Holtzapffel Bench

olaf said:

Setting Up the Scene

My first big project will be the Holtzapffel cabinetmaker's workbench. If you've kept up with Christopher Schwarz, you already know well what I am talking about. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to start my shop off with this cornerstone of hand tool work.

I've long sought after the European benches you see in the magazines, but the money put them well outside of my reach. Just as I was about to fold and build a modern design on the same, I found some articles regarding bench design and some brief history on the topic. I can't find the link now, but one of the more noteworthy articles pointed out the top 10 features to look for in bench design. Of those, the things that struck me were in materials and weight. There was a great stress on weight being an important factor. A bench approaching 300lbs. was "ideal." The material should be something with the same characteristics of steamed European Beech, but it doesn't have to be Beech. As the article's author pointed out, the only reason Beech was used was because it was plentiful in the area, and stiff. The latest batch of reading I had done had pointed out some major flaws in my mind with many modern bench designs. So that's why those fancy cabinetmaker's benches cost so much? I knew I wanted one, but I didn't know why.

That's approximately when I found the article on the Holtzapffel bench. I had been looking so long at bench designs and products that the Holtzapffel bench struck me as something new. I read on. It was as though the bench were Christopher Schwarz's answer to this "Top 10" article I had read. A twin-screw face vise with 24" space between screws. 3" thick heavy top - even beefier legs and appropriate stretchers tenoned together. A day or two later and I've made my decision to build the Holtzapffel bench.

As a first big project, this looks promising. It's simple enough that I don't think I can screw it up, and there are techniques at play that give me practice with some hand tools on big stock (an easier thing to learn on than tiny, delicate stuff). I chose White Ash as my wood of choice because of its local availability, density, and stiffness. Woodworker's Magazine Ed. 8 in hand, on-the-job training with some mediocre tools, and ~75BF in lumber, I'm itching to get started with this project.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Setting Up the Scene

My first big project will be the Holtzapffel cabinetmaker's workbench. If you've kept up with Christopher Schwarz, you already know well what I am talking about. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to start my shop off with this cornerstone of hand tool work.

I've long sought after the European benches you see in the magazines, but the money put them well outside of my reach. Just as I was about to fold and build a modern design on the same, I found some articles regarding bench design and some brief history on the topic. I can't find the link now, but one of the more noteworthy articles pointed out the top 10 features to look for in bench design. Of those, the things that struck me were in materials and weight. There was a great stress on weight being an important factor. A bench approaching 300lbs. was "ideal." The material should be something with the same characteristics of steamed European Beech, but it doesn't have to be Beech. As the article's author pointed out, the only reason Beech was used was because it was plentiful in the area, and stiff. The latest batch of reading I had done had pointed out some major flaws in my mind with many modern bench designs. So that's why those fancy cabinetmaker's benches cost so much? I knew I wanted one, but I didn't know why.

That's approximately when I found the article on the Holtzapffel bench. I had been looking so long at bench designs and products that the Holtzapffel bench struck me as something new. I read on. It was as though the bench were Christopher Schwarz's answer to this "Top 10" article I had read. A twin-screw face vise with 24" space between screws. 3" thick heavy top - even beefier legs and appropriate stretchers tenoned together. A day or two later and I've made my decision to build the Holtzapffel bench.

As a first big project, this looks promising. It's simple enough that I don't think I can screw it up, and there are techniques at play that give me practice with some hand tools on big stock (an easier thing to learn on than tiny, delicate stuff). I chose White Ash as my wood of choice because of its local availability, density, and stiffness. Woodworker's Magazine Ed. 8 in hand, on-the-job training with some mediocre tools, and ~75BF in lumber, I'm itching to get started with this project.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Setting Up the Scene

My first big project will be the Holtzapffel cabinetmaker's workbench. If you've kept up with Christopher Schwarz, you already know well what I am talking about. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to start my shop off with this cornerstone of hand tool work.

I've long sought after the European benches you see in the magazines, but the money put them well outside of my reach. Just as I was about to fold and build a modern design on the same, I found some articles regarding bench design and some brief history on the topic. I can't find the link now, but one of the more noteworthy articles pointed out the top 10 features to look for in bench design. Of those, the things that struck me were in materials and weight. There was a great stress on weight being an important factor. A bench approaching 300lbs. was "ideal." The material should be something with the same characteristics of steamed European Beech, but it doesn't have to be Beech. As the article's author pointed out, the only reason Beech was used was because it was plentiful in the area, and stiff. The latest batch of reading I had done had pointed out some major flaws in my mind with many modern bench designs. So that's why those fancy cabinetmaker's benches cost so much? I knew I wanted one, but I didn't know why.

That's approximately when I found the article on the Holtzapffel bench. I had been looking so long at bench designs and products that the Holtzapffel bench struck me as something new. I read on. It was as though the bench were Christopher Schwarz's answer to this "Top 10" article I had read. A twin-screw face vise with 24" space between screws. 3" thick heavy top - even beefier legs and appropriate stretchers tenoned together. A day or two later and I've made my decision to build the Holtzapffel bench.

