Saw benches

Finally got some pictures of the two saw benches I have made over the last couple of months.

The first one is one featured by Chris Schwartz in one of his books, but plans are on the net at WK Fine Tools. I followed the plans quite closely. (For a change, I very seldom build directly to the plans.)

The second one was copied from the feature article in the Work magazine from August 15, 1891. This is a from a blog over at Tools for Working Wood. I used the same length as the bench above, about 32”, but somehow it got a 1/2” taller.

Using angled wedged tenons, I thought I could get away without using a guide block. Nope. I have made a small guide, but I ended up cutting a block out of 2X material as a guide for the chisel. So I actually made two tops for the second bench. You can tell which wedges I put in first, as they are the ones with a bit of a gap. They still hold solidly, as those wedges hold enough.

The leg braces are mortised into the top, but not through. I determined the length pretty much by trial and error, then cheated and screwed them from the bottom.

I finished the first bench with a couple of coats of BLO, and the second one with a couple of coats of the BLO, thinner, varnish concoction. Personally, I don’t like the concoction, too much gloss for a tool. Maybe I just have too much varnish in the mix.

Both are very solid and add tremendously to getting some work done. They are not too big, and they work great in the basement shop that is a 10’ X 10’ corner of my 100 year old home.