pkinneb Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 23 hours ago, SawDustB said: I think these tails turned out OK. On to the pins! OK? They look great keep up the good work 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SawDustB Posted January 31, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 I tackled the end cap dovetails last night. I tried the trick Marc showed in the video to shift the tails left and right to mark for the pins. What I found was that it was way too tight, so I had to mark it again. When I did this the boards were flush, but I found out later something was a little off (1/32"). I did a test fit with just the first 1/4" removed. The boards are flush here, so I think my tails might have a tiny compound angle to them causing the error. I went through all the remaining steps with the router to clean out the end cap, although I took the bulk away first with my spiral bit and a bushing before using the flush trim bit. I have a little gap (<1/32") or so at the end of one of the tails, and a hairline gap in a couple of spots at the shoulder. The dovetails are tight, though, and I'm pretty happy. I wouldn't have been left with any gaps if I was gluing them, but I'm leaving them unglued so the vise can be serviced. I do have the laminate board sitting about 1/32" proud of the bench surface, but I'll just have to plane it flush. I also scraped off my burn marks. Next step will be the wagon vise. You can see here more or less how it's supposed to fit together. I need to glue on another block to make up my sliding dog block, along with recessing the miter track into the front laminate board to give it something to run on. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Looking sharp! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 I've started into the wagon vise. I needed to cut the grooves for the miter track. I also needed to glue another piece onto the dog block, so I have somewhere to attach the vise nut. This will be cleaned up and cut to length. I then need to add it's grooves for the runners, and add the nut. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 The dog block is getting close now. It fits well into the bench top, and the motion seems fine. It's not going to be as smooth as some wagon vises, but I think I'll be happy with it. The only thing left to do with it is drill out for the vise screw and put in the vise nut. Here it is in the bench top. As soon as I'm sure I'm happy, I'm going to glue the laminate on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog Posted February 9, 2017 Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 Your bench is looking great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SawDustB Posted February 10, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I got a bit further last night. I picked up a wood tapping set from Lee valley, since I'm using machine screws to attach everything to the dog block. I drilled out the holes for the vise nut and screw, and assembled everything for a test run. It seems to work great, although I need to remove a tiny bit of material in a couple of spots to stop it from rubbing. After that, I'll assemble it and glue on the front laminate. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 I added screws to the miter track, drilled out holes to attach the vise screw with t nuts, and fixed a couple of spots where it was rubbing. The front is now glued (maybe a bit too much, based on the squeeze out). I realized I forgot the screws to secure the runners in the vise block, so I'll still have to take it apart one more time. Still, I'm pretty happy with the result. It's very easy to turn the vise screw, even without a handle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SawDustB Posted February 14, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted February 14, 2017 I flipped the bench top around and quickly flushed up the top. I've cut the front slab to length at 72 3/8". This allowed me to drop exactly 3 dog holes from the plans to hit my length. I used my cross cut hand saw, mainly because I felt like it was more controlled than the other options. I have a bit of planing to do to remove the saw marks, but overall I'm pretty happy. I also cut one end of the rear slab to length. I only have about 1/8" extra, so I need to be pretty careful here. I just need to trim the other end and do a bit of cleanup, then the slabs are done. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SawDustB Posted February 17, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Both ends of the slabs are cut to length, and I used my new plane to smooth the end grain and get rid the saw marks. I'm declaring the top finished, for now. I was going to go straight into the base, but I'm now thinking I'll make my dogs. I have a huge pile of 1-2 inch cut offs from the early dimensioning, so I'm hoping it'll have what I need. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 I love the front board and end cap combination! Nicely done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 45 minutes ago, pkinneb said: I love the front board and end cap combination! Nicely done! Thanks! I'm digging it too. I've got some interesting grain on some of the legs, but I'm not sure if it'll be too much with everything else going on. I kind of need to mock it up to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SawDustB Posted February 18, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 It's possible I might have gotten a bit carried away with cutting dog blanks... I have enough for 26 dogs, on a work bench with 11 dog holes. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Maybe a neighbors dog jumped the fence ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I have a "few" extras for mine as well but, that's a totally new level there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 This is looking fantastic, Brian! Very nice work. