Greenaqua Posted June 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 I was able to tackle a few things this weekend. Let's 1st discuss the flattening. I did the router sled technique. I made the flat rails from construction lumber and then used the "X" technique by using fishing line (40lb test). I then found what I thought would be the lowest part of my bench top and proceeded to route away. It turned out that the opposite corner of my bench was the lowest point on my bench (discovered after I had finished this 1st pass). It was about 1/64" low and I could have left it alone but since I had gone through all this trouble I figured why not go over the whole bench again and remove that much material. So I had just finished my 2nd pass and was all happy and then I had a brain fart and picked up/tilted my router before I had turned it off. After the giant bit did it's damage it left about a 1/16" deep x 1 3/4" gouge in my bench. So after a few swear words and me losing my temper I went ahead and took 1/16" more off the bench on a 3rd pass. So, it took me a couple of hours to do all of this, making a heck of a lot of saw dust but the bench is now FLAT! I removed about a total of 1/8" or slightly more for a final bench thickness of about 4 1/2" With the bench flat I marked the leg vise, shaped it and reinstalled it. I then worked on the gap stop which I had glued up but didn't have it flush with my bench yet. By the way if anybody has been following this I took care of the gap inconsistency by using my track saw in the split top and removing a sliver off the back slab so that it was all consistently the same gap width, I then flipped the slab over and used a flush trim bottom bearing bit to remove the remaining material that the 3" deep blade couldn't get to. Yesterday, I used some 4/4 hard maple that I have had since I started this hobby (some of the 1st boards I ever bought) and made the ship lapped shelves. I also cut the bottom runner for the deadman and glue it into place and attached the suede to the leg vise and tail vise areas. I haven't yet decided if I am going to put the suede onto the dogs because I am not sure there is really enough space to allow for the dogs to recess into their dog holes if the suede is added. Here are some pictures: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Great work. Bummer about having to do it 3 times but it happens. After routing, how did you go about smoothing the rough routed surface? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 As a lefty I approve...thinking that when I eventually build mine it wiil be the same configuration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Now all thats left to do is go over it with a hand plan to remove all those machine marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted June 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Great work. Bummer about having to do it 3 times but it happens. After routing, how did you go about smoothing the rough routed surface? Well, I ran my random orbit sander over it once with 120 grit sand paper mainly to remove the burn marks that were bothering me. It was already fairly smooth after routing but you can see lines where the router went over it but can't feel them. You can still see the lines but I am not to worried about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Looks great! You'll appreciate that attention to detail every time you use the bench! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtrPilot Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 By the way if anybody has been following this I took care of the gap inconsistency by using my track saw in the split top and removing a sliver off the back slab so that it was all consistently the same gap width, I then flipped the slab over and used a flush trim bottom bearing bit to remove the remaining material that the 3" deep blade couldn't get to. Greg...I have been following and must say that I have learned a lot of woodworking techniques reading your posts. Thanks for sharing. Your bench looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 That is one workbench worthy of the name, my friend! Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted June 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 I have completed the deadman and drilled the holes in the slab for the holdfasts. All that is left to do is get this thing sanded and finished. I am glad this project is coming to a completion and I am fairly sure that my wife and kids are as well. My daughter knows when I am watching Marc's videos from the music that he has in his videos. They were invaluable during this process and I am not sure that I would have completed it correctly or as easy without them. Anybody with trepidation going into this I would advise purchasing the project videos/plans. Thanks for everybody's positive kind words as it kept me motivated to keep at it and get it going. There are quite a few that had done this project and reading through each one of your posts really helped. I have one more post to do and that is with pictures of a finished bench. In the meantime, here are the pictures of the deadman and an exciting picture of the holes in the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Looks awesome! You're lucky to have gotten the old handles. The new cherry handles are pretty boring and blah. I might turn my own handles sometime after I complete the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtrPilot Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 I agree with Tom, your bench looks awesome. I would like to thank you for sharing your experiences and pictures. I have learned