Monday, November 19, 2012

Bench Build - Complete !!


The Shaker style bench is now complete and ready for use (officially), I was using it prior to the finish coat for some other small projects.


 The finished top dimension is 26" x 83", I left it a little wider than the plan to allow for a couple of round bench holes to accept holdfasts for the Moxon vise. Even at that width, there is still plenty of room all around the bench. I used Tried and True wipe-on oil for all of the unpainted pieces.


Back view showing the back panel routed to give the impression of ship lapped boards. 


 Tail vise view and overhang required for all the hardware under the bench top.



 Front view shows the square dog hole strip that runs the entire length of the bench. I do have a few more bench dogs to build, and the plans are clear on how to do that, even though it is not the most exciting part of the build.


 The deadman and rail 


The parallel guide bar prevents the leg vise chop from racking, simply slide the bar into the hole close to the width of the board you have in the vise.

One thing I can say is this bench is solid, and heavy! I had a chance to edge join a board and I detected absolutely no movement at all, solid as a rock. This bench was a pleasure to build. The quality of the hardware and plans are outstanding. I had some challenges along the way, but what fun would it be if it was easy? I learned a lot along the way and would be glad to share if someone is thinking about building this bench.

6 comments:

  1. Really cool. I think I like this better than the split top Roubo so trendy right now. Handsome! One question: how long did it take to build?

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    1. Thanks Jeff, I started mid-August, but didn't work on it every day, had tee times, and some travel, some days I would be in the shop for a few hours, and others all day. I tried to break down the build into separate task, completing each on the days I was in the shop.

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  2. Wow! I'm really eager to see it in use. I'm lookin' forward to future posts with the new bench.

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    1. Thank you Marilyn, I have some projects lined up so it won't be long. Speaking of projects, how's the desk coming along?

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  3. Looks great. That bench is sure to get a lot of good use.

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