building sitting benches with no tools

[duckkisser]

i would like to build some benches.  the only tools i have are bandsaw,  router, drill, hand planes, belt sander, random orbital sander, circular saw.  anyone have any sugestions on how i can build benches using only those tools? i dont have a jointer, planer, table saw or drill press which is what i would use before i use anything.  i had thought to buy eather a bisquit cuter or a kreg screw jig for joinery. 

[bobcrosley]

What type of bench is necessary for inlay work? I'm not familiar with any specific requirements.

Do you need a solid top with bench dog holes, etc? If not, having some ply cut for you and then laminating it could give you a flat top without needing much in the way of tools, etc.

[G S Haydon]

. Bob makes a good point. Just some overlapping 2 x 4 fixed with screws and a sheet of ply or two on the top.

[duckkisser]

What type of bench is necessary for inlay work? I'm not familiar with any specific requirements.

Do you need a solid top with bench dog holes, etc? If not, having some ply cut for you and then laminating it could give you a flat top without needing much in the way of tools, etc.

 

sorry I should have been more clear the inlay for the top can be anything its just a matter of being able to cut a depression in the surface.  these will be siting benches not work benches like this http://mediatechnologies.com/images/sized/uploads/products/bm_bench_uph-640x0.png then ill inlay a picture in the top for decoration. thought to try and make a market of benches like this with stone/wood inlays in the top preferably with a solid wood top. 

[jHop]

Are you trying to build the bench to make the inlays, or will you be trying to add the inlays to the bench you build?

 

If you are trying to add the inlay to the bench you build, the router works just fine.  You might even want to pick up a smaller router, or even one of the Harbor Freight Dremel® type devices, if you want to get small enough.  (Not necessary, but just thinking out loud.)

 

Adding the inlay to the bench you build is assuming you have a bench already and are building a sitting bench using it.  You can also deliniate the areas to route out with a sharp marking knife, chisel, box cutter, pocket knife, X-Acto knife, or scalpel.  If you really wanted to, that is.

[duckkisser]

hahahaha ok ok I have removed the inlay aspect just forget it. I get that part its just the struggle to make a bench without joiter, table saw, planer.

[Beechwood Chip]

I changed the title to "building sitting benches" to reduce the confusion.  I knew what you meant, but I guess everyone still has ruobo on their minds.

 

I think those benches use a lot of mortise and tenon joints for strength and rigidity.  There's no reason you couldn't make them with the tools that you have.  You just have to make and use jigs to guide your hand tools, instead of using great big machine tools with the guides built in.  If it were me, I'd get a dowel max or something similar and use dowels and your drill for all the joints.  It may not be quite as strong as M&T joints, but I think it will be strong enough.

[Rapid Roger]

That is funny, there seems that there were a lot of benches built before any of those tools were ever even thought of.

Just what seems to be your problem?

 

Rog

[duckkisser]

That is funny, there seems that there were a lot of benches built before any of those tools were ever even thought of.

Just what seems to be your problem?

 

Rog

 

I guess figuring out how to go about doing it.  I know how to use a table saw and the bigger tools to do it.  but the rest im kind of at a loss.  for instance how can I cut out the legs evenly with no table saw...........realy realy don't want to use a hand saw especial since I don't own very good saws.  and I suck at cutting strait lines.  the hand plane will be a beast since I have no skills at sharping or using them. I might get some saw horses and flatten slabs using my router.   

 

 see i started wood working in a full shop with all the power tools anyone would want.  so never touched hand tools or smaller power tools.  why use a circular saw when i have a table saw with full table and half a dozen students to carry it for me.  in the classroom i only used the router on my table to make bases for clocks and trim for shelving.  so now that im at home its almost like im starting over. 

 

so basically how would you go about building a bench only using powered hand tools.   like beechwood suggested what kind of jigs and guides would be best for me to use?

[G S Haydon]

Duck,

 

I wish I could help more with the jig Idea but I'm still coming at it like Roger. By the time you make a jig you would probably get it done with some basic tools. A disposable hardpoint saw and a 1/2" chisel would do a great deal. I'm not down on the power tool idea, power tools are sweet, but this would be an ideal piece to practice some basic hand skills.

Perhaps I should be trying some inlay and jig making to expand my horizons too.

[CT Proctor]

 

 see i started wood working in a full shop with all the power tools anyone would want.

You still have access to a shop like that.....

[duckkisser]

You still have access to a shop like that.....

 

I know  man just hate to put you out or to take up all your time.  sometimes im a pain like when you had that meeting and i lost track of time and we had to leave the shop a mess. 

 

but  this winter i might need to borrow your shop for some bowl turning.  im turning all my blanks right now i have a whole shelf full of bowls and this winter i plan on inlaying pictures on all of them.  but towards the end of winter i might run out of bowls. 

[duckkisser]

Duck,

 

I wish I could help more with the jig Idea but I'm still coming at it like Roger. By the time you make a jig you would probably get it done with some basic tools. A disposable hardpoint saw and a 1/2" chisel would do a great deal. I'm not down on the power tool idea, power tools are sweet, but this would be an ideal piece to practice some basic hand skills.