As a first big project, this looks promising. It's simple enough that I don't think I can screw it up, and there are techniques at play that give me practice with some hand tools on big stock (an easier thing to learn on than tiny, delicate stuff). I chose White Ash as my wood of choice because of its local availability, density, and stiffness. Woodworker's Magazine Ed. 8 in hand, on-the-job training with some mediocre tools, and ~75BF in lumber, I'm itching to get started with this project.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Setting Up the Scene

My first big project will be the Holtzapffel cabinetmaker's workbench. If you've kept up with Christopher Schwarz, you already know well what I am talking about. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to start my shop off with this cornerstone of hand tool work.

I've long sought after the European benches you see in the magazines, but the money put them well outside of my reach. Just as I was about to fold and build a modern design on the same, I found some articles regarding bench design and some brief history on the topic. I can't find the link now, but one of the more noteworthy articles pointed out the top 10 features to look for in bench design. Of those, the things that struck me were in materials and weight. There was a great stress on weight being an important factor. A bench approaching 300lbs. was "ideal." The material should be something with the same characteristics of steamed European Beech, but it doesn't have to be Beech. As the article's author pointed out, the only reason Beech was used was because it was plentiful in the area, and stiff. The latest batch of reading I had done had pointed out some major flaws in my mind with many modern bench designs. So that's why those fancy cabinetmaker's benches cost so much? I knew I wanted one, but I didn't know why.

That's approximately when I found the article on the Holtzapffel bench. I had been looking so long at bench designs and products that the Holtzapffel bench struck me as something new. I read on. It was as though the bench were Christopher Schwarz's answer to this "Top 10" article I had read. A twin-screw face vise with 24" space between screws. 3" thick heavy top - even beefier legs and appropriate stretchers tenoned together. A day or two later and I've made my decision to build the Holtzapffel bench.

As a first big project, this looks promising. It's simple enough that I don't think I can screw it up, and there are techniques at play that give me practice with some hand tools on big stock (an easier thing to learn on than tiny, delicate stuff). I chose White Ash as my wood of choice because of its local availability, density, and stiffness. Woodworker's Magazine Ed. 8 in hand, on-the-job training with some mediocre tools, and ~75BF in lumber, I'm itching to get started with this project.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Setting Up the Scene

My first big project will be the Holtzapffel cabinetmaker's workbench. If you've kept up with Christopher Schwarz, you already know well what I am talking about. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to start my shop off with this cornerstone of hand tool work.

I've long sought after the European benches you see in the magazines, but the money put them well outside of my reach. Just as I was about to fold and build a modern design on the same, I found some articles regarding bench design and some brief history on the topic. I can't find the link now, but one of the more noteworthy articles pointed out the top 10 features to look for in bench design. Of those, the things that struck me were in materials and weight. There was a great stress on weight being an important factor. A bench approaching 300lbs. was "ideal." The material should be something with the same characteristics of steamed European Beech, but it doesn't have to be Beech. As the article's author pointed out, the only reason Beech was used was because it was plentiful in the area, and stiff. The latest batch of reading I had done had pointed out some major flaws in my mind with many modern bench designs. So that's why those fancy cabinetmaker's benches cost so much? I knew I wanted one, but I didn't know why.

That's approximately when I found the article on the Holtzapffel bench. I had been looking so long at bench designs and products that the Holtzapffel bench struck me as something new. I read on. It was as though the bench were Christopher Schwarz's answer to this "Top 10" article I had read. A twin-screw face vise with 24" space between screws. 3" thick heavy top - even beefier legs and appropriate stretchers tenoned together. A day or two later and I've made my decision to build the Holtzapffel bench.

As a first big project, this looks promising. It's simple enough that I don't think I can screw it up, and there are techniques at play that give me practice with some hand tools on big stock (an easier thing to learn on than tiny, delicate stuff). I chose White Ash as my wood of choice because of its local availability, density, and stiffness. Woodworker's Magazine Ed. 8 in hand, on-the-job training with some mediocre tools, and ~75BF in lumber, I'm itching to get started with this project.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Setting Up the Scene

My first big project will be the Holtzapffel cabinetmaker's workbench. If you've kept up with Christopher Schwarz, you already know well what I am talking about. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to start my shop off with this cornerstone of hand tool work.

I've long sought after the European benches you see in the magazines, but the money put them well outside of my reach. Just as I was about to fold and build a modern design on the same, I found some articles regarding bench design and some brief history on the topic. I can't find the link now, but one of the more noteworthy articles pointed out the top 10 features to look for in bench design. Of those, the things that struck me were in materials and weight. There was a great stress on weight being an important factor. A bench approaching 300lbs. was "ideal." The material should be something with the same characteristics of steamed European Beech, but it doesn't have to be Beech. As the article's author pointed out, the only reason Beech was used was because it was plentiful in the area, and stiff. The latest batch of reading I had done had pointed out some major flaws in my mind with many modern bench designs. So that's why those fancy cabinetmaker's benches cost so much? I knew I wanted one, but I didn't know why.

