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This proves that what people are always saying to me is true, and I quote, " You would put a vise on dog if you could." And......yes! More pictures soon, and a video of this atrocity in action.
What a Good Place to Start!
In honor of a renewed sense of purpose, here is a link to the very cool Bench Crafted Moxon vice hardware. It looks as if you could easily convert it to be a good twin face vise, if you don't care to spin the wheels. ...'
Plane and Simple
Watch me struggle to flatten a large Cherry countertop over on the Bench Vice Facebook page.
Wood Therapy
We tackle general woodworking techniques, topics, and workshop headaches over on the Wood Therapy page.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
If I Had Only Done This Sooner...
8:37 PM
Tim Williams
This proves that what people are always saying to me is true, and I quote, " You would put a vise on dog if you could." And......yes! More pictures soon, and a video of this atrocity in action.
What a Good Place to Start Again!
7:49 PM
Tim Williams
Well, It has been quite a while, like it or not , it's "ON". This blog is in full swing again. I am hoping to focus on benches and hand tool work as a new focus for Bench Vice, and more power tool and general woodworking techniques on the Wood Therapy page.
A new twist will be that a majority of content from now on will be on location, as I have acquired a slew of mobile technology, as a matter of fact I will be uploading photos and videos of projects, techniques, and certain embarrassment of myself on the Facebook page.
In honor of a renewed sense of purpose, here is a link to the very cool Bench Crafted Moxon vice hardware. It looks as if you could easily convert it to be a good twin face vise, if you don't care to spin the wheels.
Two new posts coming this weekend!!
Ciao!!
A new twist will be that a majority of content from now on will be on location, as I have acquired a slew of mobile technology, as a matter of fact I will be uploading photos and videos of projects, techniques, and certain embarrassment of myself on the Facebook page.
In honor of a renewed sense of purpose, here is a link to the very cool Bench Crafted Moxon vice hardware. It looks as if you could easily convert it to be a good twin face vise, if you don't care to spin the wheels.
Two new posts coming this weekend!!
Ciao!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
How Sharp Is Sharp? Exactly!
8:14 PM
Tim Williams
There is nothing I loathe more than sharpening chisels and plane irons. Let me repeat that. There is "NOTHING" I loathe more than..... It is just something I force myself to do for the sake of the project because, (insert mantra here), "Sharp fixes everything!" That is exactly what all my students get sick and tired of hearing me say. Nonetheless, I hate it.
Now, having said that, let me tell you a story. While on a job recently, I was using a one-inch chisel (very sharp!) to ease the back of a miter, ever so slightly, on a piece of molding. This is an operation I could do in my sleep. I have done it a hundred thousand times. I know what you are thinking, why not a block plane? I needed it to taper, so a chisel is perfect to be able to still see my taper line.
Well... the line broke, the monkey got choked, the chisel slipped, (and in this exact order), incision, bleeding, "why can't I feel my finger?" Yes, if you cut your index finger just right, you sever nerves, maybe a tendon, or an artery perhaps! Did I mention the whole "I hate sharpening" thing?
Well, no more! Due to the fact that my tools are kept sharp, regardless of how painstaking the process may be, the cut was so clean the hand surgeon felt re-attaching the nerves would be fairly successful. (I just nicked the tendon, and missed the artery somehow.) The only downside is having to wear a catchers' mitt-sized bandage/cast contraption, and no use of my left arm for three weeks.
"Sharp fixes everything?" Well, in this case at least, sharp definitely made it easier for the surgeon to fix everything.
Now, having said that, let me tell you a story. While on a job recently, I was using a one-inch chisel (very sharp!) to ease the back of a miter, ever so slightly, on a piece of molding. This is an operation I could do in my sleep. I have done it a hundred thousand times. I know what you are thinking, why not a block plane? I needed it to taper, so a chisel is perfect to be able to still see my taper line.
Well... the line broke, the monkey got choked, the chisel slipped, (and in this exact order), incision, bleeding, "why can't I feel my finger?" Yes, if you cut your index finger just right, you sever nerves, maybe a tendon, or an artery perhaps! Did I mention the whole "I hate sharpening" thing?
Well, no more! Due to the fact that my tools are kept sharp, regardless of how painstaking the process may be, the cut was so clean the hand surgeon felt re-attaching the nerves would be fairly successful. (I just nicked the tendon, and missed the artery somehow.) The only downside is having to wear a catchers' mitt-sized bandage/cast contraption, and no use of my left arm for three weeks.
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| My wife calls it "The Claw" |
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Kerfs So Thin You Can Wedge Them With Paper?
10:55 PM
Tim Williams
Non bench related post here, I am puzzled by a recent trend happening with hand saws, thin saw plates! I personally do not understand it as I tend to cut on the waste side of my layout lines while doing joinery. For my part this is my greatest gripe with Japanese pull saws, I can cut a curved line with one without batting an eye, which is not the desired result. I think. For my money a saw with an 1/8" kerf ?, that sounds better just think of how little paring would be needed on dovetail floors! Hmmmm., sounds like a job for Mr. Bad Axe Mark Harrell to me!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Joinery Bench: Part V
10:18 PM
Tim Williams
So now comes the very long post regarding the leg construction on this bench. It is very critical that you get the offset leg angles correct or the stability will be compromised. I encourage you to e-mail me if I do not relay this information in a manor that can be easily digested. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, lets do some math!
Let's start with a formula for the leg height. Take the top thickness and add 3 1/2 " for the top braces and the bottom skis. My top is 2 1/2 + 3 1/2 = 6". Now, take the total height you want your bench to be, mine will be 38" for my 5' 10" stature, and subtract the answer from the first math, 38 - 6 = 32".You will now need a piece of cardboard or plywood that is the depth of your top wide by the answer from our equation ( 24"w X 32"t) This is is what we will use to determine our leg angles and stock length.
