2017-07-27T10-34-41

I thought I would let the finish of #TheEnglishWorkbench cure for a couple more days, but when I started to plane this thin piece of walnut on my WorkMate, I noticed I could not get it flat; the top of the WorkMate flexes under pressure and thin stock flexes too, so it is impossible to get it flat! Then I switched over to the newly minted bench and what a pleasure it was; I had forgotten how good it is to plane on a real workbench :-) #handtoolsonly #workbench #WorkbenchAppliance #woodworking

2017-07-27T12-07-55

I will be making extensive use of holdfasts, so I decided I would start by making myself a couple of holdfast pads, as suggested by #ChrisSchwarz in his Workbenches book. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T13-58-06

#TheEnglishWorkbench does not have a tail vice; instead, I use a notched batten to prevent stock from moving sideways when face planing against a stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T13-58-38

#TheEnglishWorkbench does not have a tail vice; instead, I use a notched batten to prevent stock from moving sideways when face planing against a stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T13-58-51

#TheEnglishWorkbench does not have a tail vice; instead, I use a notched batten to prevent stock from moving sideways when face planing against a stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T13-59-24

#TheEnglishWorkbench does not have a tail vice; instead, I use a notched batten to prevent stock from moving sideways when face planing against a stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T13-59-52

#TheEnglishWorkbench does not have a tail vice; instead, I use a notched batten to prevent stock from moving sideways when face planing against a stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T16-12-38

I decided to make a second notched batten; this one is stalkier and is made of 1/4” plywood. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-07-27T17-02-14

With the linseed oil recipe left over from #TheEnglishWorkbench, everyone gets a coat. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-01T18-39-58

Now that I have a proper workbench, I made a bench hook and helper pair using 1” plywood and a small scrap piece of black cherry. I set the fence in a 1/4”-deep rebate so if I later decide to cut miter kerfs in it, it will still be one piece. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-01T18-52-21

Now that I have a proper workbench, I made a bench hook and helper pair using 1” plywood and a small scrap piece of black cherry. I set the fence in a 1/4”-deep rebate so if I later decide to cut miter kerfs in it, it will still be one piece. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-24T11-43-15

I built my bench without a split top, but I still would like to have a fence that runs the length of the bench; I just want a more flexible one that I can set at any distance from the edge of the bench. So I got a 4/4 4” x 7’ beautiful board of Teak from my stash and started planing. The board is bowed but has not twist; I am not going to try to flatten the board along its length since I am planning to use it by clamping it down on the two ends of the bench. #WorkbenchAppliance #workbench #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-24T16-32-29

I added a couple of steps to one side of my workbench fence; the first one is just under 1/4” high so I can use it to hold relatively thin pieces for planing; the second is just under 1/2” high so my plow planes can clear the fence even when working on very narrow pieces. #WorkbenchAppliance #workbench #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-24T16-33-42

I added a couple of steps to one side of my workbench fence; the first one is just under 1/4” high so I can use it to hold relatively thin pieces for planing; the second is just under 1/2” high so my plow planes can clear the fence even when working on very narrow pieces. #WorkbenchAppliance #workbench #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-25T13-09-12

I added a couple of dados in my long workbench fence so it can clear the Veritas planing stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #workbench #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-25T13-09-25

I added a couple of dados in my long workbench fence so it can clear the Veritas planing stop. #WorkbenchAppliance #workbench #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-08-28T17-27-08

When I was building #TheEnglishWorkbench, I found myself trying to straddle 4” wide lap joints with my router plane and having to balance on one side or give up altogether; so I made a simple wooden sole from a scrap piece of maple; at 8-5/8” wide, it can span across a 4” dado without being too cumbersome for smaller jobs. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-03T15-25-17

Getting back to work after a great Summer vacation. I need a miter shooting board and decided to go with something along the lines of Paul Sellers’; I started with the removable fences for 90° and 45° angles. I’ll be using quarter-sawn white oak throughout #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-05T11-53-53

First time I have used the Veritas Small Plow Plane with the Conversion Kit to support a wider (7/16”) blade; it works great and it is even easier to keep the plane horizontal. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-05T13-16-28

Some progress on the miter shooting board; the fence support is 6” wide and I decided not to face-glue it to a larger base board; instead I staggered the fence support and the plane track base and joined them with interlocking dados; those required some precision work, but it was fun to try and I am happy with the result. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-06T15-57-03

The miter shooting board got two feet, dadoed into the fence support and base track boards; I chose feet instead of a hook because this shooting board is reversible, meaning it can be used right-handed or left-handed. This is just a dry fit; I need to cut the grooves for the removable fences before I glue anything. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-06T15-58-42

