Brian VanVreede Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 If your interested in seeing my bench in progress, please check out my blog! http://buckscountycraftmasters.wordpress.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 I'm interested to see the end project, but it's not $o.oo glue costs money so does planer knives. My bench was laminated also I used about 3 gallons of Tite Bond good luck keep us up dated it looks interesting to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Amazing how much of an investment it takes to make something out of free lumber, isn't it? Looks like it'll be a benchtop with a heck of a lot of character. How do you plan to flatten it? I'm certainly the last person to cast stones on this account, mind you. I've done my share of projects that began with a big pile of garbage wood and all the laminating and re-milling that that entails. The resulting projects all turned out great and I saved a few bucks on materials...which were promptly spent on gallons of Titebond, of course. It really helps develop one's eye for stock selection and grain orientation and I can enjoy the bragging rights that come with having transformed a pile of 2x4's covered in squirrel @&$#! into a piece of furniture that looks prettier than something made by a pro using FAS oak. That said, in my own journey, I'm rounding the corner on the question of using discarded wood. I can live with the defects. (Hey that's another training benefit...learning how to surface, cut and profile the wood when the grain goes all over the place near a knot.) I've trashed a set of planer knives on an errant nail and didn't curse...too much, at least. What's really starting to weigh on me is this: Starting with junk wood puts you way behind the curve in terms of time to complete a project. You invest hours and hours disassembling little bits of wood and reassembling them into boards before you even get to the starting line. i.e. Making the project itself. It doesn't matter whether you're in this to make money or enjoy a fun hobby in your off hours, time is precious. I'm in the middle of a sizable built-in that features a giant (2" x 24" x 120") slab laminated out of 1x4's. Finished up beautifully (linseed oil and a dozen coats of shellac) and it'll make a grand work surface for my computer. I'm happy I did it; but I'm just about done with recycling discarded lumber and fully intend to start getting more fussy in my next projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted April 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Then your going to love this Rob! I plan on using my 2 old benches (ply and 2x4) to make the base for this bench. I have a couple of things going for me here: I wake up very early and I'm full of enough piss and vinegar to get this job done and still love woodworking. My shop is now filled with all the right tools,except a solid bench. I only have about 30 hours invested. Two, 8 hour saturdays and 14 "pre-day-job" hour long sessions. Don't get me wrong rob, I hate pallets now and am excited to start a project with "higher quality " materials. Learning experiences, this is what woodworking is all about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdale51@yahoo.com Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Brian, Not even a smirk from here. I read an article once written by a guy that was able to frame an entire house and garden shed out of reclaimed pallets he got free from work. I commend those of you with the patience to undertake such a monumental task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Learning experiences, this is what woodworking is all about. Indeed. And it sounds like we've both reached the same place: Turning trash into treasures isn't really teaching us anything new anymore. Time to move on to greener pastures. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted April 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Here is the bench as of now. I still have to draw bore all of the mortise and tennons and add the vises before I can call this progect complete. Rob, as you can clearly see from this picture I didnt use my old bench to build this base. I used 3@ 4X6X8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Looks real nice Brian the jointery is going to be beautiful when the finish hit's the top, and all that end grain pops. How is the table for flat, and are you going to use a router sled to true it? A very cool project it will look great in the shop, what hardware are you going to use on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted April 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I have a Jorgeson quick release that I plan on putting on the right end. I am also planning on a shop made leg vise. The top is actually pretty flat but I'm not sure how long it will stay that way, there is a little bit of flex in the table top. I may need to add upper stretchers to help support the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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