[stefang]

Building a Work Bench

I did a trade for some woodwork with a guy who had a garage full of lumber and several nice hand tools. Most of the lumber was Oak.

I don't really like working with Oak. But I thought it would be perfect for a bench, and there was enough of it. I got lots of different lengths and widths. Most of it was 3/4". I forgot to take a "before" photo of the stack but here is a sample:

Now I intend to make a nice, sturdy bench, but its going to be more functional than artful masterpiece. Just something that I can really use with hand tools. Its my first bench, and there will be others later. So I really want this to be a quick project so I can get back to work on the stuff I really want to build.

Some may call this a "hack job." Call me a butcher, but I didn't even bother ripping the strips to the same width. As long as one side is flat, thats all that matters.

I started by rolling on the glue and clamping together sections of a half-dozen or so boards:

Then I glued up two of those sections:

At this point I have two sections that are less than 8" wide. This way they will fit on my 8" jointer to get one flat side.

Here is what the top will look like (It hasn't been jointed yet)

Here is the underside (notice the uneven widths)

The ends of the tool tray:

The sections laid out and ready for final assembly:

Don't worry, that endgrain will be covered with an end piece. For less than $20 bucks I got enough 4×6 and 2×6 Doug Fir for a very sturdy base. I also have a piece of solid mahogany re-claimed from an old desk for a bottom shelf, and a huge woodworking vice I got years ago at the flea market.

My friend the glue chisel…

On a side note, I thought I would take a moment to appreciate a very under-rated tool… My glue chisel. Its the old workhorse who doesn't whine or complain about the not so glamorous tasks like scraping semi-wet glue off a workpiece, gouging out a nail, prying double-stick-taped jigs apart, or popping bark off of a log.

Everyone should have a "glue chisel" ...someone's got to do the dirty work.

Looks like you are well on the way to a very nice bench Blake. Glad to see you are back at it again after the allergy problems.

 

[stefang]

More Bench Progress

Once I had my two larger bench sections glued up I ran them through the planer…

And chopped the ends square

I used my biscuit jointer to align the two laminated "slabs," since after this glue up it will be too big to run through my thickness planer:

Two slabs glued up:

And now glued up with the tool tray:

THE BASE

I spent $18.00 on 4×6 and 2×6 Doug Fir for the base at Home Depot:

A little shaping of the feet on the bandsaw, and oak pads added:

Mortise cut on the RAS (I do it this way because it is fast)

Leg assembly:

The assembled base (screws and glue… but the screws are well hidden)

A little preview of the whole thing together with the huge old Craftsman vice from the flea market:

By the way, the base alone is MASSIVE. It will weigh a ton with the solid oak top sitting on it.

The top will still get wide edges that wrap around all four sides. This will give the sides more surface area as well as make the top look more substantial (the base won't look so disproportionately huge.)

I haven't decided whether to stain or paint the base (maybe black?)... or leave it natural. I think something darker would look nice and de-emphasize the fact that I used construction-grade lumber.

Any thoughts?

Also, what kind of finish do I use on the oak top? Just oil?

Hey Blake a dark color for your base will show dust pretty easy. If you want to paint it I would suggest a lighter color. Some of those Shaker benches I've seen with painted bases look great to me. It also give the shop a nice atmosphere. I've got a lot of painted stuff in my shop and I really like it.

 

[stefang]

100+ year old Disston Backsaw ...RESTORED

After some help from fellow Lumberjocks and a little research (here), I determined that this beautiful old backsaw is about a hundred years old (give or take).

"Before" photos:

After:

I carefully took apart old saw and put the blade through the electrolysis process. Then I stripped the handle (which was covered in layers of paint and dripped varnish)... and applied Shellac. I also polished the brass. This is the result:







On a side note… Here's a little shop humor for you:





I also just finished a chest of drawers for my workbench. So all of my favorite hand tools have a really nice home now:



Happy woodworking everyone!

Nice restoration and good save of a valuable tool.