do tend to look at the basic ideas in those articles (ok, I look at the pictures). I do this to see if anything 'new' is being published. Sadly, this is rarely the case. In the past I have bought a magazine because it featured a really nice bench but ever since I removed the vises from my bench and went with holdfasts, I don't even look very often anymore.

It is partially do my tastes and interests, but I feel most handtool woodworkers should look no further than Chris Schwartz's Roubo-style bench in Woodworking Magazine.

As for the revolving door of tool tests/comparisons...well...you never know when a company is going to release a new version with really snazzy graphics like the Hitachi tools? Also, have you noticed that many of the tool tests involve, what I consider, disposable tools? Think of cordless drills and mitre saws and many smaller tablesaws... These things tend to get a lot of serious use and abuse. Consumers are gobbling these tools up as fast as they can. Rarely do we see a test of serious machinery (full size cabinet saws, shapers etc). Too bad, because the buying public may be better served if they saved a few extra dollars and bought a tool that would last through a lot years.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox and glad I am not in the market for any new power tools. In fact, I should be installing my post drill this week! Woohoo! One more electron burner bites the dust!

See ya,

Steve Kubien

Re: Bench Plans?

ThomD

>Great ideas!

A bench article used to be a trigger, but seriously, there are so many designs these days. A bench is really a simple thing, and given vageries of our access to vises, lumber, space, etc... One pretty much has to make one's own. I first built the Tage Frid bench, and with the tailvice I needed instructions. But my second bench has twin lee valley vises. Not the way my heart was leaning, but incredibly functional, I clung on by the fingernails with square dog holes, which seem to work easier. Then I built a japanese horse and beam system. Have I run out of space, sure! If one of the large family oaks topples I will probably get my Roubo. It has to be a full top like the one in the Landis book.

The last bench I thought was all that great was the one FWW did several years ago that used 2x lumber nad pipe clamps. Not sure it really was all that great, but it was inovative. Oh Oh Oh, the one Janovsky did in Woodwork was really clever also.

For a guy like me (messy) a post mounted patermaker's vise, and a planing beam would probably be the best combination.

Horses, beams and the next bench...

Steve Kubien

>Thom,

When you mention a Japanese style beam, are you talking about a long, sloping beam like in Odate's book or a smaller, portable 4ft long-ish beam on sled feet? If the latter, do you use it on the floor as per tradition? As for the next bench...well, there's always a 'next' bench.

Thanks,

Steve Kubien

-watching the snow come crashing down in Ajax Ont.

Re: Horses, beams and the next bench...

ThomD

>"Purlmutter, fat, camoed and stupid is no way to go through life" to paraphrase Animal House. This is a pretty old pic, I'm planing sail battens on a 2x6 beam.

The one I made has trestles like Jay Van Arsdale showed in his video, and a 10 foot beam. I think this design came via Imai, though Iami uses a nailed base, at least in the pictures I saw, but timber guys usually have some serious trestles. I first used a pywood box beam which, really worked well, then I added the 10 foot pine beam when I found it. Last summer I hewed out a 12 or so foot beam out of red oak. It weighs about 300 pounds. I won't know how it's doing until I check it in spring. I left the up side with bark on it.

Re: Horses, beams and the next bench...

ThomD

>"Fat, camoed, and stupid is no way to go through life, son" to paraphrase Animal House. This is a pretty old pic, I'm planing sail battens on a 2x6 beam.

The one I made has trestles like Jay Van Arsdale showed in his video, and a 10 foot beam. I think this design came via Imai, though Imai uses a nailed base, at least in the pictures I saw, but timber guys usually have some serious trestles. I first used a plywood box beam which, really worked well, then I added the 10 foot pine beam when I found it. Last summer I hewed out a 12 or so foot beam out of red oak. It weighs about 300 pounds. I won't know how it's doing until I check it in spring. I left the up side with bark on it.

Re: Steve - it's crashing down in Pickering too

ThomD

>