Category Archives: Bench accessories

Ruler stop

3/11/2013 – This has been one of those ridiculously small tasks that I’ve been putting off for ages. My assembly table has a steel ruler close to it’s edge and inlayed flush with the surface. If you are interested to see how I’ve built this table you will find several chapters documenting the process in detail under the category “Bench” on this site.

Anyway the idea of having the ruler there is to speed up basic layout tasks such as marking out lengths of pieces of stock. In order to really make this easy one needs a stop at the zero end of the ruler so you can simply butt the one end against it and mark the appropriate length. In the picture below you can see what I mean.

IMG_8484IMG_8485

The stop is simply a small piece of scrap Assegaai with a 6 mm hole accepting a bolt which slots into the T-channel on the side of the table’s edge, fixed with a few turns of a wing-nut. When it is necessary to remove it, it is simply flipped through 180º and it sits below the table’s surface. You will notice that the ruler was positioned so that the edge of the table is zero even though it does do run all the way to the edge.

IMG_8486IMG_8487IMG_8488

Extremely Efficient Effulgent Arm (EEEA)

This post will document one of the easiest projects that can make a huge difference in your enjoyment of the craft as well as improve the accuracy and safety. My eyesight is deterioration with age so good lighting makes a significant difference when doing precise work. For this reason I decided to build an arm that can swing across my assembly table with a spot light and a power point.

I took some scrap angle iron and one of those hinges used in metal work. From this I welded a short arm and a part of the hinge became a hook that can be bolted to the wall to make the arm easy to remove.

100_0304100_0305

A quick coat of anti-rust paint and BYU (Bob’s your Uncle).

100_0309100_0308100_0307

In order to give the arm some more reach, I laminate some pieces of plywood as it is strong yet lightweight.

100_0306

Prior to shaping this part of the arm on the tablesaw I screwed another thin strip of plywood to it’s top section. This was meant to become the removable lid covering the electrical wires running inside.

100_0311100_0313

After the shaping process I cut the dado meant to house the wires. In the picture below you can see it with the lid unscrewed.

100_0314

Next I fitted a multi-plug to the side of the arm with it’s wire running in the dado as shown above.

100_0327100_0328100_0329

The multi-plug wire was connected with an extension inside the arm as shown.

100_0330100_0331100_0332

The extension was fitted with a plug at the hinge end of the arm. This design feature was again aimed at making it easy to remove the whole arm if I need to work on it or for some reason have to get it out of the way.

100_0334100_0335100_0336100_0337

Next I added a desk lamp to act as a spotlight on the extreme front of the arm. It is one of those that clamp (with an integral spring clamp) to the side of a desk or table. I screwed it on to keep the clamp available for another task. As you can see from the pictures it has it’s own switch and is plugged into the multi-plug.

100_0338100_0523

If one would to be able to look at this setup from the ceiling, the arm swings across the table with an arc similar to the crude drawing below. Therefore covering any particular area that is in need of enhanced lighting.

Boom arm swing

Then I added a small but bright fluorescent light to the bottom of the arm. Together with the spot light it really improves the lighting of a particular part of the assembly table by swinging it there. In the pictures below you can also see another function of the arm as provided by the spring clamp of the desk lamp. I took one of my Festool power-cords, plugged it in at the multi-plug and clamped it in the mentioned clamp. This way it is always in easy reach, yet completely out of the way.

IMG_6797IMG_6798

 

Finally, a few pictures to show how the Festool cord and multi-plug adds value. The nice thing about the Festool cord is that it fits all the Festool appliances. In my case a router, a Domino and a circular saw (as pictured).

100_0541100_0573100_0576

Sliding Deadman (with a twist)

As promised I will now write a post on how a sliding deadman could look like that toils in tandem with my “legvise with a twist”, while they are both attached to my “alternative workbench/assembly table”. There are posts on both these projects under the categories of “Bench accessories” and “Bench” respectively.

I built this deadman at the same time as the legvise, but concentrated more on the legvise towards the end of the project, finished it and went back to the deadman. I again used Assegaai predominantly with small pieces of Ysterhout, Witpeer and Kershout to make up the rest. In the picture below you can see the feral nature of the wood I work with. In order to make up stout chucks of lumber I always have to laminate petite pieces that are carefully liberated from the crude boards of wild wood. You can see the rough boards these pieces came from in the post on the legvise.