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 So I forgot to take pictures of this part, but I ended up doing a couple of setups on my cross cut sled instead of building the dog breeder jig. I didn't have a spare toggle clamp, and without a band saw to finish the cut I figure it was almost as quick. I cut a block with the 6.6 degree and for the bottom, and wedged the dogs against it for that cut. Next, I stuck down a piece parallel to the blade for the rip cut. This gave me this pile, after a couple of shallow cross cuts to free the waste. I found my gripper to be valuable through this part, because it held the pieces down very securely while keeping my fingers out of the way. It seemed fitting to use the wagon vise to finish these, so I clamped in each dog and used a large chisel to clean off the waste. A couple of them had minor accidents with too much waste splitting off, but all but one were good enough to keep. I'll clean them up a bit with a card scraper later and then install all the wooden springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 I set up on the drill press with a fence and stop block and drilled/countersunk all the the springs. It turns out I had way too many of them. After that, it was just a matter of assembling. So many dogs... I tried them in the dog holes, and although a bit stiff they should be fine. Next on the list is the legs. I need to decide which ones will go on the front. I'd like to play off the heart wood I already put on the front laminate. The only problem is that all my legs have moved since I glued them and milled to size before Christmas. I wasn't expecting them to sit this long. A couple were close, but two were twisted by at least 1/16". I didn't want to deal with it today, so that was the end of my shop time. I need to figure out what the best approach is to avoid losing too much width. I may just resign myself to them shrinking by 1/8" or so. I also need to cut the legs to length, which means trying to calibrate my miter saw again. It's a Makita saw, and the issue I have is that it had a one piece fence where the two halves are not lined up. I've gotten it close before, but it means wrestling with a clamp to try to bend the fence flat while tightening the bolts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted February 26, 2017 Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Lookin good Brian ! Fun project that keeps on giving once you finish. You're gonna love it !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2017 Lookin good Brian ! Fun project that keeps on giving once you finish. You're gonna love it !! Thanks John! It's already helped my work flow a lot even with being on wobbly saw horses. I can only imagine how much of an improvement it will be once it's installed on its base. It's been fun, and a totally different scale from my usual projects. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted February 27, 2017 Report Share Posted February 27, 2017 18 hours ago, SawDustB said: Thanks John! It's already helped my work flow a lot even with being on wobbly saw horses. I can only imagine how much of an improvement it will be once it's installed on its base. It's been fun, and a totally different scale from my usual projects. I remember having my work bench top butted up against a wall so i could plane on it. I had the top on sawhorses for 2 months atleast. Your tail vise and end cap look well done. Kudos to dedicating the time to make them perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted March 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 So I was so excited about having my tail vise working, I decided to joint all of the legs again for fun! Way more enjoyable to use my planes with this. OK, so maybe it wasn't by choice. I had the leg blanks glued up and squared at final dimension back in November. Unfortunately, they all moved. I'm going to end up 1/4" smaller than the plans, but I can live with it. Definitely not worth remaking the legs for. Everything's ready to go back through the planer, then I'll need to square the edges again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted March 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 I now have 4 straight and square legs again. As it turned out, one problem before is that my table saw fence was knocked out of square. All fixed now. I've cleaned up one end of each leg, but I have to pick a work bench height. I've really been agonizing over this part. Ideally, I'd love to make it 37" to match my table saw, but I'm concerned it'll be too high. I set up my front slab at that height, and I think it might be high for planing. Right now I'm leaning towards 36" or a little less, which would be better for planing and is low enough that the table saw wing would pass over it. I've got leg length for up to 38" high, so no issue there. How high did all of you make your benches (and how tall are you)? I'm about 6'1", which I'm thinking would mean I should be in the 35-36" range based on the standard bench crafted plans. I'm assuming making the bench taller means adding on below the bottom stretchers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 My bench stands 36.5" tall and I'm 6'1. I like the height for everything except for intricate small tasks. I am considering building a raised bench on bench area to make that more comfortable.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted March 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 My bench stands 36.5" tall and I'm 6'1. I like the height for everything except for intricate small tasks. I am considering building a raised bench on bench area to make that more comfortable.. Thanks Brendon. Does that work well for doing a lot of planing? I'm going to be jointing all my stock by hand, so I want to make sure it's at a good height for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.