estesbubba Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Not done with hand routing yet, still gotta do the deadman groove and the top mortises Mortises look great. Nice work man.What makes you think I'm not using my router plane for that? Should take about the same amount of time, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 (edited) Bought a 3/8" drill bit that was 6" long from Lowes which was total crap. I could tell just eyeballing it that it was too big and steel rod confirmed the obvious. So I got impatient and decided to try drilling from both sides using my existing drill bit. I was careful and dead on! Need to do some more studying before finishing the vise install.Instructions said 1/8 - 3/8" toe in is normal and I'm at 3/8". Edited December 15, 2015 by estesbubba Hit save accidentally :( 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 Bought a 3/8" drill bit that was 6" long from Lowes which was total crap. I could tell just eyeballing it that it was too big and steel rod confirmed the obvious. http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp200/mike290/Woodtalk/ABF26151-D1D8-4B02-A0BD-6FCA87962E17_zps0mv22jxi.jpgtold ya The one I got at Woodcraft worked well. Same one Tom got too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 told ya The one I got at Woodcraft worked well. Same one Tom got too. Well I avoided the Bosch and still picked a crap one. Good news I'll return it since my drill from both sides method worked. Hey now I have cut from both sides and drill from both sides skills from this project. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Installed the tail vise tonight and man it's smooth. Just like Brian I found the slotted screws suck and ended up using square drive for the install. Took the vise off and will buy better screws for final install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Nice! Another big milestone. I hate slotted screws. I honestly can't understand any non-aesthetic reason to use them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post estesbubba Posted December 19, 2015 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Oh yeah this feels good and every corner came out dead square! Poor old bench is getting its last use before being retired to the garage. Sure hope I didn't miss anything before assembling because this sucker isn't coming apart. Getting the guts to glue it up was like trying to jump into a cold pool! Clamps aren't needed with the draw bore joinery but it makes me feel better that they are there. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Sweet, getting down to the home stretch. Bet you're excited. First time you clamp stuff up you're going to wonder how you did anything before Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post estesbubba Posted December 20, 2015 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 The width of my base came in 1/32" under and I decided to have the back slab overhang by that much instead of being flush which kept my bench 24" wide. I could have just shrunk the gap stop buy I wanted that extra 1/32" of workspace! I trace the feet and routed the mortises and deadman groove. I got lucky as the base dropped in the first with absolutely no play. Please Brian and Tom tell me I'm finally done with all this crazy deep hand-held routing! My 1/2 spiral upcut is ready for retirement. The slabs are in pretty good shape but the back one drops by 1/16" on the leg vise end which would mean removing that much from the front slab. I put a couple of washers under that end which would mean removing a lot less material to flatten. You guys think I should cut some wood shims for under the rail to raise that end to reduce the amount of material removed? Here it is with the washers under it. It's a great feeling seeing it finally on the floor and for the first time looking like a bench. My concrete floor is nice and flat in that area so more good luck today. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Looks absolutely fabulous!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Mike it looks fantastic. Now you're REALLY in the home stretch. No more routing! Since your slabs sit perfectly flat on the base and it's only 1/16 to remove, I personally wouldn't mess with shims. 1/16 is nothing. You might notice if you look closely at the dovetails, but I doubt it. Also: make sure you leave the dogs in the dog holes when you flatten. That way they stay at or below the surface after you remove material. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Looking amazing Mike. Its crazy how that monstrous bench doesnt even look all that big in that enormous shop! Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 1 hour ago, bgreenb said: Mike it looks fantastic. Now you're REALLY in the home stretch. No more routing! Since your slabs sit perfectly flat on the base and it's only 1/16 to remove, I personally wouldn't mess with shims. 1/16 is nothing. You might notice if you look closely at the dovetails, but I doubt it. Also: make sure you leave the dogs in the dog holes when you flatten. That way they stay at or below the surface after you remove material. Brian did you hit your dogs while flattening? I'll peel my suede down or remove because no idea on what would happen if the bit hit it. I'm going to install my spax screws before doing my final analysis of the top to pull everything tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Mike it looks fantastic. Now you're REALLY in the home stretch. No more routing! Since your slabs sit perfectly flat on the base and it's only 1/16 to remove, I personally wouldn't mess with shims. 