That's approximately when I found the article on the Holtzapffel bench. I had been looking so long at bench designs and products that the Holtzapffel bench struck me as something new. I read on. It was as though the bench were Christopher Schwarz's answer to this "Top 10" article I had read. A twin-screw face vise with 24" space between screws. 3" thick heavy top - even beefier legs and appropriate stretchers tenoned together. A day or two later and I've made my decision to build the Holtzapffel bench.

As a first big project, this looks promising. It's simple enough that I don't think I can screw it up, and there are techniques at play that give me practice with some hand tools on big stock (an easier thing to learn on than tiny, delicate stuff). I chose White Ash as my wood of choice because of its local availability, density, and stiffness. Woodworker's Magazine Ed. 8 in hand, on-the-job training with some mediocre tools, and ~75BF in lumber, I'm itching to get started with this project.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

A Lumber Jock Meets Lumber Jack

Last weekend I made my first trip to a local lumber yard for the Holtzapffel bench project. After much deliberation, I had made a firm decision on White Ash as my choice of wood. I've not been to many lumber yards, and I've never gone to pick out my own rough-cut slices before, so this was quite exciting for me. In my haste, I planned poorly for the hauling of big, heavy woods and had to rent a Home Depot truck for the duration. I drive a Mazda3 which, while Zoom-Zoom and utilitarian as a sporty hatchback, doesn't make for an ideal cargo hold of lumber.

I have never been so excited over massive amounts of cellulose fiber in all my life. The array of wood products captivated me and I had a tendency to want to touch and smell the most interesting ones. I also brought along some scraps I wanted to identify for fun (Mahogany, Hickory, and stressed Walnut). I was brought to my choice in Ash and learned that it was actually a local tree cut 2+ years prior and had been air-drying. That really sealed the deal for me - just for the fact that this guy cut it down on his property and sliced it up to sell. It's very Renaissance Man, and I'm continually reminded of the rich history of the art. I pick out my pieces - most over 2" thick, 18" wide, and 14' long. It's at this point that a very important point dawns on me - you can't buy the exact number of board feet needed for a project unless the boards are pre-milled, which these are most certainly not. Some of them even have the natural edge still attached (a beautiful touch, I might add). My first lesson is that I have to spend a little time calculating my dimensioned lumber within the rough stock laid before me. How many pieces can I get from this board? You have to consider board defects. You have to consider board defects on both sides of the board! In the end, I have more board feet than I need for the finished members I plan to extract from them. My costs are already rising above what I expect, so I cap it off at the amount of cash I have on-hand and make a note of what additional pieces I'm going to need to finish the project.

The guy running the lumber yard is an independent business man. He cuts the trees (or buys the wood elsewhere), dries it, and manages the sales. It's a business that I think you either have a passion for or don't. This guy clearly had the fever for it. We spent a lot of extra time touring the yard, examining boards, and talking on the changing likes and dislikes of wood craftsmen and their choices in lumber. That's about the time I recalled that I had a Home Depot truck sitting around doing nothing (except collecting its hourly rate). Time to hit the road fast and get this load moved.

There's another lesson learned soon after opening the tailgate on the lumber truck…dense, stiff wood is heavy. More ill-planning on my part. I pulled the 14-footers out long ways and let them tip over so that I could carry them at their middle points. Maybe I misjudged the middle a little bit, or maybe the weight distribution in this product was not manufactured to exacting standards. The result was the same; the board came over nicely and continued right through my pathetic grip onto the ground. Fortunately, Ash is hard stuff and no damage occurred. With a little extra respect given to my lumber, I was able to manipulate all of it to a center point and rest it on saw horses for preparation.

There's another first at play here. This is my first time ever working rough lumber. I have only vague notions of what needs to be done to get dimensioned lumber. I'm all about hand planes and my modicum usefulness of a table saw, the Ridgid TS2400LS, so there was the idea that some sort of relationship there would result in nice looking wood. My plane is a recent Stanley No. 4. 'Nuff said. I'm checking into getting that corrected, but in the meantime I did work up the new Stanley to decent enough shape that I was able to plane fluffy stuff off of the rough Ash. It's really nice underneath! I only worked at a small section - a spot check, so to speak - but I can already see some really pretty figure. Doesn't much matter for this project though; it'll all be cut down to narrower pieces and glued up for a dimensionally stable bench top.

I had to break for a bit and read up on the steps recommended to get from rough lumber to something useful. When I returned, I only had time to rip my first board. Depending on how much of this board I can salvage, it may comprise all four of the stretchers. With the holidays here, maybe I can get all the wood I have rough-cut to workable pieces before I have to go back to work. I'm also including a picture this time - not of my progress, but of the intended result. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Click to expand...

olaf said:

A Lumber Jock Meets Lumber Jack

Last weekend I made my first trip to a local lumber yard for the Holtzapffel bench project. After much deliberation, I had made a firm decision on White Ash as my choice of wood. I've not been to many lumber yards, and I've never gone to pick out my own rough-cut slices before, so this was quite exciting for me. In my haste, I planned poorly for the hauling of big, heavy woods and had to rent a Home Depot truck for the duration. I drive a Mazda3 which, while Zoom-Zoom and utilitarian as a sporty hatchback, doesn't make for an ideal cargo hold of lumber.

