2016-12-29T09-22-07
#TheEnglishWorkbench project is here! Langevin Forest's truck just delivered a pile of 8/4 and 16/4 common pine to my apt building. Now it's time to work up some sweat and bring everything upstairs
2016-12-29T14-13-38
Just finished stacking the stock for #TheEnglishWorkbench and, yes, I could not resist buying some nicely textured wood for future projects
2017-01-30T12-20-01
Working on the legs of #TheEnglishWorkbench Trying to hide the knots behind the apron or on the back of the legs. #woodworking
2017-01-30T16-28-32
Shavings at last! #TheEnglishWorkbench #woodworking
2017-02-01T10-55-34
My crosscutting skills are not good enough to cut the legs of #TheEnglishWorkbench to length precisely, so I ended up using my marking knife and chisel to make a wall that my saw could follow more easily; a bit of touching up with the block plane and the legs are ready to go.
2017-02-01T10-56-30
Home woodshop, version 1; so far the WorkMate is serving me pretty well, but I have some ripping coming up for #TheEnglishWorkbench that will put it to the test.
2017-02-01T15-38-44
Started working on the rails for #TheEnglishWorkbench; this board has some twist and cupping that will need some attention.
2017-02-02T09-12-16
Trying to pick the best boards for the top of #TheEnglishWorkbench; then for the aprons and for the rest; they all have some cupping and twist and plenty of knots!
2017-02-04T14-14-05
Using 1:4 scale models of the parts of #TheEnglishWorkbench and two saw benches to figure out how to best lay them out on my three 10”x8’ and one 8”x8’ 8/4 stock; barring nasty knots, they should all fit!
2017-03-05T12-43-37
Laying out the pieces for #TheEnglishWorkbench and the next #SawBench on my 2”x10” boards took me a while; trying to avoid checks and keep huge knots away from joinery sites can be quite a challenge. I am glad in the end all the pieces fit in the stock I have. #woodworking
2017-03-05T12-44-11
2017-03-05T15-45-38
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
2017-03-05T15-53-28
The #ShopBents sure can stack a lot of wood! Here are all the parts for #TheEnglishWorkbench and #SawBench ready for the upcoming hand planing fest. #woodworking
2017-04-12T14-48-10
I am back to work on #TheEnglishWorkbench and once again my Japanese Ryoba allowed me to complete the cut after my tenon saw bottomed out. #woodworking
2017-04-12T16-16-52
In order to minimize setup changes on my little WorkMate, I decided to saw the lap joints in the rails of #TheEnglishWorkbench all at once; that gave me plenty of much-needed practice using my backsaws. #woodworking
2017-04-17T15-52-29
After all the practice I got building the #SawBench #1 and #2, I am finally getting better at following a line with my tenon saw; holding the saw lightly and letting it do its job is really the key. #woodworking
2017-04-17T16-42-56
Just finished sawing the notches for the aprons in the legs of #TheEnglishWorkbench. I decided to cut those before cutting the dovetailed lap joints that will receive the top and bottom rails; we’ll see how that works out. #woodworking
2017-04-22T15-15-37
Making progress on the joinery for the trestles of #TheEnglishWorkbench; I still need to chisel out the waste on the leg joints receiving the bottom rails before I can start assembling things. #woodworking
2017-04-24T16-13-27
The front leg of #TheEnglishWorkbench ends up with four dovetailed lap joints! #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-04-24T16-42-05
#TheEnglishWorkbench gets a diagonal brace connecting the front, vise-side, leg and the apron for extra rack resistance; yes, it is overkill, but I like the look of it and enjoyed doing it :-) #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-04-24T17-11-08
The trestles for #TheEnglishWorkbench are finally starting to get together; next is cutting the rails to length, planing everything flush, and chamfering the corners before the glue up. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-04-26T10-52-22
Trimming the upper rail to length on a shooting board seemed easier than doing it after assembling the trestles of #TheEnglishWorkbench; I am glad my board allows me to shoot on either side. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-04-26T12-40-53
A big chamfer at the bottom of the legs of #TheEnglishWorkbench will prevent splintering when the bench is dragged on the floor. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-04-26T14-32-32
Ouch! I thought I was being clever by trimming, smooth planing, and chamfering my pieces before assembling the trestles, but I forgot about the notch for the dovetailed joints and ended up chamfering the 3/4” that I should not have touched. I did that for the four joints on the first trestle and did not realize my mistake until I assembled the trestle. Argh! #TheEnglishWorkbench #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-04-26T17-03-48
