Grim Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 I was cutting the tenon for the endcap to go on thinking... "Yes, this is upside down, so I need to do this backwards of what it should be..." And, somehow, I don't know how, I managed to put the tenon on the wrong side of the correct end of the front slab. I meant to make it just like Mark's (well, as much as one can try to be like him). Instead I made it so that the tenon goes all the way to the left side (if it is the correct side up) and not the right. Will this create structural issues? Suggestions to fix the print of my palm on my face? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Sorry to hear bout the flub. But I'm not 100% understanding what actually happened. A picture is worth a thousand words. Just keep in mind there are lots of ways to connect the end cap. We even provide three options right in the plans. So there's definitely some flexibility there. Most mistakes should be recoverable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 If I'm understanding correctly, you cut the tenon so that it's all the way toward the front of the slab instead of the rear...? Sorry to say, if that's the case, it's probably no good. Your tenon is now in the area where the tail vise is installed, so when you bore the hole which houses the vise screw, you'll be removing a bunch of your tenon with it. And on the other side of the slab, you now have a cavity where the tenon should be, so the bolts that secure the end cap to the slab have very little meat to hold it in place. Yes, you could probably move forward and make it work, but I'd be very concerned about the integrity of the end cap. It needs to be able to resist a tremendous amount of force in the opposite direction that your dog block moves when you crank down a workpiece with the tail vise. Good news is, you're just getting started. Why not lop off that tenon and start over? I assume your slabs are still slightly oversized, and even if you end up losing an inch or two off the leg vise side of the bench, it really doesn't matter. I'd rather have that than the alternative... ...food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 you now have a cavity where the tenon should be Sounds like a job for.... Floating Tenon!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 On second thought, I guess he probably hasn't mortised the end cap yet, duh, so scratch that last part. I'd still start over though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Posted September 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Okay, for some clarity. Yes, Eric, you have it correct. My tenon is touching the front side of the slab, rather than the back. That would have been a much clearer way to say the same thing. I would provide a picture, but evidently it is hailing here in MN. And, due to money issues (mainly the wife wondering why I need to spend so much money on making a piece of furniture that isn't a piece of furniture) I am not using the benchcrafted hardware. =( I plan to build something along the line of Chris Shwarz' wagon vise (http://www.popularwo...roubo-workbench for the curious) using the shopfox bench screw ( http://www.amazon.co...pfox vise scriw also for the curious) This will mean I'm not hollowing out a hole underneath my bench for the screw but I'm just going to attach the wagon/dog block directly to the screw like Shwarz did. I know, it may turn out a little janky, but it's the best I can do with the funds I got. So... with all of that said, will the tenon still be an issue? I won't have to remove a bunch of it in order to make a space for the screw to be. And the rails that Chris devised will just be half an inch to an inch of routing from the bottom. I'm planning on attaching the end cap permanently because I'll be using my router to flatten the top. I appreciate all the feedback. I like the idea of a floating tenon, but will that be as strong? As to starting over, yes, I do have a little wiggle room to work with, but given how long it took me to get the end perpendicular to the sides and the tenon's sides flat... I'd rather not if ya'll think I can get by. To be honest, this build is way out of my league, but I I'm just trying to take it one step at a time and not screw it up too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 If the tenon is not interfering with your vise, and you're able to lock the end cap down securely to the slab, I can't think of a reason why it's a problem. The one consideration I'll remind you of is that the tenon still needs some room for seasonal movement inside the end cap's mortise, so be sure to accommodate that somehow. I can't really visualize your exact situation now since you're using a vise I'm not familiar with...just be sure to leave the tenon some wiggle room (side to side, of course, not top to bottom). Good luck and keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Picture please... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Posted September 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Okay, so I managed to get a picture. I hope it makes my ramblings clear. Oh, and I just realized it doesn't look square at all in the picture but that is a combination of the angle I took it from and the fact that I'm using my cell phone camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DustinK Posted September 24, 2012 Report Share Posted September 24, 2012 This may be a dumb suggestion, because I have not done this build nor have a clear understanding of this part of the bench, but could you not just cut off the tenon, and cut it in the proper spot, and then shorten the other slab by the length of the tenon. You'd only be losing 2" or so of the total bench length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted September 24, 2012 Report Share Posted September 24, 2012 Is there any particular reason why you can't just flip the slap over? If you are following the instructions in order, there shouldn't be anything else committing the slab to an orientation yet. So as pictured in the photo, the bottom is facing up, and the rear edge of the front slab is on the left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Posted September 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Sigh... that would be the best solution. If... I hadn't planed the underside so far down that I exposed the dowels I used for joinery. Idiot thing to do I know. After listening to all of the advise I think I'm going to stick with this mistake and move on. Their will be just as much glue surface area holding the joint as before and the tenon won't be exposed because I don't have to route out a recess for the track to run. I seriously considered starting over but given it took me two weekends to get the tenon square with everything else... well... It just isn't worth it to do it again. As long as it is functional, at the end of the day it's just a d*mn workbench. It's a tool I'll use to make my real projects. No point in crying over spilled milk or misplaced tenons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Seganti Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Why not just cut the tenon off and cut in a new tenon? If you followed the plans the overall length is currently longer then the final length of the top slab. Starting length should have been 96" and the final length should be 87". Do you have any wiggle room in the overall length? If you don't have the extra length to work with... you could just have your bench be a couple of inches shorter then the plan. This seems like the best way to go if you can't use the bottom as the top as Marc suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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