1/16 is nothing. You might notice if you look closely at the dovetails, but I doubt it. Also: make sure you leave the dogs in the dog holes when you flatten. That way they stay at or below the surface after you remove material. Brian did you hit your dogs while flattening? I'll peel my suede down or remove because no idea on what would happen if the bit hit it. I'm going to install my spax screws before doing my final analysis of the top to pull everything tight. The width of my base came in 1/32" under and I decided to have the back slab overhang by that much instead of being flush which kept my bench 24" wide. I could have just shrunk the gap stop buy I wanted that extra 1/32" of workspace! I trace the feet and routed the mortises and deadman groove. I got lucky as the base dropped in the first with absolutely no play. Please Brian and Tom tell me I'm finally done with all this crazy deep hand-held routing! My 1/2 spiral upcut is ready for retirement. The slabs are in pretty good shape but the back one drops by 1/16" on the leg vise end which would mean removing that much from the front slab. I put a couple of washers under that end which would mean removing a lot less material to flatten. You guys think I should cut some wood shims for under the rail to raise that end to reduce the amount of material removed? Here it is with the washers under it. It's a great feeling seeing it finally on the floor and for the first time looking like a bench. My concrete floor is nice and flat in that area so more good luck today. The spax screws were fun to install.... Looks good Mike Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 1 hour ago, estesbubba said: Brian did you hit your dogs while flattening? I'll peel my suede down or remove because no idea on what would happen if the bit hit it. I'm going to install my spax screws before doing my final analysis of the top to pull everything tight. I did hit my dogs but I hadn't applied the suede yet. I doubt it would matter since you're removing so little but you're probably right better safe than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Last night I chopped the mortise in the leg for the dog, installed the Spax screws, then sanded the bottom and put Danish oil on it and the bottom of the legs. Put another coat on the bottom of the legs this morning as they keep sucking it up. It didn't darken it too bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Cant see in the pics, what do the spax screw hold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 4 hours ago, shaneymack said: Cant see in the pics, what do the spax screw hold? They just hold the slabs to the base. One screw on each end of each slab through the short upper rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 5 hours ago, shaneymack said: Cant see in the pics, what do the spax screw hold? Well crap first some people couldn't see my Google Photos and people said to use Photobucket which appears to have same problem. Anyway Brian answered the question on the spax screws. They probably actually do nothing unless you lift up on the top. The slabs are so heavy and register into the leg mortises and don't budge when pushing on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Cant see in the pics, what do the spax screw hold? Well crap first some people couldn't see my Google Photos and people said to use Photobucket which appears to have same problem. Anyway Brian answered the question on the spax screws. They probably actually do nothing unless you lift up on the top. The slabs are so heavy and register into the leg mortises and don't budge when pushing on them. Take a breather Mike. Re read what i wrote. I can see the photo i just couldnt see where the spax screw was Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 2 minutes ago, shaneymack said: Take a breather Mike. Re read what i wrote. I can see the photo i just couldnt see where the spax screw was Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk I guess 2 letter words really do matter! Maybe I shouldn't try to write code and reply on a forum at the same time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted December 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Sanded most of the base tonight to 180 while it was upside down and no top on it. I put the slabs back on and tightened the spax screws. The slabs sit nicely on the rails and most of the height differences are because the front slab is 1/32 thicker than the rear. This is actually good since the dog strip needs a little cleanup anyway. Looking at the slab from the pic below here is the depth of the low spots at 5 positions working top to bottom. 0,0,1/32,1/32 0,0,3/64,1/32 0,0,1/32,1/32 0,0,1/32,0 0,1/64,1/32,0 Marc's had a corner 1/4" high so looks like I got pretty lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Really looking incredible Mike! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 7 hours ago, estesbubba said: I guess 2 letter words really do matter! Maybe I shouldn't try to write code and reply on a forum at the same time. At least it wasn't a punctuation issue. Let's eat Mike. Vs Let's eat, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 Looking great, Mike. Am I mistaking or do I hear your old bench starting to whimper a little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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