2017-03-03T15-36-39

I am considering building a second #SawBench; I designed this one after #TheEnglishWorkbench, with dovetailed lap joints and a single apron with the vertical legs dadoed into it; no apron on the side of the splayed legs, so I can still clamp my pieces to the top. All that joinery will be good practice for when I get back to building my workbench. If you build this bench, make sure the rails are at least 1/4” less tall than the apron; otherwise, the endgrain of the rails will show through the notches in the apron. I realized that before cutting the joinery, but did not take the time to go back and correct the drawings.

2017-03-05T15-42-59

All the pieces for #TheEnglishWorkbench and the next #SawBench are sawn. Having a proper sawbench really helped although I did get in trouble with one of my boards that kept binding my saw; in a couple instances, I had to cut from both ends and finish the middle with a Japanese saw with a smaller kerf. #woodworking

2017-03-15T15-49-39

Just finished dimensioning all the pieces for the “English” #SawBench and ready to try my hand at dovetailed lap joints. #woodworking

2017-03-15T15-50-10

Just finished dimensioning all the pieces for the “English” #SawBench and ready to try my hand at dovetailed lap joints. #woodworking

2017-03-20T07-59-06

Holding a piece to cut joinery on the WorkMate bench calls for creative solutions. #SawBench #woodworking

2017-03-20T15-42-40

Cutting the dovetailed lap joints for the new #SawBench. I was surprised to find out that cutting the slanted notch with a chisel is actually quite simple; just take full shavings at a steeper and steeper angle; keeping the cut straight and perpendicular to the reference face is easy and quite fast. #woodworking

2017-03-20T15-58-35

Cutting the dovetailed lap joints for the new #SawBench. I was surprised to find out that cutting the slanted notch with a chisel is actually quite simple; just take full shavings at a steeper and steeper angle; keeping the cut straight and perpendicular to the reference face is easy and quite fast. #woodworking

2017-03-20T15-59-12

Cutting the dovetailed lap joints for the new #SawBench. I was surprised to find out that cutting the slanted notch with a chisel is actually quite simple; just take full shavings at a steeper and steeper angle; keeping the cut straight and perpendicular to the reference face is easy and quite fast. #woodworking

2017-03-20T16-19-49

The dovetailed lap joints on the rail of the new #SawBench are done; next will be the corresponding halves on the legs. #woodworking

2017-03-20T16-20-28

The dovetailed lap joints on the rail of the new #SawBench are done; next will be the corresponding halves on the legs. #woodworking

2017-03-20T17-51-34

It was getting late and I wanted to wrap it up; was I distracted or overconfident? I ended up cutting the dovetail notch in the top of the rail of the #SawBench. I still had to cut the notches in the bottom and now I will have to spend time patching the top and will have a permanent reminder that hurrying does not pay off. #woodworking

2017-03-22T09-40-37

I first tried cutting the face of the lap joint in the leg of the #SawBench using my Pax rip saw (at a safe distance from my line), but the going was slow and the tracking so so; when I switched to my tenon saw, tracking the line at 1mm from it was easy, but the joint is 6” tall and my tenon saw maxes out at 4”, so I had to keep the saw at a steep angle and cut from both sides. #woodworking

2017-03-22T09-54-05

I cut the 6”x3-1/4” face of the lap joint in the leg of the #SawBench using my tenon saw, holding it at a steep angle and sawing from both sides; then I finished off the last bit using a Japanese Ryoba saw that easily fit in the tenon saw kerf; I was happy to see that the result was very smooth and a few minutes of work with the chisel will get me down to the knife line. #woodworking

2017-03-22T11-33-42

The dovetailed lap joints for the first leg assembly of the #SawBench are ready; the depth of the joint in the top (in the photo) leg is a bit shallow; I will have to decide whether to deepen it a bit or take a few shavings off the face of the rail. #woodworking