The miter shooting board got two feet, dadoed into the fence support and base track boards; I chose feet instead of a hook because this shooting board is reversible, meaning it can be used right-handed or left-handed. This is just a dry fit; I need to cut the grooves for the removable fences before I glue anything. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-06T15-59-14

The miter shooting board got two feet, dadoed into the fence support and base track boards; I chose feet instead of a hook because this shooting board is reversible, meaning it can be used right-handed or left-handed. This is just a dry fit; I need to cut the grooves for the removable fences before I glue anything. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-11T16-29-19

The tracks for the removable fences are ready! I had to “touch up” the back of the wedges a tiny bit so the fences would protrude equally when used in the right-handed and left-handed configurations. One funny detail: once the tracks were carved, I had to replane the board as it was no longer flat! #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-17T09-49-55

The miter shooting board is ready! I splurged on a dedicated shooting plane and an aluminum track; it is so much easier on my old hands than trying to hold onto my Jack plane :-) Shavings are nice and both the 90° and 45° angles are just right; I am a happy woodworker ;-) #MiterShootingBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-17T09-52-57

The miter shooting board is ready! I splurged on a dedicated shooting plane and an aluminum track; it is so much easier on my old hands than trying to hold onto my Jack plane :-) Shavings are nice and both the 90° and 45° angles are just right; I am a happy woodworker ;-) #MiterShootingBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-11-17T12-21-35

It’a plywood fest! I am going to have access to the woodshop of a new maker space here in Montreal (#EspaceFabrique) and decided I will use their table saw to cut in one sitting all the plywood for all the workbench appliances that are still on my build list; then I will dimension the rest of the parts and complete everything in my #HandToolsOnly workshop as usual, but without messing up my saws and plane irons. There are so many pieces that I had to use paper templates to figure out a good layout on two 30” x 60” sheets of plywood. #WorkbenchAppliance #Woodworking

2017-11-19T15-45-07

I am really enjoying using the #JapaneseSmallHorses with my Japanese saws; I find it easier to keep the cut square to the face of the board. Here I am ripping some White Oak for a new (case/long-grain) miter shooting board. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #Woodworking

2017-11-28T09-17-18

I have added a #BenchHook to my collection of #WorkbenchAppliance s; I like using it as a second helper when cross cutting longer stock on my miter board or as a planing board for small stock. Like many of my appliances, the base is made of 1” Baltic Birch plywood and the ledger and fence are made of Black Cherry, and attached to the base with a dado and a rabbet. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-28T09-19-29

I have added a #BenchHook to my collection of #WorkbenchAppliance s; I like using it as a second helper when cross cutting longer stock on my miter board or as a planing board for small stock. Like many of my appliances, the base is made of 1” Baltic Birch plywood and the ledger and fence are made of Black Cherry, and attached to the base with a dado and a rabbet. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-28T09-20-32

I have added a #BenchHook to my collection of #WorkbenchAppliance s; I like using it as a second helper when cross cutting longer stock on my miter board or as a planing board for small stock. Like many of my appliances, the base is made of 1” Baltic Birch plywood and the ledger and fence are made of Black Cherry, and attached to the base with a dado and a rabbet. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-28T09-20-54

I have added a #BenchHook to my collection of #WorkbenchAppliance s; I like using it as a second helper when cross cutting longer stock on my miter board or as a planing board for small stock. Like many of my appliances, the base is made of 1” Baltic Birch plywood and the ledger and fence are made of Black Cherry, and attached to the base with a dado and a rabbet. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-28T09-21-17

I have added a #BenchHook to my collection of #WorkbenchAppliance s; I like using it as a second helper when cross cutting longer stock on my miter board or as a planing board for small stock. Like many of my appliances, the base is made of 1” Baltic Birch plywood and the ledger and fence are made of Black Cherry, and attached to the base with a dado and a rabbet. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-30T11-36-53

Today’s #WorkbenchAppliace is a #StickingBoard. I made mine out of 1” plywood with a Black Cherry ledger and a Teak laddered fence. I used 1/4-20 x 3/4” Brass flat-head machine screws for the stops and filed the edge of the head to give it some bite; a T-wrench made it easier to install the insert nuts into the plywood. The sticking board straddles my bench with the ledger clamped in the front vice; the board overhangs a bit on both ends so I can easily clamp down the fence wherever I need it. Planing 1/8” stock is now very easy and I am counting on using this appliance a lot with my plow planes too. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-30T11-39-03

