..Kev Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 Yea, 19 hours seems a long time but, if that's what it took then, so be it.. Looking awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 sweet another build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted April 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 Yeah, I was a little surprised at that number too. I'm comfortable saying a majority of it was actual milling, but it was also breaking down the boards (22 total before ripping), and ripping the necessary boards. Then it was jointing and planing the resulting 22 pieces for the top slabs. I started out with the 4/4 pieces because they were very rough (compared to what I'm used to) and to keep the beech as thick as possible, I will thin the 4/4 pieces as necessary to hit the proper top widths. I was diligent the first day with the 4/4 boards using the more accurate method according to the build instructions. Thankfully, the beech boards were straight enough I just did skip planing then jointed an edge because towards the end I was getting close to the "F it" stage. There were times where I left the timer running and times when I forgot to start the timer. I kind of assumed they evened out so I didn't mess with them. I also forgot to start the timer entirely, didn't realize until the next day, and put in a manual entry. So, there's probably a sizable margin of error. Maybe it's a bad thing I listen to audiobooks because then I pay less attention to time... But, in general, I've always been slow at milling (and woodworking in general ). I have a Wixey digital gauge on my planer and I typically only take 1/32" (usually about 0.02 to 0.025) off each pass, sometimes up to 0.05. I didn't track the time for my office doors but that was about 60 BF of cherry, and I want to say that took me a day or two of rough cutting and planing as well. This is my first project since acquiring my jointer, which I also set to about 1/32". It does make me wonder now about my process - should I be taking heavier cuts or perhaps my knives are dull? I've seen lots of people complain about how the stock knives that come with the DW735 dull so quickly, but I'm still on my first set of knives (and I've regularly used the planer for the few years). One side has a few knicks so I use that side for rough milling (e.g., this weekend), and I flip them around when I want a smooth surface. Part of the reason I go with such light passes is that the planer slows down a bit (and makes quite a lot more noise) on 6"+ width cuts if I try for a 1/16th or thicker. But, I don't really have any frame of reference for how much slowdown or noise is normal. Other than a couple tracks from the knicks, the surface comes out smooth and tearout free. The feed rate seems normal to me as well (again no frame of reference), but I did have to clean the rollers once this weekend (towards the end of the marathon). The last time I cleaned them was a couple projects back, about 8 months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 I do the same thing with my 735 and i don't really have any complaints about the blades. I've had mine for probably 2 years now and just recently bought a 3 pack of the powertec ones on amazon just to give them a shot. I also wore one set quick quickly on some reclaimed redwood that was full of dirt and other undesirable material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 Just an update on the wheels I mentioned earlier in this thread.. They work awesome! I'm able to pop the bench up by myself with no issue and then it rolls like a dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 6 minutes ago, TIODS said: Just an update on the wheels I mentioned earlier in this thread.. They work awesome! I'm able to pop the bench up by myself with no issue and then it rolls like a dream. I can real close to getting the Rockler wheels that you have for my outfeed table a couple of years ago but was skeptical of how well they would work. Glad to hear you are happy with them Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted April 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 51 minutes ago, Chestnut said: I do the same thing with my 735 and i don't really have any complaints about the blades. I've had mine for probably 2 years now and just recently bought a 3 pack of the powertec ones on amazon just to give them a shot. I also wore one set quick quickly on some reclaimed redwood that was full of dirt and other undesirable material. Yeah, I actually have 2 spare sets (one spare set came with the planer, Dewalt sent me the other). While it's nice how much life I'm getting out of them, it's preventing me from doing the shelix head upgrade. I told myself I'd upgrade to the shelix once the 3rd set starts to wear, but at this rate, that could be years from now! 24 minutes ago, TIODS said: Just an update on the wheels I mentioned earlier in this thread.. They work awesome! I'm able to pop the bench up by myself with no issue and then it rolls like a dream. Oh shoot, I just committed to the Hook Handmade option with the shoulder vise screws on each end to lift the base. I ordered the vises from Lee Valley yesterday. Looks like they have a generous return policy though so I guess I still have both options open. Any pictures yet of your bench on wheels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 1 minute ago, nerdbot said: Oh shoot, I just committed to the Hook Handmade option with the shoulder vise screws on each end to lift the base. I ordered the vises from Lee Valley yesterday. Looks like they have a generous return policy though so I guess I still have both options open. Any pictures yet of your bench on wheels? I'll probably post some in another thread tomorrow when I get everything finished up.. Just wanted to drop the info for you as soon as I knew for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 I was able to get the 4/4 glue up done today. 