2017-03-22T11-34-39

The dovetailed lap joints for the first leg assembly of the #SawBench are ready; the depth of the joint in the top (in the photo) leg is a bit shallow; I will have to decide whether to deepen it a bit or take a few shavings off the face of the rail. #woodworking

2017-03-24T10-06-48

First fit of the stretcher-to-leg dovetailed lap joint for the #SawBench; taking the time to mark everything accurately really paid off. #woodworking

2017-03-24T10-17-24

One thing I do like about the WorkMate is that I can just walk around it and chisel out the waste for the dovetailed lap joints of the #SawBench without having to re-clamp the pieces. #woodworking

2017-03-24T10-50-15

The joinery for the stretcher of the #SawBench is done, nice and tight and square. I am really enjoying cutting these dovetailed lap joints and am looking forward to cutting them for #TheEnglishWorkbench; #woodworking

2017-03-24T14-25-36

The leg assemblies for the #SawBench are glued up. Once the clamps come off, I will cut the legs to their final length and saw the notch for the apron. #woodworking

2017-03-26T13-23-15

I cannot imagine using the WorkMate without my wooden handscrews. Here is the setup I used to hold the leg assembly to pair the lap joint for the apron of the #SawBench. #woodworking

2017-03-26T13-23-44

I cannot imagine using the WorkMate without my wooden handscrews. Here is the setup I used to hold the leg assembly to pair the lap joint for the apron of the #SawBench. #woodworking

2017-03-26T15-35-37

Here is the state of the #SawBench so far; a few more hours of work and it should be ready to go. #woodworking

2017-03-26T15-36-48

Just finished cleaning up the notches in the leg assemblies; they will mate with matching dados in the apron of the #SawBench. #woodworking

2017-03-27T16-57-55

The frame for the #SawBench is done; here I am doing a dry-run before glueing up the apron and stretcher to the leg assemblies; it really is starting to look like a mini Nicholson workbench :-) #woodworking

2017-03-27T16-58-25

The frame for the #SawBench is done; here I am doing a dry-run before glueing up the apron and stretcher to the leg assemblies; it really is starting to look like a mini Nicholson workbench :-) #woodworking

2017-03-27T16-59-04

The frame for the #SawBench is done; here I am doing a dry-run before glueing up the apron and stretcher to the leg assemblies; it really is starting to look like a mini Nicholson workbench :-) #woodworking

2017-03-29T14-51-38

Change of plans. Originally I thought I would fasten the top of the #SawBench using 4” finishing nails through the top, but after a loud test on some scrap pine, I decided to go with dowels; that way the top will be cleaner and my neighbours will love me better. #woodworking

2017-03-29T16-36-28

Glueing is always a bit of a panic moment for me. The joinery is always a bit too tight and once the glue adds its thickness, things never go as well as during the dry run. This time I ended up hammering the top of the #SawBench like crazy trying to get it to sit all the way down on the dowels, but it in the end, everything worked out. #woodworking

2017-04-01T16-59-52

The second #SawBench is almost ready; only a few coats of oil are missing and then it will be ready to go. #woodworking

2017-04-01T17-00-37

The second #SawBench is almost ready; only a few coats of oil are missing and then it will be ready to go. #woodworking

2017-04-01T17-01-12

The second #SawBench is almost ready; only a few coats of oil are missing and then it will be ready to go. #woodworking

2017-04-09T09-15-04

After two coats of Tried & True Varnish Oil and a good amount of buffing, I am ready to call the #SawBench project complete; time to get back to #TheEnglishWorkbench. #woodworking

2017-04-09T09-16-05

After two coats of Tried & True Varnish Oil and a good amount of buffing, I am ready to call the #SawBench project complete; time to get back to #TheEnglishWorkbench. #woodworking

2017-04-09T09-18-45

After two coats of Tried & True Varnish Oil and a good amount of buffing, I am ready to call the #SawBench project complete; time to get back to #TheEnglishWorkbench. #woodworking