100_0326

In the next picture you can see how a tidied up version of the laminated piece in the previous picture receives a face of Assegaai. The reason for gluing the bigger piece together like this is in the first place to have a front that looks solid (rather than laminated), but also to created strength/stability (by means of glue lines) in different directions. Whether it actuals works like this I am not too sure, but it makes some sense to me. I guess only time will tell. Anyway, you should be able to see the piece of Ysterhout in the centre of the original laminated part flanked by Assegaai. The Ysterhout was available it the size needed (reason number one for inclusion) but was also included to enhance the strenghts of the beam.

100_0344100_0345

The blank that emerged after the clamps were removed was quite a bit more irregular in shape than what is apparent in the picture below.

100_0348

I managed to flatten and square it up by means of stoical hand planing over a few days of doing tolerable sessions at a time. This approach (despite not being the motivating reason for doing it this way) is probably the best one can hope for in terms of the result as the blank are allowed to settle after each minor release of tension.

100_0376100_1236

The sqaured-up product was quite pleasing to the eye and supplied a heartening sense of achievement.

100_1263100_1264

The next step was to router out a fairly large stopped dado that would accept the mechanism designed to easily adjust the height of the deadman.

IMG_5587IMG_5588IMG_5588

In the pictures below you can see how I simply used the F-style clamps hooked into the conveniently located T-channels along the side of my assembly table to fix the evolving deadman in order to locate the guiding jig (resembling a woodworking square) firmly on the table as well as the substrate. The advantage of using these jigs is that it shows you exactly where the dado will be cut in relation to the guiding edge.

IMG_5589IMG_5590

I made a further upgrade to the jig for the purpose of this particular assignment. You should be able to see the panel pin that I tapped into the stock of the guiding square located in the previous dado. This setup allows you to cut dados at exactly the same distance from each other without the need for any cumbersome measuring.

IMG_5591

Despite my clever jig-adaptations this process took ages as each dado had to be cut twice to reach the decided depth. The dados are 6 mm wide (the width of the threaded rod meant to frequent it in the future of this contraption) and 12 mm deep. There is this rule of thumb that one should only cut to a maximum depth equivalent to the diameter of the straight router bit being used in a particular pass, hence the double pass strategy.

IMG_5598IMG_5599

After such an endeavor it is usually advisable to take a moment to savour what you have accomplished before moving onwards and upwards.

IMG_5600IMG_5601

As if the above effort was not enough I decided that the edges of these dados are in need of a chamfer that would promote facile access for the piece of threaded rod intended to hook into these dados once our deadman enter into operational mode. For this purpose I used a V-groove router bit sized to allow me to chamfer both edges of each dado in a single cut. The modification of my guiding jig came in handy once again in lining up the cuts perfectly without much fuss. The results are apparent in the pictures below. Incidentally, you can also see the Ysterhout running down the middle of the deadman in the second picture.

IMG_5604IMG_5605

Now we move on to the construction of the moving parts of the deadman. First, we will look at the block of wood meant to support stock much like a peg on a regular deadman. This block of wood is meant to be height adjustable by means of hooking into the dados at the back of the main beam and (as always) another elaboration I simply could not resist.

In the pictures below you will observe a collect of the petite pieces of wood chosen to make up the moving parts of the deadman. The second picture depicts the laminated blank earmarked to become the adjustable block. Please note that this block consisted of two equally sized parts clamped together in a face vice for the purpose of marking out the next cut. The cut was made on the table saw as illustrated in the next two pictures. It will become clear what I was aiming for as we progress.

IMG_5606IMG_5608IMG_5618IMG_5619

I drilled a 8.5 mm hole with the drill press in the valley of one of the v-grooves created by the previous cut. I then widened the hole from the v-groove side only deep enough to accept an insert nut for an 8 mm bolt. The insert nut was seated using the drill press and manpower. Next I chiseled out an area that would house the wooden brake. In the last two pictures you can see the wooden brake in it’s place.

IMG_5620IMG_5621IMG_5622IMG_5623IMG_5624

With the inside work done the block was glued together creating a diamond shaped channel (in actual fact it is square but positioned like a diamond) meant to accept an adjustable shaft. The orientation of the square channel was aimed at combatting the effects of wood movement, much like some of the better marking gauges. With this design the shaft will always sit tight when jammed into the 90° v-groove. If orientated differently it would rattle from side to side when the channel gets bigger and get stuck when the humidity swings the other way.