I have never been so excited over massive amounts of cellulose fiber in all my life. The array of wood products captivated me and I had a tendency to want to touch and smell the most interesting ones. I also brought along some scraps I wanted to identify for fun (Mahogany, Hickory, and stressed Walnut). I was brought to my choice in Ash and learned that it was actually a local tree cut 2+ years prior and had been air-drying. That really sealed the deal for me - just for the fact that this guy cut it down on his property and sliced it up to sell. It's very Renaissance Man, and I'm continually reminded of the rich history of the art. I pick out my pieces - most over 2" thick, 18" wide, and 14' long. It's at this point that a very important point dawns on me - you can't buy the exact number of board feet needed for a project unless the boards are pre-milled, which these are most certainly not. Some of them even have the natural edge still attached (a beautiful touch, I might add). My first lesson is that I have to spend a little time calculating my dimensioned lumber within the rough stock laid before me. How many pieces can I get from this board? You have to consider board defects. You have to consider board defects on both sides of the board! In the end, I have more board feet than I need for the finished members I plan to extract from them. My costs are already rising above what I expect, so I cap it off at the amount of cash I have on-hand and make a note of what additional pieces I'm going to need to finish the project.

The guy running the lumber yard is an independent business man. He cuts the trees (or buys the wood elsewhere), dries it, and manages the sales. It's a business that I think you either have a passion for or don't. This guy clearly had the fever for it. We spent a lot of extra time touring the yard, examining boards, and talking on the changing likes and dislikes of wood craftsmen and their choices in lumber. That's about the time I recalled that I had a Home Depot truck sitting around doing nothing (except collecting its hourly rate). Time to hit the road fast and get this load moved.

There's another lesson learned soon after opening the tailgate on the lumber truck…dense, stiff wood is heavy. More ill-planning on my part. I pulled the 14-footers out long ways and let them tip over so that I could carry them at their middle points. Maybe I misjudged the middle a little bit, or maybe the weight distribution in this product was not manufactured to exacting standards. The result was the same; the board came over nicely and continued right through my pathetic grip onto the ground. Fortunately, Ash is hard stuff and no damage occurred. With a little extra respect given to my lumber, I was able to manipulate all of it to a center point and rest it on saw horses for preparation.

There's another first at play here. This is my first time ever working rough lumber. I have only vague notions of what needs to be done to get dimensioned lumber. I'm all about hand planes and my modicum usefulness of a table saw, the Ridgid TS2400LS, so there was the idea that some sort of relationship there would result in nice looking wood. My plane is a recent Stanley No. 4. 'Nuff said. I'm checking into getting that corrected, but in the meantime I did work up the new Stanley to decent enough shape that I was able to plane fluffy stuff off of the rough Ash. It's really nice underneath! I only worked at a small section - a spot check, so to speak - but I can already see some really pretty figure. Doesn't much matter for this project though; it'll all be cut down to narrower pieces and glued up for a dimensionally stable bench top.

I had to break for a bit and read up on the steps recommended to get from rough lumber to something useful. When I returned, I only had time to rip my first board. Depending on how much of this board I can salvage, it may comprise all four of the stretchers. With the holidays here, maybe I can get all the wood I have rough-cut to workable pieces before I have to go back to work. I'm also including a picture this time - not of my progress, but of the intended result. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Click to expand...

olaf said:

A Lumber Jock Meets Lumber Jack

Last weekend I made my first trip to a local lumber yard for the Holtzapffel bench project. After much deliberation, I had made a firm decision on White Ash as my choice of wood. I've not been to many lumber yards, and I've never gone to pick out my own rough-cut slices before, so this was quite exciting for me. In my haste, I planned poorly for the hauling of big, heavy woods and had to rent a Home Depot truck for the duration. I drive a Mazda3 which, while Zoom-Zoom and utilitarian as a sporty hatchback, doesn't make for an ideal cargo hold of lumber.

I have never been so excited over massive amounts of cellulose fiber in all my life. The array of wood products captivated me and I had a tendency to want to touch and smell the most interesting ones. I also brought along some scraps I wanted to identify for fun (Mahogany, Hickory, and stressed Walnut). I was brought to my choice in Ash and learned that it was actually a local tree cut 2+ years prior and had been air-drying. That really sealed the deal for me - just for the fact that this guy cut it down on his property and sliced it up to sell. It's very Renaissance Man, and I'm continually reminded of the rich history of the art. I pick out my pieces - most over 2" thick, 18" wide, and 14' long. It's at this point that a very important point dawns on me - you can't buy the exact number of board feet needed for a project unless the boards are pre-milled, which these are most certainly not. Some of them even have the natural edge still attached (a beautiful touch, I might add). My first lesson is that I have to spend a little time calculating my dimensioned lumber within the rough stock laid before me. How many pieces can I get from this board? You have to consider board defects. You have to consider board defects on both sides of the board! In the end, I have more board feet than I need for the finished members I plan to extract from them. My costs are already rising above what I expect, so I cap it off at the amount of cash I have on-hand and make a note of what additional pieces I'm going to need to finish the project.

