The Workbench Design Book: The Art & Philosophy of Building Better Benches by Christopher Schwarz

Author:Christopher Schwarz [Schwarz, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook
ISBN: 9781440310409
Amazon: 1440310408
Publisher: Popular Woodworking Books
Published: 2011-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHOOSE YOUR JOINT: The skirt pieces can be joined using finger joints, a miter or just wood screws. If you choose finger joints, your best bet is to lay out and cut the joint on one member then use that joint to lay out your cutlines on its mate.

Finally, use whatever other clamps you have to clamp the edges (C-clamps work well).

When all four layers are glued together, cut your top to its finished size using a circular saw and a straight scrap of wood to guide it. Because the top is so thick, you’ll have to cut from both faces, so lay out your cutlines with care.

Skirt Will Test Your Skills

Time: 6:29 to 11:49

Now gather the skirt pieces and begin laying out the finger joints for the corners. These joints are mostly decorative. Butt joints or miters will do just as well (and save you some time). And if you want to make this process even easier, use ½"-thick material for the skirt, which is a whole lot easier to clamp in place because it is more flexible than some of the thicker material.

Here’s how we suggest you cut the finger joints: First lay out the joints on the end pieces with just one tongue or finger sticking out. Each finger is 13/8" long and 1" wide. Cut the waste away using a handsaw or band saw and check the fit against your top. When it fits perfectly, use these joints to lay out the mating joints on the long skirt pieces. Cut the notches on the long skirt pieces and check the fit of your joints. Tune them up using a chisel, a rabbet plane or a shoulder plane.

Now glue the skirt pieces to the top. Because each “ply” in plywood runs the opposite direction of the ply above it, there’s actually a fair amount of long grain on the edges of your top. This means the skirt will stay stuck just fine using only glue. Add as many clamps as you can. While that glue dries, start reading the directions for installing the vise, because that’s the next step.

The instructions that come with the Veritas vise are complete and easy to follow; it just takes some time to get everything moving smoothly. Before you begin, be sure your drill press’s table is square to the chuck – this will save you lots of frustration. Once you get your vise installed, place the top on a couple of sawhorses (you’ll need a friend’s help) and get ready to build the base.

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