W.P. on bench started last year

[adzeman]

Late last year I started re-organising my tool storage to accommodate my collection of wood planes, my new thicknesser and cover up and protect a dryer. Its still not completed but its getting there.
As in most workshops dust is a problem and tools if not put away do collect an annoying amount of the stuff even when a chip collection system has been installed. I don’t have a dust collection system. One has been included on my shopping list. Furthermore, if a tool has its place and is put away after use you can keep track of it.

We have just had a week of wind and rain which has given me the luxury of shop time to do jobs that are for me. My recent trip to Bentley provided a length of Beech costing a tenor and a lucky trip to my local timber yard 3 off cuts of Beech about 3 meters long for only £3.00 total plus Vat.

The whole point of obtaining the thicknesser was so I could cut and size hardwood stock and regularise it. So this is my first opportunity to carry out plan A. I am satisfied with the results making the bench top, drawer fronts and tool cabinet frame from the purchased Beech. The intention is to build some protective doors with plastic glazing and a couple of softwood doors to cover the gap where the thicknesser is located. The two drawers were made of softwood with Beech false fronts and the two drawer knobs were rescued from a skip with the paint sanded off. I dovetailed the drawer sides which is a bit O.T.T. but I do enjoy hand made dovetails. Being softwood you cant make the pins as elegant as if they were in hardwood but just as satisfying to produce. When the nights are drawing in, the sky’s overcast and the wind is howling one needs some satisfaction. Thought I was back home on the Chevin or High Withens than sunny Sussex.

 

[No skills]

Draw dovetails look good.

Looks like your getting a good collection of molding planes.

 

[AndyT]

I always like posts featuring recycled wood and wooden planes!


Just wondering - I don't see a woodwork vice, just a metalwork vice which will be in the way and soon get filthy all round it if used for metal. A simple idea which I have used is to bolt the metalwork vice to an offcut of ply with a chunky bit of wood under it. You grip the chunk in the woodwork vice and the ply stops the good bench surface getting spoiled by swarf and filings.

 

[adzeman]

Thanks for the advice Andy I will give it consideration. I have a carpenters vice fixed to my work bench which, if I was standing at the vice in the picture would be directly behind me but facing the door. I have built five benches over the past 50 years and each time I have moved left the bench but stripped the vice and brought it with me. The vice in the picture is an old small metal working vice, probably a jewellers or locksmiths vice? I find this type and size is useful for cutting the odd pieces of metal from time to time such as bolts or piano hinges. Its in this position because of the light and close proximity to the door, hacksaw or file. Having a small workshop means every time I buy, sorry, aquire a new tool it needs a place and this gives me a problem to solve. What I did not mention was and you just get a glimpse is the new clamp rack. I was getting fed up of when banging about they would fall off sometimes hitting me, painfully and a further chisel rack. Still keeping to the completing or improving an old project I made a power tool chest three years ago and this year I made drawers to contain the items I am always looking round for when working at the bench. The first is glue brushes, second is sandpaper sheets for the palm sander. third is my oilstone and oil and fourth, my rule to measure. Each drawer is labelled :- to Glue, to Sand, to sharpen and to measure and just to the top of this last drawer is a stack of pencils because these always go missing.