woodtickgreg
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Building one when you don't have one to begin with....
- Thread starter Schroedc
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #23
And we're pretty much done. Got the frame bored and bolted together today, the top attached to it, Final flattening with my trusty No. 7, a quick smooth with the 4 1/2 and it's ready to use. Is it a masterpiece of craftsmanship? No. Is it likely to be a sought after piece once I'm dead? Probably not. Will it do what I need it to do day in and day out for quite a while? Heck yes. No, the Joints aren't a piece of art but they are tight and it was square without any tweaking. Being bolted together means It can be taken apart for moving or storage, or recycled into other projects down the road.
This thing is solid. I was walking on the top while boring the holes to bolt the top down, not a wiggle or a wobble. When I hit the top with the No. 7 it never moved. On a smooth floor you could always put squares of shelf grip under the legs too.
I built this bench in under 3 days of working time (I kept track of the hours into it) using nothing but hand tools. A guy could get by building this with nothing but a tape measure, square, one plane, one saw, a brace and bit, chisel and mallet, some clamps, and a wrench. Total cost to build this bench including glue and hardware? 87.50 (I recycled the lift wheels off a cart I had built for a tailed devil I no longer own)
Yes, jointing the boards to remove the radius edge would make for an easier time smoothing the top but as long as it is flat and straight a few gaps here and there don't really matter. You'll plane them out over time each time you clean up the top.
I still have some things to do like mount the vises, drill some dog holes, and put a finish on it, yes those will add a bit to the cost to build one like this but shop around, A guy can find finish at the recycle place, you can get by without a vise if you have to if you have a few clamps or even use bench dogs and wedges to get things tight. I'll sand some on the base to soften a few edges and get it cleaned up for finish. Down the road there will probably be a cabinet or some drawers underneath for tool storage (That'll add weight to it too)
This thing is solid. I was walking on the top while boring the holes to bolt the top down, not a wiggle or a wobble. When I hit the top with the No. 7 it never moved. On a smooth floor you could always put squares of shelf grip under the legs too.
I built this bench in under 3 days of working time (I kept track of the hours into it) using nothing but hand tools. A guy could get by building this with nothing but a tape measure, square, one plane, one saw, a brace and bit, chisel and mallet, some clamps, and a wrench. Total cost to build this bench including glue and hardware? 87.50 (I recycled the lift wheels off a cart I had built for a tailed devil I no longer own)
Yes, jointing the boards to remove the radius edge would make for an easier time smoothing the top but as long as it is flat and straight a few gaps here and there don't really matter. You'll plane them out over time each time you clean up the top.
I still have some things to do like mount the vises, drill some dog holes, and put a finish on it, yes those will add a bit to the cost to build one like this but shop around, A guy can find finish at the recycle place, you can get by without a vise if you have to if you have a few clamps or even use bench dogs and wedges to get things tight. I'll sand some on the base to soften a few edges and get it cleaned up for finish. Down the road there will probably be a cabinet or some drawers underneath for tool storage (That'll add weight to it too)
woodtickgreg
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That'll do, beat the crap out of it!!
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- #25
The other thing too, if I beat it up too bad and decide to surface with something else I could always cover it with 4/4 maple on top of the pine.
Is the top lagbolted or bolted
Nice project , thanks for sharing
No stain? No poly? No decorative drawers and doors like Mikes?
Came out great too. Nice job Colin....
woodtickgreg
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I seriously doubt you will wear it out. If it gets too mangled just belt sand it and apply some more finish, done! Last one I made like that about 15 years ago is still in use, however I did cut it in half because it was too big. Now half is in the wood shop and half is in the metal shop. I do plan to make a new bench but not because I wore out the pine bench, because there are some features I want to have in a new bench.
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- #31
6 inch long 5/16th lag bolts. If I have any issues with them loosening I'll just drill them through and use regular bolts.
It'll get some poly eventually, I still need to mount the vises and figure out a few other things. Eventually there will probably be drawers or a cabinet underneath.
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- #32
woodtickgreg
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Not if it has a finish on it.
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- #34
Scrub plane will take finish off, but it can gum the plane sole up a bit. But I get what you're saying. I'd probably scrape the finish first before planing. I don;t own a belt sander, haven't in years.
Too cool! I need to do something like this at some point.
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- #36
Yes, Yes you do. Although I don't know how you'd make it with a lathe.....
That's what's kept me from doing it... that and laziness.