4 maple and walnut sandwiches. Clamping them all together was a bit more stressful than I expected - I probably should've temporary clamped up each sandwich as I glued up the remaining ones, then reclamped them all together. I added a few more clamps after taking this picture . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 That's going to make for a cool looking top! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Cool looking, and massive! That's coming along nicely. Did you use any sort of alignment aids, or just deal with the slipperiness while applying clamps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 That's going to make for a different top! Glad to see you adding your own personal touches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 oh very cool! This top is going to look awesome when it is done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 3 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Cool looking, and massive! That's coming along nicely. Did you use any sort of alignment aids, or just deal with the slipperiness while applying clamps? Not while I was actually applying the glue, I did it the same way Marc glued up the top in the Guild build, stacking the sticks vertically until the very end, then rotated the whole stack flat. Then I snugged up the bottom clamps and applied the 4 sets of cauls lightly. I actually made a ton of those cauls when I was batching out cutting boards, not Matt Cremona level batching, but about 6 or so at a time. They aren't cambered, but they work well enough. I haven't made cutting boards in almost a year, and I've been contemplating throwing them out to make room, but I'm glad I didn't. Then I added some clamps up top, then started increasing clamping pressure on all the clamps. That's the process I found works best when making cutting boards to keep alignment issues at a minimum. Huh... I just realized, literally right now, that Marc just Mr. Miyagi-d me! Anyway, I am a little concerned about the glue up though - I did it late last night hoping the "lower" temperatures (garage thermometer was reading low 80s) would give me a little more working time, but I'm not sure if I was fast enough. Guess I'll find out tonight when I take the clamps off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted April 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 Inching closer to the slabs glue up. The 4/4 glue ups from the other day seem to be fine, though on one of them, one of the pieces of maple had some tearout I didn't notice. It must've been when I was ripping the maple to width. Jameel Abraham had an article on the Benchcrafted blog for dealing with just such a situation, so I decided to give it a try. It wasn't strictly necessary, but the opposite side of that piece has an epoxied knot in it that I would've preferred to keep on the bottom. But, depending on how the fix looks after everything is flushed up, I may end up putting the knot on top. I brought all the 8/4 beech down final thickness and I was going to rip them all to final width on my table saw. I don't have a cast iron top, so I have the Grip Tite featherboards with the auxiliary fence. I used this setup (along with a Freud heavy duty rip blade) when ripping my 8' stiles on my sliding office doors. It's definitely much better than nothing, but I got the feeling that my jobsite table saw just doesn't have the "oomph" for 8/4 long rip cuts. A lot has to go right for me to get a clean cut the full length (i.e., my feed speed, my feeding technique, etc). I usually have to clean up the cuts with a hand plane afterwards. So, last minute, I decided to go back to my band saw and bring the boards down to an 1/8" above final width and then run them through the planer on edge - which I had never done before. In retrospect, this was definitely better because some of the skip planed boards had a slight cup to them, so it was safer to do the cut on the bandsaw. Everything went well for the most part, I got more consistent results than when using the Grip Tite featherboards, so if I ever find myself on another project that requires 8'+ rips, I'll definitely be doing it this way. As I was closing in on the final thickness of the top, I just happened to notice one of the boards had a cup along the edge (technically, crook?) Either I didn't joint it properly, or it moved a bit and I didn't notice. It was about an 1/8" off , but luckily I spotted it before I got too close to final thickness. By this point it was after 9PM, and I don't like to run power tools after 8PM out of respect for my neighbors, so I was done for the night. Then I remembered the whole purpose for building this bench - getting more into hand tools! So some shavings later, I got pretty close to the line. It's not perfect and a bit out of square, but I can give it a quick pass over the jointer tomorrow to get everything back to square. It was a real joy to make those long shavings... You can see the plastic picnic table I used as my bench. Even with the other boards on there for weight, the table was swaying quite a bit. Many times I was holding the table back with one hand while pushing the plane with the other. If not for the sway in the table, I would've been able to get full length shavings. I need this bench built yesterday. Before I called it quits, I figured out where each board would go in the slabs. I really hope to get them glued up tomorrow! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 Looking great! Hats off for the attention to detail even tho it's shop furniture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 35 minutes ago, TIODS said: Looking great! Hats off for the attention to detail even tho it's shop furniture! Why are you awake? It's looking good nerd. Now is the base going to be mostly beech? