Hand Tool Journey

Blake said:

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.

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Blake said:

Stanley No. 62 Restored, Bench Finished!

Stanley No. 62

After putting the Stanley No. 62 low angle jack plane through electrolysis still had quite a bit of work to do. Here is a "before photo" as a reminder:



In my last post WayneC commented:
I would seal the japanned area using a clear schallac. This will prevent further rust. 3 in 1 oil on the adjustment screw. On the knobs they look repairable to me. Glue and refinish. Given the value of this plane, I would keep the original knobs. I would use a good paste wax on the rest of the metal parts.

Well thats exactly what I did (Thanks Wayne). The Shellac looked great on the old Japanning. Even though it wasn't all there it re-emphasized whats left of it.

And I did decide to repair and refinish the tote and knob and they came out great. The tote was broken in two places (three pieces). So I drilled three holes up through it and drove 2 1/2" finish nails into the holes to reinforce the epoxied joints. Then I stripped the old finish off and applied thee coats of Shellac.

Anyway, here is the finished result:







Woodworking Bench

I also finished my bench! Sorry, I didn't take any more progress photos toward the end. But since the last blog I basically just drilled the 3/4" dog holes, made vice handles, and finished the top with Danish Oil and Wax. Here is the finished project:



Now its time to put it all together and make some shavings!

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Blake said:

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!

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