Perhaps I should be trying some inlay and jig making to expand my horizons too.

if i wanted to make one it would be but i want to make a bunch like a dozen so that i can have a booth full of them and bowls, rings, earing, necklaces, ect... i plan on making a few so that i have some larger projects to sell at craft sales.  .i don't want to do mortise and tennon there just too time consuming and considering i am making a few i want them to be quality but still easy enough to build. 

[jmaichel]

I think you could go with something that is more like a saw bench. I would use half-lap joinery for the side stretchers and two solid pieces for the legs, then it's all just screwed together. You could also use a solid piece for the top instead of having it split down the middle like some benches have for ripping by hand. I have attached a saw bench that I built a couple years ago entirely by hand when I was a member of Shannon Roger's Hand Tool School. It's not the prettiest looking bench but it was my first real hand sawing attempt! 

[duckkisser]

thanks james

 

hmmm i could cut those  cuts out for the stretchers with my router i bet i could build a guide that would cut it without going too far into my legs and cut it too the size i want. and make it repeatable.   use my band saw to cut curved legs,  pocket screws to put it together then i would not have any hardware.showing. 

 

i can plane the top and bottom with a rail system http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqhQutXvyDM perhaps i can cut the tops with a circular saw but will a standard circular saw cut through 1-11/2 inch thick solid woods like white oak without getting bogged down?

[CT Proctor]

I know  man just hate to put you out or to take up all your time.  sometimes im a pain like when you had that meeting and i lost track of time and we had to leave the shop a mess.

It was no problem, I cleaned it the next day. I have a photo gig Saturday morning, so that's out. I'll be there Sunday until the Bears game starts, which is 3:30 this week.

[jmaichel]

thanks james

 

hmmm i could cut those  cuts out for the stretchers with my router i bet i could build a guide that would cut it without going too far into my legs and cut it too the size i want. and make it repeatable.   use my band saw to cut curved legs,  pocket screws to put it together then i would not have any hardware.showing. 

 

i can plane the top and bottom with a rail system http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqhQutXvyDM perhaps i can cut the tops with a circular saw but will a standard circular saw cut through 1-11/2 inch thick solid woods like white oak without getting bogged down?

 You could cut the half laps for the stretchers on the bandsaw or just go to home depot and buy a cheap $15 -$20 hand saw and cut the half laps with that. You could also use the hand saw to rip the stretchers and top. Another option is to just buy some boards that are already the width that you like and then all you have to worry about is cross cutting everything to length and the half lap for the stretchers.

[duckkisser]

ill be avoiding big box stores for lumber   nooo if i have any chance of selling these benches they will have to be unique pieces dont want to buy bulk lumber.  but i know what your saying.

[duckkisser]

woodsap that was for james you must have posted as i was posting........ill check out his bench and see if that is a style that would work for me.

[jmaichel]

ill be avoiding big box stores for lumber   nooo if i have any chance of selling these benches they will have to be unique pieces dont want to buy bulk lumber.  but i know what your saying.

Yes that makes sense, I had no idea you had the intention of selling these benches. I was thinking these were more utilitarian for your own personal use. If the intention is to sell these benches than I would think about going with different joinery than pocket hole. You may want to think about M&T joinery and perhaps adding a bench top mortiser to your tooling. A bench top mortiser would work well in your small shop. For the tenons, you could always cut them by hand or even cut them on the band saw and clean them up with a chisel, rabbet block plane or shoulder plane. Just spit-balling some ideas for you. Good luck!

 

James

[jHop]

If you're worried about sitting bench design, there are a couple of different examples out there.  One was created by Kari Hultman that created a buzz here.

 

You can also peruse the plans available at ana-white.com: most of those are built without access to larger tools.  I believe the easiest approach is to have two (or more) flat planks that will be used as posterior support panels (meaning you sit on them), k

[jHop]

Oops... deleted much in the edit to add the link to ana-white... and don't have time to rebuild it....

 

 

It's a simple build, though.  Tool set is what you already have.

[jHop]

Ok... have some time now to address that edit...

 

So, take the two planks, flip them upside down, use lumber store 1x2s with mitered corners and oversized holes (lengthwise oversize) to allow for movement, and use the 1x2 as a cleat.  These keep the seat together and allow for movement.

 

Legs can be a 4" post or a 3/4 or 4/4 side panel, and can be attached by screws, dowels, mortise/tenon, or whatever.  You can brace the legs with either a lower shelf or stretcher, or diagonal braces.  In the event of the braces, these can be cut to rest on the inside edge of the cleats.  Both the legs and the diagonal braces can be screwed to the cleats for fastening, and both will also need to be screwed (if you go that route) to the underside of the bench.

 

Best off: the tool list is only a circular saw or jig saw, a drill, and a couple of clamps.  To build the panel for the legs, clamp together the two pieces that will be glued edge to edge and plane them smooth - square does not matter at this stage because the edges will be matching.  If you opt for something other than screws, you only add a chisel to the tool list... simply drill out the holes and use the chisel to square them up.  The tenons (or wedges, or whatever) can still be cut by jig saw.  You might need to add a sanding block, though, if you go this route.

 

And, because it's live edge wood (if you can find live edge shorts from a local sawmill), it's unique automatically.  (Best yet, you can still add inlays if you want to.)  And I seem to recall this blog post talking about butterfly keys to hold two panel edges together to add interest.... Dale Oster, perhaps?

[duckkisser]

jhop  best answer thanks