The guy running the lumber yard is an independent business man. He cuts the trees (or buys the wood elsewhere), dries it, and manages the sales. It's a business that I think you either have a passion for or don't. This guy clearly had the fever for it. We spent a lot of extra time touring the yard, examining boards, and talking on the changing likes and dislikes of wood craftsmen and their choices in lumber. That's about the time I recalled that I had a Home Depot truck sitting around doing nothing (except collecting its hourly rate). Time to hit the road fast and get this load moved.

There's another lesson learned soon after opening the tailgate on the lumber truck…dense, stiff wood is heavy. More ill-planning on my part. I pulled the 14-footers out long ways and let them tip over so that I could carry them at their middle points. Maybe I misjudged the middle a little bit, or maybe the weight distribution in this product was not manufactured to exacting standards. The result was the same; the board came over nicely and continued right through my pathetic grip onto the ground. Fortunately, Ash is hard stuff and no damage occurred. With a little extra respect given to my lumber, I was able to manipulate all of it to a center point and rest it on saw horses for preparation.

There's another first at play here. This is my first time ever working rough lumber. I have only vague notions of what needs to be done to get dimensioned lumber. I'm all about hand planes and my modicum usefulness of a table saw, the Ridgid TS2400LS, so there was the idea that some sort of relationship there would result in nice looking wood. My plane is a recent Stanley No. 4. 'Nuff said. I'm checking into getting that corrected, but in the meantime I did work up the new Stanley to decent enough shape that I was able to plane fluffy stuff off of the rough Ash. It's really nice underneath! I only worked at a small section - a spot check, so to speak - but I can already see some really pretty figure. Doesn't much matter for this project though; it'll all be cut down to narrower pieces and glued up for a dimensionally stable bench top.

I had to break for a bit and read up on the steps recommended to get from rough lumber to something useful. When I returned, I only had time to rip my first board. Depending on how much of this board I can salvage, it may comprise all four of the stretchers. With the holidays here, maybe I can get all the wood I have rough-cut to workable pieces before I have to go back to work. I'm also including a picture this time - not of my progress, but of the intended result. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Click to expand...

olaf said:

A Lumber Jock Meets Lumber Jack

Last weekend I made my first trip to a local lumber yard for the Holtzapffel bench project. After much deliberation, I had made a firm decision on White Ash as my choice of wood. I've not been to many lumber yards, and I've never gone to pick out my own rough-cut slices before, so this was quite exciting for me. In my haste, I planned poorly for the hauling of big, heavy woods and had to rent a Home Depot truck for the duration. I drive a Mazda3 which, while Zoom-Zoom and utilitarian as a sporty hatchback, doesn't make for an ideal cargo hold of lumber.

I have never been so excited over massive amounts of cellulose fiber in all my life. The array of wood products captivated me and I had a tendency to want to touch and smell the most interesting ones. I also brought along some scraps I wanted to identify for fun (Mahogany, Hickory, and stressed Walnut). I was brought to my choice in Ash and learned that it was actually a local tree cut 2+ years prior and had been air-drying. That really sealed the deal for me - just for the fact that this guy cut it down on his property and sliced it up to sell. It's very Renaissance Man, and I'm continually reminded of the rich history of the art. I pick out my pieces - most over 2" thick, 18" wide, and 14' long. It's at this point that a very important point dawns on me - you can't buy the exact number of board feet needed for a project unless the boards are pre-milled, which these are most certainly not. Some of them even have the natural edge still attached (a beautiful touch, I might add). My first lesson is that I have to spend a little time calculating my dimensioned lumber within the rough stock laid before me. How many pieces can I get from this board? You have to consider board defects. You have to consider board defects on both sides of the board! In the end, I have more board feet than I need for the finished members I plan to extract from them. My costs are already rising above what I expect, so I cap it off at the amount of cash I have on-hand and make a note of what additional pieces I'm going to need to finish the project.

The guy running the lumber yard is an independent business man. He cuts the trees (or buys the wood elsewhere), dries it, and manages the sales. It's a business that I think you either have a passion for or don't. This guy clearly had the fever for it. We spent a lot of extra time touring the yard, examining boards, and talking on the changing likes and dislikes of wood craftsmen and their choices in lumber. That's about the time I recalled that I had a Home Depot truck sitting around doing nothing (except collecting its hourly rate). Time to hit the road fast and get this load moved.

There's another lesson learned soon after opening the tailgate on the lumber truck…dense, stiff wood is heavy. More ill-planning on my part. I pulled the 14-footers out long ways and let them tip over so that I could carry them at their middle points. Maybe I misjudged the middle a little bit, or maybe the weight distribution in this product was not manufactured to exacting standards. The result was the same; the board came over nicely and continued right through my pathetic grip onto the ground. Fortunately, Ash is hard stuff and no damage occurred. With a little extra respect given to my lumber, I was able to manipulate all of it to a center point and rest it on saw horses for preparation.

