November 2002 - September 2004
Completed
Under construction
This is the Tage Frid design, from his book Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: Furnituremaking. It's a classic European or Scandinavian design; a small-topped bench which is mainly a machine for clamping.
Some other ideas were taken from Taunton's essential The Workbench Book. I'll probably add a small board jack on a sliding rail, to help support work held in the shoulder vice.
November 2002
There are tail and shoulder vices, constructed of wood with bought-in
steel screws. The tail vice slides are constructed in the workshop of wood.
The top is made of 2" oak, laminated from biscuit-jointed strips for stability, with a 4" deep front apron. I scaled up the size a little from Tage Frid. The solid top is now 16" deep and nearly 6' long. As well as the top visible here, the shoulder vice protrudes in front of the bench and there's a narrow tool tray behind the top.
The front apron dogholes are designed to take
commercial square-section metal dogs. They're cut by laminating the front apron
from two strips, the dog holes routed as deep dados in the thicker strip.
Framing for the bench ends and vices is in 3" x 4" oak, joined by traditional
double-dovetails. To highlight the dovetails, I ammonia-fumed the side members
of the bench.
I used the half-assembled bench to "bootstrap" itself, whilst I
cut the joinery for the ends.
The ends are located on a tongue and groove, and held in place by
more of the same drawbolts and barrel nuts I used for the underframe.
January 2003
The under-frame is made of larch,
because it's cheap and I've got loads of it.
The right feet will be shorter when finished. I want to fit a sliding board jack and this will use a long support rail between the feet. I'll cut the foot down afterwards, once I've worked out the design.
Fairly traditional construction with
mortices and wedged tenons
The end frames are solid, but the stretchers are only held by stub tenons and draw bolts, to allow dismantling for transport.
Top is pretty
much complete, most of the vices are complete. I still need to finish the tail
vice.
Showing the contrast
with the fumed-oak end members.
The space behind (to the left) will be filled by a tool tray and chisel-catcher. The space in front of the near end is for the shoulder vice (completed, but not yet assembled).
March 2003
The front member of the shoulder vice carries an iron nut for the steel screw.
The main tensile force of the shoulder vice is taken by a steel rod,
running from front to back. This is a change from the Tage Frid design - his
runs to a concealed nut just inside the front edge. My design is stronger, but I
might get problems with moisture-related movement.
Fully assembled, a small beech block is inset in the crook of the shoulder.
September 2004
After nearly two years of interruption (and useful benchwork), I finally finished off my bench and its tail vice.
More double dovetails!
Tailvice parts, ready for assembly.
Tailvice parts being assembled.
Completed!