The first trestle for #TheEnglishWorkbench is in the clamps! I ended up using more clamps than in my dry run; once the glue was in, my joints just did not want to close up so I had to wrestle them a bit to get them to sit all the way down; 40’ later I released the pressure on the clamps as I was worried that they may leave dents in the (really) soft wood. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-03T15-56-29
The trestle for #TheEnglishWorkbench is topped with a bearer. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-09T09-38-01
The trestles for #TheEnglishWorkbench are finally ready! Complete with bearers on top and cut nails on the joinery. I really like these cut nails; no need for drilling pilot holes and even at 7/8” for the end-grain, the wood never split. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-09T10-13-49
It is finally time to start working on the aprons for #TheEnglishWorkbench. A friend lent me his old WorkMate and it is working pretty well. The board is heavy enough that the setup does not slide around while I plane the bottom edge of the apron. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-09T12-46-10
I am only planing the inside of the apron around the areas that will get some joinery and the parts past the legs since they will be visible. I am also taking out a bit of twist as detected by putting winding sticks where the legs will go. #TheEnglishWorkbench #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-09T14-36-06
Time to work on the joinery in the aprons of #TheEnglishWorkbench. I am marking the dados that will take the trestles. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-09T16-09-31
The first dado in the apron of #TheEnglishWorkbench is ready. It is a bit shallower than I originally wanted, but the outside of the apron will need a lot of work to flatten it, so I want to have some extra thickness on that side. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-10T16-44-33
Testing the fit of the aprons of #TheEnglishWorkbench before cutting the diagonal notches at the bottom of the dados (that’s why the aprons are currently sitting so high on the trestles). It is starting to look like it may become a real workbench some day! #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-11T11-07-48
I paired the last 1/16” or so of the dados in the aprons of #TheEnglishWorkbench using a router plane; it really makes it easy to flatten the bottom of the joints, but the result is not as smooth as when just using a sharp pairing chisel. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-11T11-16-05
I am very happy with the fit of the diagonal notches in the aprons of #TheEnglishWorkbench although it did have to take the aprons on and off a couple of times to tweak the parts. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-11T13-31-27
The joinery in the back apron of #TheEnglishWorkbench is done; now it is time to work on the more complicated front apron. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-11T13-31-54
2017-05-11T13-32-50
2017-05-15T09-48-14
The back apron of #TheEnglishWorkbench is glued and in the clamps. I only put glue on the top half of the joints, so the apron can expand down; I put 1/16” shims at the bottom of the joints to act as spacers while the glue sets. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-15T16-16-19
Time to flatten the top of the back apron of #TheEnglishWorkbench and make it flush with the top of the trestles. I am so glad I have a 4’ straightedge! #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-15T18-26-36
Just finished cutting and tuning the joinery for the diagonal brace of #TheEnglishWorkbench. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-16T09-00-35
I decided to drill the hole for the metal vise screw using a Forstner bit; every time I have used an Auger bit in softwood in the past, I have been disappointed with the tearing in the sides of the hole. Using the Forstner bit did take longer, but the result was great (BTW, I finished the hole coming in from the other side). #TheEnglishWorkbench #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-17T10-58-52
Just finished cutting the holes for the front vise in the apron of #TheEnglishWorkbench. I decided to make a 1/4” deep slot for a hardwood block that will host the nut of the metal vise screw (the tail vise screw from Lee Valley). #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-17T12-34-53
A friend of mine gifted me with these beautiful century-old cut nails. I really like using cut nails and have found it difficult to find any longer than 2”, so I sure these beauties will end up decorating #TheEnglishWorkbench. Thank you, André! #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-18T10-41-07
I am using the clamps to squeeze the ends of the aprons of #TheEnglishWorkbench and take out the curve in the boards; then I will cut the cross bearers to length and they will keep the aprons in shape, ensuring I end up with less planing to do and with more thickness left. #woodworking #handtoolsonly
2017-05-18T12-16-14
The cross bearers are in. I have to admit, this was probably the easiest part of the construction of #TheEnglishWorkbench so far! #woodworking #handtoolsonly