Today’s #WorkbenchAppliace is a #StickingBoard. I made mine out of 1” plywood with a Black Cherry ledger and a Teak laddered fence. I used 1/4-20 x 3/4” Brass flat-head machine screws for the stops and filed the edge of the head to give it some bite; a T-wrench made it easier to install the insert nuts into the plywood. The sticking board straddles my bench with the ledger clamped in the front vice; the board overhangs a bit on both ends so I can easily clamp down the fence wherever I need it. Planing 1/8” stock is now very easy and I am counting on using this appliance a lot with my plow planes too. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-30T12-01-44

Today’s #WorkbenchAppliace is a #StickingBoard. I made mine out of 1” plywood with a Black Cherry ledger and a Teak laddered fence. I used 1/4-20 x 3/4” Brass flat-head machine screws for the stops and filed the edge of the head to give it some bite; a T-wrench made it easier to install the insert nuts into the plywood. The sticking board straddles my bench with the ledger clamped in the front vice; the board overhangs a bit on both ends so I can easily clamp down the fence wherever I need it. Planing 1/8” stock is now very easy and I am counting on using this appliance a lot with my plow planes too. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-30T12-04-25

Today’s #WorkbenchAppliace is a #StickingBoard. I made mine out of 1” plywood with a Black Cherry ledger and a Teak laddered fence. I used 1/4-20 x 3/4” Brass flat-head machine screws for the stops and filed the edge of the head to give it some bite; a T-wrench made it easier to install the insert nuts into the plywood. The sticking board straddles my bench with the ledger clamped in the front vice; the board overhangs a bit on both ends so I can easily clamp down the fence wherever I need it. Planing 1/8” stock is now very easy and I am counting on using this appliance a lot with my plow planes too. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-30T12-04-55

Today’s #WorkbenchAppliace is a #StickingBoard. I made mine out of 1” plywood with a Black Cherry ledger and a Teak laddered fence. I used 1/4-20 x 3/4” Brass flat-head machine screws for the stops and filed the edge of the head to give it some bite; a T-wrench made it easier to install the insert nuts into the plywood. The sticking board straddles my bench with the ledger clamped in the front vice; the board overhangs a bit on both ends so I can easily clamp down the fence wherever I need it. Planing 1/8” stock is now very easy and I am counting on using this appliance a lot with my plow planes too. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-11-30T17-40-35

Today’s #WorkbenchAppliace is a #StickingBoard. I made mine out of 1” plywood with a Black Cherry ledger and a Teak laddered fence. I used 1/4-20 x 3/4” Brass flat-head machine screws for the stops and filed the edge of the head to give it some bite; a T-wrench made it easier to install the insert nuts into the plywood. The sticking board straddles my bench with the ledger clamped in the front vice; the board overhangs a bit on both ends so I can easily clamp down the fence wherever I need it. Planing 1/8” stock is now very easy and I am counting on using this appliance a lot with my plow planes too. #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-12-08T11-34-54

Just finished a dovetail alignment board following David Barron’s video. I made mine of 4/4 White Oak and resawed a piece of it to make the two fences. Fitting the dovetails took me a while; the joint ended up so tight that I decided not to glue it; we’ll see what happens over time. #DovetailAlignmentBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-12-08T11-35-35

Just finished a dovetail alignment board following David Barron’s video. I made mine of 4/4 White Oak and resawed a piece of it to make the two fences. Fitting the dovetails took me a while; the joint ended up so tight that I decided not to glue it; we’ll see what happens over time. #DovetailAlignmentBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-12-08T11-36-08

Just finished a dovetail alignment board following David Barron’s video. I made mine of 4/4 White Oak and resawed a piece of it to make the two fences. Fitting the dovetails took me a while; the joint ended up so tight that I decided not to glue it; we’ll see what happens over time. #DovetailAlignmentBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-12-08T11-36-59

Just finished a dovetail alignment board following David Barron’s video. I made mine of 4/4 White Oak and resawed a piece of it to make the two fences. Fitting the dovetails took me a while; the joint ended up so tight that I decided not to glue it; we’ll see what happens over time. #DovetailAlignmentBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-12-08T11-37-42

Just finished a dovetail alignment board following David Barron’s video. I made mine of 4/4 White Oak and resawed a piece of it to make the two fences. Fitting the dovetails took me a while; the joint ended up so tight that I decided not to glue it; we’ll see what happens over time. #DovetailAlignmentBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking

2017-12-08T11-38-07

Just finished a dovetail alignment board following David Barron’s video. I made mine of 4/4 White Oak and resawed a piece of it to make the two fences. Fitting the dovetails took me a while; the joint ended up so tight that I decided not to glue it; we’ll see what happens over time. #DovetailAlignmentBoard #WorkbenchAppliance #HandToolsOnly #Woodworking