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted April 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 7 hours ago, Brendon_t said: Why are you awake? It's looking good nerd. Now is the base going to be mostly beech? Thanks guys! Yup, everything below the top is beech, except maybe the drawbored plugs. Since I have a ton of offcuts of beech, maple, and walnut, I have some options. I'm thinking either beech or walnut. Most likely beech, since I think the end grain will already have a subtle contrast. I'm only considering walnut, because well, it's the most expensive of the 3 and I want to use up every little piece of scrap possible Or maybe I'll be adding small walnut inlays to all my projects in the future. The "stripes" in the top were only because my lumber supplier didn't have enough beech, and it took them a month to get my original order sourced. They had a hard enough time getting 300 BF (or so I thought, it ended up being only 120BF or so when it finally arrived and I grabbed all of it) on the truck from their other location, I was afraid another 35+ BF would take another month. Although, I was there just yesterday and they had one single 8/4 board, 16' long and at least 8" wide. So, at least if something goes wrong during the base construction (hopefully not, knock on wood), I have a little backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted May 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 I finished the top slab glue ups this afternoon - front slab on Saturday, the rear slab today. I used biscuits for alignment, which means I've now used my biscuit joiner a total of 6 times since I bought it a couple years ago. There was still a small amount of movement that I'll need to clean up later this week. But, I was able to get the boards down to just over 4 1/8" thick, which I think is plenty of room to work with. While the rear slab was in clamps, I took a quick look at the front slab, and it looked like it was sitting fairly flat and twist free. I made a couple of winding sticks out of the offcuts of the jointed 4/4 maple and walnut boards - I'll take a closer look tomorrow. Depending on how hard it will be for me to move the rear slab on my own, flattening may have to wait until I can get a friend over to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted May 2, 2016 Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 Nice progress. The front slab was tolerable alone and I'm a big guy. The rear slab Really needs two unless your going Neanderthal route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 2, 2016 Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 I know my rear slab needed 2 people.. Great progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post nerdbot Posted May 9, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 I didn't get quite as much done this week as I had hoped, but I was able to do the initial flattening myself. Since my table saw and planer are at the same height, I used my table saw as an outfeed table, then rolled it back (with the slab on top) to the infeed side and slid the piece over for the next pass. Took a bit of time, but I didn't have to wait until the weekend to get it done. With the help of the biscuits, the slabs came out pretty close to flat. I did have to joint the "edge" of the front slab a couple times, but otherwise I was able to get the slabs at just a bit under 4 1/8". I also found that my 12" miter saw was able to handle cutting off the rough ends, so that was nice. I then went to work on cutting the end cap tenons. I'm end capping both the front and rear slab on the tail vise side. Partly a design decision, and partly practical. When doing something new, I always like to practice on something less important first before moving on to the actual piece. That way if I run into any problems, I can adjust accordingly. And since I'd be practicing on the rear slab first, if I completely screwed it up, I could just cut the tenon off and start over or just skip the end cap entirely. In this case, my cordless circular saw doesn't cut perfectly square - I didn't get a picture, but basically it was off by a couple degrees, leaving more thickness closer to the tenon than at the top of the shoulder. I'll need to look into the circular saw issue later - I think I need to grind down the set screw a bit. If I adjusted the set screw to get closer to 90 degrees, it would protrude from the base and scratch/catch on the wood itself. Not a big deal, just more to pare away with the chisel. My chisels weren't quite sharp enough, but I decided to just power through and not take the time to sharpen them. After about 30 minutes of some effort and some ugly tear out, I decided to sharpen my chisel and the block plane I was using. Only took about 10 minutes, and as usual I realized I should've just done it correctly from the start. It went so much faster and with no tear out. So I finished this weekend with the tenons complete. I was planning on sign and dating the bench when it was complete, but I found that I had already signed it in blood at one point this week. I still don't know where I was cut... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 9 hours ago, nerdbot said: I still don't know where I was cut... Those are the worst kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdbot Posted May 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Ok, it's time to call it quits for a day or two and refocus. I finished up the end cap work for both front and rear slabs and that went pretty well. I then moved on to the dog strip, starting with the template and testing the router setups on 2x4s I milled up for test cuts and router support. This was my first mistake: Then proceeded a series of other router related problems which, among other things, resulted in a chipped bit and a destroyed 1/4" collet. Luckily it happened while doing test cuts so no damage done to the project itself and, more importantly, no damage to myself - but I'm done for the weekend before my luck runs out. Kind of disappointing, but I know it's for the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 It happens sometimes.. Take a break, regroup, and start again. Nice job working on a test first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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