There's another first at play here. This is my first time ever working rough lumber. I have only vague notions of what needs to be done to get dimensioned lumber. I'm all about hand planes and my modicum usefulness of a table saw, the Ridgid TS2400LS, so there was the idea that some sort of relationship there would result in nice looking wood. My plane is a recent Stanley No. 4. 'Nuff said. I'm checking into getting that corrected, but in the meantime I did work up the new Stanley to decent enough shape that I was able to plane fluffy stuff off of the rough Ash. It's really nice underneath! I only worked at a small section - a spot check, so to speak - but I can already see some really pretty figure. Doesn't much matter for this project though; it'll all be cut down to narrower pieces and glued up for a dimensionally stable bench top.

I had to break for a bit and read up on the steps recommended to get from rough lumber to something useful. When I returned, I only had time to rip my first board. Depending on how much of this board I can salvage, it may comprise all four of the stretchers. With the holidays here, maybe I can get all the wood I have rough-cut to workable pieces before I have to go back to work. I'm also including a picture this time - not of my progress, but of the intended result. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Click to expand...

olaf said:

A Lumber Jock Meets Lumber Jack

Last weekend I made my first trip to a local lumber yard for the Holtzapffel bench project. After much deliberation, I had made a firm decision on White Ash as my choice of wood. I've not been to many lumber yards, and I've never gone to pick out my own rough-cut slices before, so this was quite exciting for me. In my haste, I planned poorly for the hauling of big, heavy woods and had to rent a Home Depot truck for the duration. I drive a Mazda3 which, while Zoom-Zoom and utilitarian as a sporty hatchback, doesn't make for an ideal cargo hold of lumber.

I have never been so excited over massive amounts of cellulose fiber in all my life. The array of wood products captivated me and I had a tendency to want to touch and smell the most interesting ones. I also brought along some scraps I wanted to identify for fun (Mahogany, Hickory, and stressed Walnut). I was brought to my choice in Ash and learned that it was actually a local tree cut 2+ years prior and had been air-drying. That really sealed the deal for me - just for the fact that this guy cut it down on his property and sliced it up to sell. It's very Renaissance Man, and I'm continually reminded of the rich history of the art. I pick out my pieces - most over 2" thick, 18" wide, and 14' long. It's at this point that a very important point dawns on me - you can't buy the exact number of board feet needed for a project unless the boards are pre-milled, which these are most certainly not. Some of them even have the natural edge still attached (a beautiful touch, I might add). My first lesson is that I have to spend a little time calculating my dimensioned lumber within the rough stock laid before me. How many pieces can I get from this board? You have to consider board defects. You have to consider board defects on both sides of the board! In the end, I have more board feet than I need for the finished members I plan to extract from them. My costs are already rising above what I expect, so I cap it off at the amount of cash I have on-hand and make a note of what additional pieces I'm going to need to finish the project.

The guy running the lumber yard is an independent business man. He cuts the trees (or buys the wood elsewhere), dries it, and manages the sales. It's a business that I think you either have a passion for or don't. This guy clearly had the fever for it. We spent a lot of extra time touring the yard, examining boards, and talking on the changing likes and dislikes of wood craftsmen and their choices in lumber. That's about the time I recalled that I had a Home Depot truck sitting around doing nothing (except collecting its hourly rate). Time to hit the road fast and get this load moved.

There's another lesson learned soon after opening the tailgate on the lumber truck…dense, stiff wood is heavy. More ill-planning on my part. I pulled the 14-footers out long ways and let them tip over so that I could carry them at their middle points. Maybe I misjudged the middle a little bit, or maybe the weight distribution in this product was not manufactured to exacting standards. The result was the same; the board came over nicely and continued right through my pathetic grip onto the ground. Fortunately, Ash is hard stuff and no damage occurred. With a little extra respect given to my lumber, I was able to manipulate all of it to a center point and rest it on saw horses for preparation.

There's another first at play here. This is my first time ever working rough lumber. I have only vague notions of what needs to be done to get dimensioned lumber. I'm all about hand planes and my modicum usefulness of a table saw, the Ridgid TS2400LS, so there was the idea that some sort of relationship there would result in nice looking wood. My plane is a recent Stanley No. 4. 'Nuff said. I'm checking into getting that corrected, but in the meantime I did work up the new Stanley to decent enough shape that I was able to plane fluffy stuff off of the rough Ash. It's really nice underneath! I only worked at a small section - a spot check, so to speak - but I can already see some really pretty figure. Doesn't much matter for this project though; it'll all be cut down to narrower pieces and glued up for a dimensionally stable bench top.

I had to break for a bit and read up on the steps recommended to get from rough lumber to something useful. When I returned, I only had time to rip my first board. Depending on how much of this board I can salvage, it may comprise all four of the stretchers. With the holidays here, maybe I can get all the wood I have rough-cut to workable pieces before I have to go back to work. I'm also including a picture this time - not of my progress, but of the intended result. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Click to expand...

olaf said:

A Lumber Jock Meets Lumber Jack

Last weekend I made my first trip to a local lumber yard for the Holtzapffel bench project. After much deliberation, I had made a firm decision on White Ash as my choice of wood. I've not been to many lumber yards, and I've never gone to pick out my own rough-cut slices before, so this was quite exciting for me. In my haste, I planned poorly for the hauling of big, heavy woods and had to rent a Home Depot truck for the duration. I drive a Mazda3 which, while Zoom-Zoom and utilitarian as a sporty hatchback, doesn't make for an ideal cargo hold of lumber.