IMG_5630IMG_5629IMG_5661

The block was then shaped on the band saw to assume an elegant sloping appearance. The rough marks of the band saw were tidied up using a handplane. In pictures 3 and 4 you can see the threaded rod screwed and epoxied into place. These holes were drilled before the block was sloped in order to drill them parallel to the ends. I drilled 7.5 mm holes and screwed the 8 mm threaded rods in after lubricating it with epoxy. You can also see the knob turning the 8 mm threaded rod onto the wooden brake we seated earlier. I will write a brief post in the near future on how to make these knobs.

IMG_5698IMG_5699IMG_5845IMG_5846IMG_5847

In the next few pictures you can finally get an idea of how the support block function with the brake we made earlier. We already discussed the reasons behind the shape of the shaft, but here you can see want I meant. I slowly hand planed the shaft until it fitted perfectly. You will note the flat area on one of the corners of the diamond shape, which is where the brake asserts it pressure.

IMG_6997IMG_6998IMG_6999IMG_7000IMG_7001IMG_7004IMG_6996IMG_7002

We will leave the the block’s evolution for the moment and shift our attention to the adjustable lower section meant to anchor the deadman to the floor. You can see how I used a Festool router to cut slots in a piece of Kershout. The choice of wood was driven by aesthetics. Kershout has a very deep colour once finished, which contrasts nicely with the light orange of the Assegaai. It also helps the deadman fit in with it’s brother the legvise. Yes I know, it sounds a wee bit girlish, but remember my goal is to bring into being workshop paraphernalia with a certain je ne sais quoi.

IMG_5658IMG_5659IMG_5665

The two bits of Kershout were separated and clamped in my face-vise. I then used this newly acquired gadget from Veritas to cut one single dovetail pin in each. The gadget is called a Veritas Dovetail Saw Guide System. You will find it in the Veritas catalogue downloadable from their website (find the link in the library page on this site) which makes superb reading for tool aficionados.

IMG_5837IMG_5839

In the pictures below you can see how I glued the Kershout parts into position after cutting the corresponding tails in a piece of Assegaai. I used the actual stoped dados in the bottom of the main beam, where the Kershout will slide up and down to keep the setup in the exact position while drying.

IMG_5840IMG_5841

In the next few pictures you can see how I made a quick test of how my design works. I clearly need to improve on my dovetail technique, but in my defense this was the first dovetail I did since a woodworking examination in 1987. I think it is pertinent to digress from my story-line at this point in time.

On that particular day I made two first class dovetails in the time the rest of the class were supposed to make one. My best mate Gerdie Smook used to share a workbench with me, as per usual I guess in most school woodworking classes around the world when it still existed. The problem was that Gerdie tends to be a danger to himself (and others in his immediate surroundings for that matter) in the shop environment. In this particular exam we were issued with a three dimensional drawing of a doveltail joint and given a bit of wood to whittle into something resembling the mentioned drawing.

The game plan was formulated several days in advance, as Gerdie were on the brink of failing woodwork as a subject and it would not go down well as son of the Headmaster. I made one copy of the joint in the speed of light and handed it over to Gerdie with the idea that he would not alter it at all, yet try to look busy sanding it lightly. I then grabbed his chunk of wood and and made his joint. Obviously being warm-up at this stage, his turned out better than mine. To add to the discrepancy, Gerdie managed to mutilate mine sufficiently (with the mentioned “light sanding activity”), to ensure that he got a much better mark than me. Despite that, I still regard what I did that day as the finest achievement of my non-existent woodworking career.

IMG_5842IMG_5844

I made some of my usual crude Sketchup drawings to show what is happening in the engine room of this part of the design that is a bit difficult to see from the pictures above. As you can see I drilled two 7 mm holes lined up with the slots in the Kershout that slides up and down the stopped dados. Then I widened these holes on opposite ends to accept insert nuts for a 6 mm bolt. The bolt was sunk into a wooden knob and epoxied. The knob of each bolt obviously sits on the opposite end to the insert nut that it engages with.

Deadman 2Deadman

Here I added the caster meant to make it easy to slide the deadman along the side of the assembly table, hence “sliding” deadman.

