Frank’s Workbench - Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Frank (yep, the Woodcraft guy from Ep. 62). Let’s hear what he has to say:
Well, I finally completed my workbench. I would love to have a typical European style bench with a large twin screw vice on the side, but I have neither the space nor the funds. Furthermore, I needed a bench that I can easily move by myself, yet is strong enough to work with mortising chisels or hand planes. Also, because of my height, I prefer a bench that stands just a little higher than most.
This bench turned out to be a pretty good compromise. Its design revolves around the Zyliss vice and Veritas Bench Dogs / Wonder Dogs / Surface Clamp. My father purchased a Zyliss vice back in the 70’s and I have been very impressed with them ever since. New, they tend to be pretty expensive but if you keep your eyes open they are quite reasonable on eBay. I now have four of them.
The light wood is Alder and the darker is Eucalyptus. The Eucalyptus is not only beautiful but also tough as nails. I will say that if I were to do it again, I would replace the Alder with Hard Maple. The Alder is softer than I expected. I made the feet out of Ash to handle the abuse of being moved around. All of the joinery is either pairs of 10×50mm Dominos or Miller dowels. I finished it with Danish Oil and several coats of wax.
Assembly Table - Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Patrick. My poor little assembly table is cowering in the corner with its tail between its legs. lol. He writes:
This is my take on your assembly table. I had been contemplating what to do for a replacement bench for a couple of years. It was not until I saw the assembly table you built that I decided to combine the features of a work bench with the features of an assembly table. It was this idea that actually ended up saving space despite the fact this new bench is larger than the two it replaced combined. It measures approximately 81” x 51” x 36.5”. The base is walnut, the panels are birch ply and the joinery is mortise and tenon. The top is a seven inch thick torsion box, wrapped in walnut, and includes two vises with the requisite bench dog holes. The bench dog holes presented a problem because I did not believe MDF would be substantial enough for the dogs to react against. Therefore, I glued walnut blocks in wherever a hole was intended. Blocking the dog holes also had the added advantage of not turning the top into a time capsule for every small part I set on the bench. Finally, I have a surface big enough to assemble a large project without the assistance of shims and saw horses.
**UPDATE** Patrick sent in a Sketchup file that details the construction of the torsion box and the role of the solid wood dog hole supports. Download Sketchup File
Mini Holtzapffel Workbench - Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Shawn. Impressive indeed! Here’s the story:
This project was different than a normal one, I had to reduce the size down to fit my four year old daughter and stay within visual scale of the original. I got the idea to build this because my daughter is a tom-boy who likes to spend time in the wood shop with me. After seeing the reworked Holtzapffel workbench by Christopher Schwarz, I was inspired to create a scaled down version for my daughter’s Christmas present.
The workbench is made of scrap pine I had in the shop. It is finished with amber shellac to give it a antique look and the hand cut scaled down hold-fast and bench dogs are finished in a black enamel paint. The hold-fast, bench dogs and clamps all work just like the real deal. I found it fun to do this project and quite challenging as well and it’s nice to step out of your normal work zone and be refreshed with something new and different. Plus help the next generation of woodworkers get started, even if they are only four years old.
Purpleheart Plane - Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Jeff. He writes:
Hey Marc. Just made this plane and wanted to send a picture.
Driving to work 110 miles each day burning 1/4 tank of gas - - - $35
Having to spend my plane money on my sons Little League - - - $400
Having a weeks vacation in my shop making planes and drinking coffee out of my Wood Whisperer’s Coffee mug - - - PRICELESS!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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