Installing a Sliding Deadman

[JohnnyNoName]

After installing the Leg Vise onto my Roubo style workbench (read the thread here), I continued onto the sliding deadman. I got most of the information for the install from Christopher Schwarz's "Workbench's" book and some of the articles from Popular Woodworking. I started by measuring the front stretcher on the workbench and found a properly sized piece of walnut in the shop to make the "guide", for lack of a better word, out of.

I squared and dimensioned the piece of walnut. I cut a fourty-five degree angle on each side of one end. I trimmed the point off the end (I didn't want the sharp edge on top of the stretcher. I have enough sharp things laying around the shop.) and then ripped the triangular edge. I measured to length by marking it off the stretcher itself.

I used four screws to secure the guide, so I had to pre-drill and counter-sink for the screw.

I then pre-drilled the stretcher for the screws. I had seven screws, and I went through all of them, because flat-head screws kept stripping (I hate those things).

I moved onto the deadman itself. As much as I would like to make the deadman look nicer, I want to get this thing finished. I used a simple piece of maple. I can always come back and make a new one that looks better later. (How many times have we all said that). This is what I started with.

The piece came out to about 2" thick and 6" wide.

I laid out the two ends of the deadman's joinery.

First I cut the bottom on the table saw.

Next I cut the shoulder cuts for the top of the deadman.

[JohnnyNoName]

I cut the shoulders with my ryoba saw.

After testing the fit in the top groove, I had to recut the shoulders. I left extra length on the board to accommodate this, because I wasn't exactly sure how long to make the top tongue so that it would slid into the top groove as well as stay in once it was seated on the bottom guide.

I tested out the deadman, and it went from one side to the other without a problem. I waxed the guide to make it slide a little smoother. Next up is drilling the holes.

Jonathan

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[gardnesd]

stupid question. do you get thick pieces of maple like that locally? Can't find that stuff anywhere around Charleston, SC. Guess I could laminate 2 or 3 wide stocks together.

[JohnnyNoName]

stupid question. do you get thick pieces of maple like that locally? Can't find that stuff anywhere around Charleston, SC. Guess I could laminate 2 or 3 wide stocks together.

This was from a bunch of lumber that I bought on Craigslist. He was moving to Japan and needed to get rid of it. He did purchase it from a lumber yard in West Virginia (I'm in Maryland). I am able to get lumber this thick from other local sources, within an 1 1/2 drive if that's local. Have you tried Craigslist or a local sawyer? They might be able to help you out.

Jonathan

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[RenaissanceWW]

Johnny, hey fellow Marylander. Nice work on the bench and deadman. That fitting is a really trial and error process. I'm curious why you chose to make your deadman so thick. I went thick on mine because I used a sliding leg vise instead of a deadman, but if I remember Schwarz only used like 1 1/4 or thinner for his deadman. Yours will probably hold up much longer but seeing how expensive 8/4 stock can be I was curious. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on working with the deadman and what possibilities its opens up for work holding.

[JohnnyNoName]

Johnny, hey fellow Marylander. Nice work on the bench and deadman. That fitting is a really trial and error process. I'm curious why you chose to make your deadman so thick. I went thick on mine because I used a sliding leg vise instead of a deadman, but if I remember Schwarz only used like 1 1/4 or thinner for his deadman. Yours will probably hold up much longer but seeing how expensive 8/4 stock can be I was curious. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on working with the deadman and what possibilities its opens up for work holding.

Hey Shannon -

I used 8/4 stock because I had it. :-) I got about 400 bft. of fixed materials on Craigslist for $600, so it was economical. I find that if I keep holding on to those big or nice pieces of lumber for something special, I never really use them. I have been just buying new lumber for projects, and my shop is overflowing with lumber. It's getting in the way, so I want to use it up. This was soft maple, and I still have a bunch of 8/4 hard maple from the Craigslist purchase.

The groove for the tongue on top was about 2" away from the front of the workbench, so I know I had to use something thick. I didn't want to wait for a glue up either, so I went for 8/4 stock. As I stated, I want to do something special on the deadman, maybe carve something on it like a Polish eagle or something, so I wasn't really worried about how the deadman looked, as long as it worked. Of course I've never done any carving, so we will see how it goes.

One thing I have already noticed about the way it works, is that the deadman can tip and not slide if I push it from too high of a spot. I will need to make it wider at the bottom when I make the new one. I plan on using the Lee Valley Surface Clamp on the deadman to hold the material. I am going to try and purchase it at WIA this weekend.

I am still meaning to come up and see you at the Steppingstone Museum, it just hasn't happened yet.

Jonathan

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[JohnnyNoName]

I finished up the BETA version of the deadman today by drilling out the 3/4" holes using a forstner bit in my drill press. I made two columns of holes spaced out at 1" intervals. I offset one of the columns by 1/2" to give me more support options. I plan on using the Veritas Surface Clamp on the deadman. I will let you know how it works once I have it installed.

Jonathan

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