IMG_5849IMG_5850

Since finishing the legvise (with a twist) I acquired thread cutting tools, which you can see in action below. I am in the process of cutting 8 mm thread in a piece of steel left over from another job, to act as the anchor in the T-channel on the side of the assembly table. You will remember how I had to weld bolts to a piece of steel to accomplish the same while creating the anchor for the legvise.

IMG_5851IMG_5852

Finally you can get an idea of what we were aiming for with regards to this unique deadman. In the pictures below you can see the first “dry fit” to the assembly table. In the second picture you can see the two bits of scrap 6 mm plywood attached the inside of the face board were it nestles up against the side of the assembly table. These were added to bring the face of the deadman perfectly in line (flush) with the inside jaw of the legvise. In the third picture you can get an idea of how the height adjustable mechanism operate.

IMG_5853IMG_5855IMG_5854

After all that fanfaronade, let’s get back to the adjustable support block. I made the arms in the pictures below to wrap around the main beam of the deadman while being attached to the support block and the 6 mm threaded rod that hooks into the profusion of dados at the back of it. The wood is meant to created a soft wood-on-wood feel when adjusting the support block, but also considers the matter of wear.

IMG_5858IMG_5859IMG_5860

In then next few pictures you can see how the support block works. It hooks into the appropriate dado depending on the hight needed for the job and has the ability to make fine adjustments with the “marking gauge mechanism” for lack of a better term. You will note the use of two lock nuts on either side of each steel/wood-arm, allowing precise adjustment for a custom fit.

IMG_6996IMG_6991IMG_6992IMG_6993IMG_6994IMG_6995

Every deadman deserves a good manicure before being flung into another samsara. In this case a facial treatment with Tung oil diluted vigorously with mineral turpentine. After only one layer of this I rubbed some (you’ve guessed it) Ballistol on for good measure.

IMG_5861IMG_5862

In these pictures you can see how the deadman and the legivise function together for the first time.  At the time I was working on t-brackets to hang from the rafters in order to keep a few boards out of the way while it acclimatizes to the shop.

IMG_5867IMG_5868

IMG_5869IMG_5870

Legvise with a twist (Chapter three)

In the final chapter of this series of posts we will look at how I finished this unique legvise. It could be a useful idea to other woodworkers who does not have a proper dedicated workbench.

In these first pictures you can see how I made the rollers for the parallel guide. Unfortunately I only saw the idea to use skateboard wheels after I built these, but I would recommend using them if you still have to build yours. I used an inexpensive plastic wheel used to guide automatic steel gates, which is very common in this part of the world where we all hide behind electric fences. It works fine but does not have a smooth low friction ball-bearing system like the skateboard wheels.

100_1092100_1093100_1094100_1095100_1096

Next I used my newly purchased Festool router to cut a dado that would accept the Kershout strips meant to clamp the edges of the leather that would ultimately grace the faces of the jaws.

100_1101100_1102100_1103100_1107

I then assembled the legvise temporarily in order to drill the hole for the large single screw vise.

100_1109100_1110100_1111

Due to the length of the “nut” (pictured below) that accepts the screw, I had to add some wood to the inside jaws, as seen in the pictures above.

100_0372

Below you can see how I used handtools to custom fit the “nut” into the inside jaw for a lifetime of abuse.

100_1112100_1113100_1114100_1115

I then fitted the screw to the chop.

100_1120100_1121

Below you can see how I glued leather from a Red Dear I shot while living in New Zealand to the inside of both jaws.

100_1122100_1123100_1124100_1125

The leather was then clamped into place tidily using custom sized (by using handplanes) Kershout strips screwed into a shallow dado on the sides of the jaws.

100_1126100_1132100_1135100_1136100_1137100_1138100_1141

Next I had to shape a scrap piece of steel that could slide into the T-channel on the side of my assembly table in order to fix the inside jaw to the table in a manner that would make it easy to move the legvise from one location to the next if needed. You can see how I welded nuts to the steel as at this point in time I still did not have thread cutting tools. You will also notice that the piece of steel was deliberately bent slightly so that once the bolts are tightened it would apply even pressure across the length of it.

100_1147100_1148

From this point on you should be able to see what I was aiming for. In the first picture you can see how the rollers and adjustable feet were attached. The next pictures show how the two jaws were assembled by means of the vise screw for the first time.

100_1160100_1161100_1163100_1165

The first time I attached the legvise to the assembly table to test out a few things. I realised that I had to do a few adjustments to the feet.