Along the top of your board , it does not matter if you start from the left or right because it will be flipped over to do the other leg, just start from the opposite edge when you flip it over, make a mark the thickness of your apron ( mine is 3/4") From that mark measure the distance between the front apron and the tool tray apron (actual top glue up depth) and make another mark. Make a 1" mark off those marks toward the center.. The 1" space leaves room to fasten the legs to the top using lag bolts.
Confused yet? It get's worse! Now, from the mark 1" off of the tool tray apron (inside edge of leg) to the front bottom edge of the layout board( outside edge of leg ) I lay one of my leg blanks on those marks. my leg blanks ended up 4 1/2" wide, this is the front leg angle. I then lay my back leg blank directly on top of that one at the 1" off the front apron mark to the opposite bottom corner of my rectangular pattern board using a spacer on each end to hold it up.( DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!! It is critical that the thickness of your legs be the same or less than the piece of stock outboard of the saw slot/ plane stop, or your saw will not go into it!!!!) Trace where the back leg lands on the front leg and viola! leg angles!
I use a Festool TS 55 to cut as many kerfs as I can exactly half way through my front leg half lap as possible.Then it is a matter of popping the bulk of the material loose with a chisel and my THOR mallet. I then clean up the edges of the joint with a rabbit plane and then a bench plane for the center portion. Lay the blank back on the board in the same spot and put the back leg into the joint and transfer where the corresponding lap joint occurs and repeat the letting in procedure. Now put the joint together and lay the hopefully X shaped assembly on the layout board in the correct spot. The top and bottom edge of the board gives you the line to cut the legs to length!
This is where I am in the process, we will do the top braces and bottom skis next post. If you are building this bench I am dying to see your progress. So please, please send me photos and I will post hem here. "The Schwarz" looks in on the blog occasionally so if you want to show him what us nobodies can do........
Let's start with a formula for the leg height. Take the top thickness and add 3 1/2 " for the top braces and the bottom skis. My top is 2 1/2 + 3 1/2 = 6". Now, take the total height you want your bench to be, mine will be 38" for my 5' 10" stature, and subtract the answer from the first math, 38 - 6 = 32".You will now need a piece of cardboard or plywood that is the depth of your top wide by the answer from our equation ( 24"w X 32"t) This is is what we will use to determine our leg angles and stock length.
Along the top of your board , it does not matter if you start from the left or right because it will be flipped over to do the other leg, just start from the opposite edge when you flip it over, make a mark the thickness of your apron ( mine is 3/4") From that mark measure the distance between the front apron and the tool tray apron (actual top glue up depth) and make another mark. Make a 1" mark off those marks toward the center.. The 1" space leaves room to fasten the legs to the top using lag bolts.
Confused yet? It get's worse! Now, from the mark 1" off of the tool tray apron (inside edge of leg) to the front bottom edge of the layout board( outside edge of leg ) I lay one of my leg blanks on those marks. my leg blanks ended up 4 1/2" wide, this is the front leg angle. I then lay my back leg blank directly on top of that one at the 1" off the front apron mark to the opposite bottom corner of my rectangular pattern board using a spacer on each end to hold it up.( DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!! It is critical that the thickness of your legs be the same or less than the piece of stock outboard of the saw slot/ plane stop, or your saw will not go into it!!!!) Trace where the back leg lands on the front leg and viola! leg angles!
I use a Festool TS 55 to cut as many kerfs as I can exactly half way through my front leg half lap as possible.Then it is a matter of popping the bulk of the material loose with a chisel and my THOR mallet. I then clean up the edges of the joint with a rabbit plane and then a bench plane for the center portion. Lay the blank back on the board in the same spot and put the back leg into the joint and transfer where the corresponding lap joint occurs and repeat the letting in procedure. Now put the joint together and lay the hopefully X shaped assembly on the layout board in the correct spot. The top and bottom edge of the board gives you the line to cut the legs to length!
This is where I am in the process, we will do the top braces and bottom skis next post. If you are building this bench I am dying to see your progress. So please, please send me photos and I will post hem here. "The Schwarz" looks in on the blog occasionally so if you want to show him what us nobodies can do........Wednesday, April 28, 2010
It's About Time !!!!
7:06 PM
Tim Williams
After a lengthy and unexpected hiatus due to an unusual influx of projects at my day job, as well as my over the top involvement in South Asheville's Little League program. Posts will now resume on this site. I apologize for the lengthy delay in posting the next Joinery Bench installment, but rest assured you can expect it in the next couple of days. (As soon as I rifle through the sixty or so photos for that post!) Ciao!
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Joinery Bench Part : IV
11:51 PM
Tim Williams
So over the weekend I finished dovetailing the apron assembly, put in the dog holes and attached the apron to the top as seen in this photo. This is what your top and apron assembly should look like.I drilled the dog holes in a configuration that best suites my needs, feel free to put them anywhere you like, just be sure not to put one in line of where your vise screws will be installed. You can wait until the vise hardware and chop are installed to drill the holes. I like to start the 3/4" dog holes with a plunge router and finish them with a forstener bit.
That is it for today. My next post will be on laying out and cutting the leg angles, which I just came upstairs from cutting and photographing the first leg assembly. I will try to get that to you ASAP, but I am under the gun as this is the actual bench that will be at Asheville Hardware which will be used to take orders from. I also am dong a hand cut dovetail demo at the grand reopening on Friday April 2nd and would like to use the new bench. No pressure though!
