Project by James E McIntyre | posted 11-16-2019 12:50 AM | 3715 views | 10 times favorited | 20 comments | ![]() |
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If your like me, many of your projects require or start out with long pieces of lumber, sometimes up to 12’ in length.
Most of the time a quick touch-up with a #7 Joiner plan does the trick.
This removable deadman was made from hardwood, and a clamp screw I removed from a Harbor Freight
12” F-Clamp that was slipping. If your take one of these apart you’ll know why they slip.
I sawed the screw off the HF clamp, threaded it into the Deadman’s lower jaw, shaped a piece of hard maple at the router table to replace the HF Handle with it.
This Deadman allows me to plane or chamfer boards or panels up to 20” in width and as long as my bench can handle.
I’d like to thank my L.J. buddy The Saw Dust Whisperer (Dustin Lung) for the Cumaru wood that he found in the trash, from a deck and fence build, of one of our neighbors. I don’t think I’ll be building anything soon with that stuff again. If you work with it, you better have some very sharp tools.
I’d especially like to thank L.J. buddy Jim Jakosh, author and builder of 873 projects and still counting, for his indispencable help and advice on how to remove the clamp screw and attach it to the new handle. He’s got to be one of the best tool makers I know.
I treaded the clamp screw to the maple handle and epoxied it and drilled a hole through the handle and thread.
I used a ball-peen hammer to peen the brass pin to the handle. I didn’t have a brass pin so used a #8 brass screw.
There’s a Youtube video called (Handle pin Peening Techniques-Daniel Warren Master Smith) I used to learn how to peen the pin.
Cutting the dado for the bottom clamp holder.
Getting ready to screw and glue the parts together.
Cutting off the screw plug covers. I used 1 1/4” #8 stainless steel screws to hold the top and lower jaws to the body.
Peening one end of the brass screw/pin with the round end of a ball-peen hammer.
Use tape around the pin to avoid marks from the hammer.
I placed a Masons chisel and a wedge of wood under it to act like an anvil.
In hindsight I should have put the pin in the handle before I attached the bottom jaw into the deadman.
I decided to put a pin in the handle after I assembled this project.
Clamping the Deadman to the bench. When I built my bench I allowed for a 2 1/2” over hang on the sides and ends for clamping.
It works great.
-- James E McIntyre
20 comments so far
Jerry
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3488 posts in 2708 days
#1 posted 11-16-2019 01:37 AM
Beautiful job. I love this and I assure you I will be copying you shamelessly!
-- There are good ships and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships and may they always be. http://www.geraldlhunsucker.com/
James E McIntyre
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1199 posts in 2352 days
#2 posted 11-16-2019 01:50 AM
Thanks Jerry.
I never noticed before that your Mission Style Kitchen Island made the Editors Choice Award. That’s a big accomplishment.
Congratulations.
-- James E McIntyre
Dave Polaschek
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7345 posts in 1642 days
#3 posted 11-16-2019 03:01 AM
Nice! And here I was thinking of making a scottbenk to joint long boards.
-- Dave - Santa Fe
James E McIntyre
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1199 posts in 2352 days
#4 posted 11-16-2019 03:51 AM
Thanks Dave. I looked at the web page that Skottberk is great for someone with lots of space. Looks good.
I joint long boards on a seminar smaller dead man I built before this one.
I put two boards on it and plane then fold the boards up, like a book match.
How did you find the web sight? Those guys look like their having a great time.
-- James E McIntyre
BurlyBob
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#5 posted 11-16-2019 04:09 AM
What a great idea. Just goes to show necessity is the mother of invention.
James E McIntyre
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1199 posts in 2352 days
#6 posted 11-16-2019 04:35 AM
Thanks B. Bob.
-- James E McIntyre
Jim Jakosh
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26100 posts in 4165 days
#7 posted 11-16-2019 09:55 AM
Nice work, James. That is a handy “third ” hand when working by yourself in the shop!!
It came out real nice
cheers, Jim
-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!! Variety is the Spice of Life!!
Dave Polaschek
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7345 posts in 1642 days
#8 posted 11-16-2019 01:39 PM
I met them at Handworks 2017. At the time, I was pondering making my own tongue-and-groove wide oak floorboards for a kitchen remodel in the house I have since sold, but a scottbenk was exactly what would’ve been needed to fashion those.
And yes, I’m pretty sure they greatly enjoyed their tour of the US.
-- Dave - Santa Fe
sras
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#9 posted 11-16-2019 01:42 PM
Nice idea!
-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive
489tad
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#10 posted 11-16-2019 01:53 PM
A+!
-- Dan, Naperville IL, I.G.N.
splintergroup
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#11 posted 11-16-2019 02:50 PM
Nice helper James! It’s fixtures like this that make the difficult easy.
I regret not making my bench more versatile so accessories like this would work, I use a stack on the floor to support my long boards 8^)
James E McIntyre
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1199 posts in 2352 days
#12 posted 11-16-2019 05:45 PM
Thanks Sras, Splinter and 489Tad.
Thanks Jim. With your help I now have a new skill. Pin Peening.
-- James E McIntyre
murrayintokyo
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#13 posted 11-16-2019 11:02 PM
Looks great!!! (another to-do to add to my ever growing list)
James E McIntyre
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1199 posts in 2352 days
#14 posted 11-17-2019 07:00 PM
Thanks Murray. I haven’t heard from you in awhile. How’s everything in Tokyo’s?
-- James E McIntyre
Thorbjorn88
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#15 posted 11-18-2019 11:05 PM
Cool idea. I like how this also solves the problem of having an inner vise jaw that isn’t flush with the edge of your bench. I think I’ll make a version of this but without the clamping mechanism and just use hold fasts to keep it in place.
-- Dave
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