First bench build with fire door top

[Tim_H]

I decided I needed to build my first proper bench, as my thrown together work top on legs was no longer fit for purpose.

So I had one of these

and then I bought some of these

and with a bit of hand planing with my wooden jointer et al I made four of these.

I then made my first mortice and tennon joints since woodworking at school, which is a while ago! :-" :-" Mixture of tenon jig on table saw

and hand saw for the stretchers as they would have hit the ceiling on the table saw! Mortice with Forstner bits and chisel.

Here are my first attempts,at hand sawn tennons, with gluing bit back on as I had cut at a skew!

Joined them together with some draw bored walnut dowels I made with a simple dowel jig made from a jigsaw blade and had these.

Joined those together and had this.

I had intended to use the drawers at the back I had salvaged from a bed I broke down but they were too flimsy in the end. Yes my workshop has only half a wooden floor, it is a long story...

Not the finest woodwork but I have learned a lot and enjoyed a bit of hybrid woodworking.

I now have to finish the top, fit the vices, build some drawers for underneath and drill dog holes and .....

 

[Tim_H]

Fire door top on. It will be fastened to the legs with coach screws.

I had to fill in the hinges etc. but I had always planned to edge with some oak strips I had.

I am just clamping and gluing some scrap wood before I planed them down level.

Here's the second hand vice I bought off ironballs, of this forum, a fair while ago but now I have something to attach it to.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'd have thought you'd have a bit of bounce with no long top rails.

 

[Tim_H]

Phil,

I have not had any issues so far but it is early days!

I had hoped that the rigidity of the fire door with a 19mm MDF top would provide the bracing for the top of the legs and that seems to be working.

If it all goes pear shaped (or bananna shaped) then I could retro fit some upper long rails.

Thanks for the thought.

 

[Tim_H]

The Fire door is now coach screwed onto the legs, I may screw through the top leg braces but haven't as yet.The MDF top is fitted and the oak edgings are almost complete.

Two vices fitted, bolted with nuts through the table, I had to do some major surgery to one of the leg braces because I had miscalculated the overhang for the Dakota vice, which I bought in a Rutlands sale moment. It is ok but the old record whilst a bit battered just works beautifully!

I am loving the work surface, which is substantial and the vices, which I have not had in use before. Fantastic for edge planing and when I get around to drilling some dog holes I will hopefully have an even more useful work bench.

It has taken several weeks of work , with pauses as life got in the way but I am almost there.

I am now working on the drawers which I am adding underneath.

Made out of old pine shelving for the fronts and MDF for the drawer boxes.

You can probably see a drawer front in place which I made out of 2x4 and another in progress on the worktop, as I ran out of shelving!

Just a detail of the bottom of the legs showing the draw boring with home made walnut towels.

 

[Boatfixer]

That looks really good. I have a fire door waiting for the same treatment. With all that weight in the door I hope it is going to be a really solid work bench.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

:lol: How do you make your walnut towels?

 

[Racers]

With walnut wool


Pete

 

[Tim_H]

Dowels are good but towels are better when you want to dry fit!

Spelling thing on my Kindle, :evil: not a senior moment, other than being to tired to notice.