I have never been so excited over massive amounts of cellulose fiber in all my life. The array of wood products captivated me and I had a tendency to want to touch and smell the most interesting ones. I also brought along some scraps I wanted to identify for fun (Mahogany, Hickory, and stressed Walnut). I was brought to my choice in Ash and learned that it was actually a local tree cut 2+ years prior and had been air-drying. That really sealed the deal for me - just for the fact that this guy cut it down on his property and sliced it up to sell. It's very Renaissance Man, and I'm continually reminded of the rich history of the art. I pick out my pieces - most over 2" thick, 18" wide, and 14' long. It's at this point that a very important point dawns on me - you can't buy the exact number of board feet needed for a project unless the boards are pre-milled, which these are most certainly not. Some of them even have the natural edge still attached (a beautiful touch, I might add). My first lesson is that I have to spend a little time calculating my dimensioned lumber within the rough stock laid before me. How many pieces can I get from this board? You have to consider board defects. You have to consider board defects on both sides of the board! In the end, I have more board feet than I need for the finished members I plan to extract from them. My costs are already rising above what I expect, so I cap it off at the amount of cash I have on-hand and make a note of what additional pieces I'm going to need to finish the project.

The guy running the lumber yard is an independent business man. He cuts the trees (or buys the wood elsewhere), dries it, and manages the sales. It's a business that I think you either have a passion for or don't. This guy clearly had the fever for it. We spent a lot of extra time touring the yard, examining boards, and talking on the changing likes and dislikes of wood craftsmen and their choices in lumber. That's about the time I recalled that I had a Home Depot truck sitting around doing nothing (except collecting its hourly rate). Time to hit the road fast and get this load moved.

There's another lesson learned soon after opening the tailgate on the lumber truck…dense, stiff wood is heavy. More ill-planning on my part. I pulled the 14-footers out long ways and let them tip over so that I could carry them at their middle points. Maybe I misjudged the middle a little bit, or maybe the weight distribution in this product was not manufactured to exacting standards. The result was the same; the board came over nicely and continued right through my pathetic grip onto the ground. Fortunately, Ash is hard stuff and no damage occurred. With a little extra respect given to my lumber, I was able to manipulate all of it to a center point and rest it on saw horses for preparation.

There's another first at play here. This is my first time ever working rough lumber. I have only vague notions of what needs to be done to get dimensioned lumber. I'm all about hand planes and my modicum usefulness of a table saw, the Ridgid TS2400LS, so there was the idea that some sort of relationship there would result in nice looking wood. My plane is a recent Stanley No. 4. 'Nuff said. I'm checking into getting that corrected, but in the meantime I did work up the new Stanley to decent enough shape that I was able to plane fluffy stuff off of the rough Ash. It's really nice underneath! I only worked at a small section - a spot check, so to speak - but I can already see some really pretty figure. Doesn't much matter for this project though; it'll all be cut down to narrower pieces and glued up for a dimensionally stable bench top.

I had to break for a bit and read up on the steps recommended to get from rough lumber to something useful. When I returned, I only had time to rip my first board. Depending on how much of this board I can salvage, it may comprise all four of the stretchers. With the holidays here, maybe I can get all the wood I have rough-cut to workable pieces before I have to go back to work. I'm also including a picture this time - not of my progress, but of the intended result. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Plane Old Planes

Last night I decided to commit to some face planing to get my boards ready for the glue-up. I've cut rough dimensions of the four stretchers and two boards each to make up two legs. To do this, I need to joint plane the faces so I get a good flat surface to merge. Afterwards, I will be finishing up the dimensions to exact measurements and smooth planing. Unfortunately, I don't have a quality hand plane in my arsenal.

I worked the face of one piece last night for about an hour before giving up to try again another day. Granted, I'm going about this all wrong. I have a new Stanley No. 4 smoothing plane with poor casting, uneven mouth, and a blade that is better off used as a marking knife. It has some chips in it and I don't have a coarse enough sharpening stone to work it out through a reasonable amount of effort. I have sharpened the blade as is to a "scary-sharp" status, but it still has nicks in it. It would appear that it doesn't have a completely flat sole either (from the now existent repetitive scuff marks). I also have a small Stanley block plane that I picked up at a flea market and have since cleaned up and tuned. It's one of the old ones, though the blade on this one is also slightly dinged on the edge. At any rate, I'm using these two planes in desperation to do the job of "cleaning" my rough lumber. It's working, though I have a relatively high degree of dissatisfaction at the results. Today, I ran out to check at the nearby Woodcraft store for options. I know, of course, what the right choices are for this dilemma, but like many others, I simply don't have the money to drop on Lie-Nielsen or similar tools. I thought that the new Stanley planes - the England made varieties - would be a good enough alternative to what I'm using until I can afford the nice stuff. Turns out, they're pretty expensive too. Still considerably cheaper than LN, but if I'm going to spend even 1/3 the price of a LN, I want to know if I'm wasting money. The way I hear it, all new Stanley planes are a waste of money. There's a similar story on Anant, Grizzly, Footprint, and Groz. What's a hobbyist to do?!? It seems like vintage planes are the only viable alternative to dropping $1,000.00 on a set of new planes.