a lot and it has helped me with my Roubo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted June 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Looks awesome! You're lucky to have gotten the old handles. The new cherry handles are pretty boring and blah. I might turn my own handles sometime after I complete the bench. Tom, I think the cherry handles are going to look good on your bench since it will match your end cap. You may want to make some elements such as your deadman, gap stop, or bench dogs from cherry to get a nice look to it all. I was half tempted to use some walnut but decided to use the maple I had already bought because I don't plan on using any more maple for quite some time and the next couple of projects I am doing I will need walnut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Tom, I think the cherry handles are going to look good on your bench since it will match your end cap. You may want to make some elements such as your deadman, gap stop, or bench dogs from cherry to get a nice look to it all. I was half tempted to use some walnut but decided to use the maple I had already bought because I don't plan on using any more maple for quite some time and the next couple of projects I am doing I will need walnut. The problem with the cherry knobs from BC is that they are acrylic infused so I can't put finish on them to make it match. I'm gonna finish my bench with Danish oil, to give it some additional protection, which will darken the cherry. The BC stuff will "darken" over time from UV exposure, I'm thinking maybe putting them in a UV enclosure while I build the bench to try and darken them a bit more. I was considering on doing the deadman in cherry, and my leg vise in maple with cherry accents. I'm gonna do the dogs in maple since i anticipate having a lot of left over. I'm getting a bit low on Cherry, I have roughly 40-50BF of 8/4 cherry left, and I have some of it set aside for some personal projects. My gapstop is gonna be maple with cherry blocks/spacers to create the little tool holder cavities. I was thinking for my shelf underneath I would use some curly maple that I have, but I'm not sure about that part yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted June 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 The problem with the cherry knobs from BC is that they are acrylic infused so I can't put finish on them to make it match. I'm gonna finish my bench with Danish oil, to give it some additional protection, which will darken the cherry. The BC stuff will "darken" over time from UV exposure, I'm thinking maybe putting them in a UV enclosure while I build the bench to try and darken them a bit more. I was considering on doing the deadman in cherry, and my leg vise in maple with cherry accents. I'm gonna do the dogs in maple since i anticipate having a lot of left over. I'm getting a bit low on Cherry, I have roughly 40-50BF of 8/4 cherry left, and I have some of it set aside for some personal projects. My gapstop is gonna be maple with cherry blocks/spacers to create the little tool holder cavities. I was thinking for my shelf underneath I would use some curly maple that I have, but I'm not sure about that part yet. That sounds like a good plan. Good point about the knobs. Speaking of left over wood, what the heck am I going to do with the left over lumber and the left over scraps which I have quite a bit of? I have no use for maple other than at some point building a moxon vise and I don't have any where to store this except my floor. My storage area is filled with walnut and cherry. I don't want to burn this stuff! SCRAP PILE: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 That sounds like a good plan. Good point about the knobs. Speaking of left over wood, what the heck am I going to do with the left over lumber and the left over scraps which I have quite a bit of? I have no use for maple other than at some point building a moxon vise and I don't have any where to store this except my floor. My storage area is filled with walnut and cherry. I don't want to burn this stuff! SCRAP PILE: Wood scraps 06-02-15.jpg Make lots and lots of Reindeer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted June 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Ok, here is the final picture with the finish. I put one coat of Danish oil on the bench and then a 2nd coat on the top and chop. Thanks again for all the help/encouragement that has been provided. Time to now start using it and giving it some character. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtrPilot Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Looks great! Thanks once again for sharing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Awesome final product. Thanks for taking us along for the journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Super awesome! Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwood Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 The bench looks great! If I was closer I'd take care of your scrap pile, I could put about every piece of that to good use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 Looks amazing. Really good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillieIV Posted June 10, 2015 Report Share Posted June 10, 2015 Great Job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Great work Greg, came out super clean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekf Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Great progress. Where can I get plans for a bench like this.......thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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