Workbench advise, almost no pun intended

crousetrodomis · Post by **crousetrodomis** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:53 pm

Okay Guys (and Chicks???)

Its been better than 6 months...........

I've got the top for my workbench............

Havent gotten much done from there. (pretty much brought it home.....)

I'm stuck in more than one way.
#1. Child care. I'm really enjoying the time that i'm spending with my son. I still work long shifts but have quite a bit of time on my hands to keep my eyes on him. Upside, i'm really watching him develop and having a great time attempting to teach him some stuff. Downside--I dont really have too much time for myself and hardly ever get out to the garage for "Larry Time".

#2. Now that I have had the top for well......6+ months; I dont have the slightest clue what/which router bit to use to prevent any possible chip out, NOT TO MENTION, i'm second "thoughting" or basically second guessing the whole technique on how to do this without screwing it up.

I'm needin help here and i'm taking all info (other than "Get a real woodworking bench" because i've spent too much money on this for my so called master peice to go to the way side). I'm planning on keeping my cut straight by using my edge guide on my router, cutting at 3 inches in and about 9 inches in creating 2 continous grooves down the enitre legnth of the bench. I'm also thinking about possibly adding some intersections as well so I will change up the plots to accept any intersections. I think if I do 2 grooves and 2 dado's (2 down the legnth, 2 down the with) I would have sufficient ability on making my own clamping blocks keeping the setup versital. SO. How can I do this without creating a ton of chip out and in your opinions; am I plotting or thinking this the correct way?? (or are you just as confused as I sound...... I'm trying to play stupid here...... i'm looking for solid advise)

Thanks.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:04 am

[quote="crousetrodomis"]Okay Guys (and Chicks???)

Its been better than 6 months...........

I've got the top for my workbench............

Havent gotten much done from there. (pretty much brought it home.....)

I'm stuck in more than one way.
#1. Child care. I'm really enjoying the time that i'm spending with my son. I still work long shifts but have quite a bit of time on my hands to keep my eyes on him. Upside, i'm really watching him develop and having a great time attempting to teach him some stuff. Downside--I dont really have too much time for myself and hardly ever get out to the garage for "Larry Time".

#2. Now that I have had the top for well......6+ months]

Cherish these times for once gone they can never be retrieved.

You will not regret the sacrifice because in the end you will not view it as time lost.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 6:33 pm

Here's my quick, down and dirty advice-

1) Follow Dusty's advice.
2) Put the workbench project on hold. You really don't need one. Look what you've done without one.
3) make a couple/few projects for your little boy, ie. hobby horse, walking/quacking duck pull toy, ........

crousetrodomis · Post by **crousetrodomis** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:08 pm

Thanks guys.

My wife is currently on Christmas Vacation from her school (she's a principal) so I've got a couple days to toy around some--which is the reason why i'm really asking at this time. I absolutuly love the time i'm spending with Silas. This kid is the happiest child i've ever seen and we have been truly blessed. I'm planning on building him toy box that is a little smaller than the changing table pictures but same format. I've also got the greatest ideas for the play house.......its going to basically be an airplane with some real additives in the cockpit. (got lots of plane parts laying around so its going to be fun----that is if he likes what Dad and Grandpa like) I'm looking to suspend it in the air slightly and toying with the idea of putting lights, working rudders/flaps and aleorons as well. How cool would it be to have a working landing gear!!!!! Yeah...i've got some plans.

burkhome · Post by **burkhome** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:07 am

Ed in Tampa wrote:I think everyone knows I have been trying to decide what to do with my shop layout. My workbench was my pride and joy. What I had done was after pricing rock hard maple I found a place selling sections of bowling alley. So I bought a six foot section and split it in half to make a bench top. I framed it with more maple with some walnut accents and using dovetail jointer it looked nice. I loved it.

However after all this talk about workbenches and etc. I began to check out my top. Much to my amazement and dismay I found my top was warping in and out of perfectly flat daily. I'm at a total lost to explain it all but putting a straight edge across the top at the same marked location shows variations from perfectly flat to cupped to a dip. I used two known straight edges and checked and rechecked my results. The top was moving more than worm on a hot plate.

I'm seriously considering dumping the top with all it's classy dovetails and inlays and manufacturing a top made for two thicknesses of 3/4 MDF and either topped with hard fiber board so it can easily be replaced or just using poly on the MDF.

I don't think Birch ply is a good idea by the way, not stable enough or able to stand up to much abuse.

This top won't look nearly as nice as my present top but if you don't have a perfectly flat surface to work on your work will come out wrong. The fact the top isn't remaining perfectly flat begins to explain some of the weird things that I have had happen that were real mysteries because I assumed a flat surface on my bench. I know I have adjusted the SS at least twice figuring it was the fault and I tossed a level and a straight edge. However I fairly sure both were in fact defective.

Incidently for your info the maple bowling alley was tongue and grooved, really wide tongues and grooves. Then nailed using cut nails that peirced three boards. Sanded flat on top and finish applied on top and bottom. Framed in maple held with slidding dove tails and jointed with through dove tails. I have had it about 25 years and I would guess it to be much older.
Apparently now that I realized it is moving as it is, this movement has been happening every since it was built.

Ed, I too have a bowling alley as my main bench. I have it tailing my table saw. As my shop is 11 feet wide, I am limited as to the layout. The bench is not perfectly flat but most operations are done on it just fine. I set up an mdf bench sawhorses in the garage for finicky assembly. This is a pain but necessary. I would not sacrifice the stability of the 200 pound workbench top for mdf for anything. If I was not such a computer idiot, I would attach a photo.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:24 am

Well maybe this link will help ya attach a pic.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=114

burkhome · Post by **burkhome** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:59 am

beeg wrote:Well maybe this link will help ya attach a pic.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=114

Locating the file image on the computer is my problem. Photos are stored in "My Pictures". I can find any picture I want and bring it up but there are no paperclips. Maybe I should change my forum name to computer idiot.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:42 pm

You have to be in "Advanced" mode. Click the "Go Advance" button, next to "Post Quick Reply".

burkhome · Post by **burkhome** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:22 pm

beeg wrote:You have to be in "Advanced" mode. Click the "Go Advance" button, next to "Post Quick Reply".

Well I thought I had it but to no avail. File is too big and I don't know how to resize it. Thanks for the try.

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:07 pm

Download and install this program to resize photo's.

http://www.irfanview.com/main_download_engl.htm