At Woodcraft, I picked up a better water stone (Japanese combo, 800/4000 grit) and a 2" Hock blade. That blade costs as much as some of the new Stanley No. 4's (the really bad ones), so it has effectively doubled the cost of mine. I aim to see if it doubles the value, however. I was going to replace the vintage model's blade as well, but I need to try this theory out first. I could quickly reach the price point of a better plane altogether if I'm not careful.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Plane Old Planes

Last night I decided to commit to some face planing to get my boards ready for the glue-up. I've cut rough dimensions of the four stretchers and two boards each to make up two legs. To do this, I need to joint plane the faces so I get a good flat surface to merge. Afterwards, I will be finishing up the dimensions to exact measurements and smooth planing. Unfortunately, I don't have a quality hand plane in my arsenal.

I worked the face of one piece last night for about an hour before giving up to try again another day. Granted, I'm going about this all wrong. I have a new Stanley No. 4 smoothing plane with poor casting, uneven mouth, and a blade that is better off used as a marking knife. It has some chips in it and I don't have a coarse enough sharpening stone to work it out through a reasonable amount of effort. I have sharpened the blade as is to a "scary-sharp" status, but it still has nicks in it. It would appear that it doesn't have a completely flat sole either (from the now existent repetitive scuff marks). I also have a small Stanley block plane that I picked up at a flea market and have since cleaned up and tuned. It's one of the old ones, though the blade on this one is also slightly dinged on the edge. At any rate, I'm using these two planes in desperation to do the job of "cleaning" my rough lumber. It's working, though I have a relatively high degree of dissatisfaction at the results. Today, I ran out to check at the nearby Woodcraft store for options. I know, of course, what the right choices are for this dilemma, but like many others, I simply don't have the money to drop on Lie-Nielsen or similar tools. I thought that the new Stanley planes - the England made varieties - would be a good enough alternative to what I'm using until I can afford the nice stuff. Turns out, they're pretty expensive too. Still considerably cheaper than LN, but if I'm going to spend even 1/3 the price of a LN, I want to know if I'm wasting money. The way I hear it, all new Stanley planes are a waste of money. There's a similar story on Anant, Grizzly, Footprint, and Groz. What's a hobbyist to do?!? It seems like vintage planes are the only viable alternative to dropping $1,000.00 on a set of new planes.

At Woodcraft, I picked up a better water stone (Japanese combo, 800/4000 grit) and a 2" Hock blade. That blade costs as much as some of the new Stanley No. 4's (the really bad ones), so it has effectively doubled the cost of mine. I aim to see if it doubles the value, however. I was going to replace the vintage model's blade as well, but I need to try this theory out first. I could quickly reach the price point of a better plane altogether if I'm not careful.

Click to expand...

olaf said:

Plane Old Planes

Last night I decided to commit to some face planing to get my boards ready for the glue-up. I've cut rough dimensions of the four stretchers and two boards each to make up two legs. To do this, I need to joint plane the faces so I get a good flat surface to merge. Afterwards, I will be finishing up the dimensions to exact measurements and smooth planing. Unfortunately, I don't have a quality hand plane in my arsenal.

I worked the face of one piece last night for about an hour before giving up to try again another day. Granted, I'm going about this all wrong. I have a new Stanley No. 4 smoothing plane with poor casting, uneven mouth, and a blade that is better off used as a marking knife. It has some chips in it and I don't have a coarse enough sharpening stone to work it out through a reasonable amount of effort. I have sharpened the blade as is to a "scary-sharp" status, but it still has nicks in it. It would appear that it doesn't have a completely flat sole either (from the now existent repetitive scuff marks). I also have a small Stanley block plane that I picked up at a flea market and have since cleaned up and tuned. It's one of the old ones, though the blade on this one is also slightly dinged on the edge. At any rate, I'm using these two planes in desperation to do the job of "cleaning" my rough lumber. It's working, though I have a relatively high degree of dissatisfaction at the results. Today, I ran out to check at the nearby Woodcraft store for options. I know, of course, what the right choices are for this dilemma, but like many others, I simply don't have the money to drop on Lie-Nielsen or similar tools. I thought that the new Stanley planes - the England made varieties - would be a good enough alternative to what I'm using until I can afford the nice stuff. Turns out, they're pretty expensive too. Still considerably cheaper than LN, but if I'm going to spend even 1/3 the price of a LN, I want to know if I'm wasting money. The way I hear it, all new Stanley planes are a waste of money. There's a similar story on Anant, Grizzly, Footprint, and Groz. What's a hobbyist to do?!? It seems like vintage planes are the only viable alternative to dropping $1,000.00 on a set of new planes.

At Woodcraft, I picked up a better water stone (Japanese combo, 800/4000 grit) and a 2" Hock blade. That blade costs as much as some of the new Stanley No. 4's (the really bad ones), so it has effectively doubled the cost of mine. I aim to see if it doubles the value, however. I was going to replace the vintage model's blade as well, but I need to try this theory out first. I could quickly reach the price point of a better plane altogether if I'm not careful.

Click to expand...