100_1167

Here I am shaping a piece of Witpeer in order to turn the ends of the handle.

100_1193100_1194100_1195100_1196100_1197100_1199100_1200

Here you can see how I modified the feet. I inserted two pins that was epoxied into place that would ultimately sit inside a small rubber disc. The area between the disc and the nut received a coat of grease to allow the adjustable feet to rotate easily while being firmly pressed against the floor.

100_1208

I am not sure what the correct term is for this instrument, but it is the one that gets jammed into the wholes in the parallel guide and you can see that I made mine from scratch.

100_1209

Finally the legvise was fitted to the table in the position I thought would be best for now. In the second picture you can see what I was on about regarding the modification of the adjustable feet. You will also note the nuts that was added to lock the threaded rod feet into place once it is adjusted to the correct height. The third picture show the nameless instrument in position in the parallel guide.

100_1216100_1218100_1222

The final product was well worth the effort displaying the beautiful orange and grayish-yellow colours of the Assegaai and Witpeer. I have to say that it works even better than anticipated and I would not change too much at all if I build another one.

IMG_5567IMG_5568

 

You can start looking out for some posts on the sliding deadman that I built to toil in tandem with this baby.

Legvise with a twist (Chapter two)

As promised, we will start looking at what makes this legvise different to others in this chapter. For one thing, I do not know of any legvise that sports an Ysterhout parallel guide. If you are interested you could read more about Ysterhout’s properties in my post on my assembly table. (www.jenesaisquoiwoodworking.com/alternative-workbenchassembly-table-chapter-four)

This process might well seem a smidgen confusing, but I show the process as close as possible to how it happened. It means that various parts gets worked on all at the same time and we discuss only the small step that was taken at that time then jump to the next part and return to the previous part at some point in the future. If you do woodwork I am sure you will understand this haphazard methodology.

In the pictures below you can see how I laminated two pieces of ysterhout to create the beginning of a parallel guide.

100_0371100_0374

The area I removed here was done on the table saw. The idea was to use this design to provide ample structural strength to the joint with the chop (moving jaw of the legvise). As I see it this is a critical joint that will have to endure innumerable years of abuse.

100_0401100_0403100_0402

At about this point in time, my first acquisition from Lie-Nielsen arrived, a large vise screw.

100_0372100_0375

Now we can start to address were this legvise really departs from the norm. As I explained extensively in my post on the assembly table, I opted to modify an assembly table to double up as a workbench until I know what I want from a workbench. My assembly table does not have massive wooden legs that are in the same plane as the top. Therefore the first difference is that the inside jaw of my legvise had to be made, so you could actually argue that it is not a legvise because it does not contain a leg?? You would have noticed the two jaws being assembled in chapter one.

The next problem involves my assembly table’s ability to be adjusted up and down. (see Alternative Workbench/assembly table chapter two) This necessitated my ‘freestanding’ legvise also to be able to do this. In the pictures below you can see how I approached this issue. The inside jaw (or “leg”) of my legvise was modified to accept two pieces of 20 mm threaded rod, that would become the adjustable “feet” by fitting two nuts as shown. It will become clearer as we progress.

100_0383100_0385100_0384

I then cut the mortise intended to accept the parallel guide at the bottom the chop. Next I created the “hole” (it would only become a hole a little later in actual fact) through which the parallel guide moves in the “leg”.

100_0503100_0504100_0492100_0494

A quick dry fit to check how the parallel guide fits in it’s mortise at the bottom of the chop.

100_0490100_0491100_0489100_0505

Please note the makeshift fence to ensure that the holes in the parallel guide are well aligned. I had to drill these holes spread across three evenings as a result of the incredibly dense Ysterhout. Directly translated “ysterhout” means “ironwood” and it really is very similar to drilling holes in steel. The bits heats up with a vengeance, necessitating a substantial break before continuing or alternatively destroying the bit.

100_0591100_0592100_0633100_0634

Next I added (by means of PVA glue) the top and bottom of the inside jaw. The top will ultimately help to fix the inside jaw to the table and the bottom will create a surface to attach one of the rollers guiding the parallel guide. Just bear with me, it will all become as clear as daylight in the next riveting chapter.

100_0513100_0515

At this stage the final shaping took place. You obviously expected the je ne sais quoi to emerge at some stage didn’t you? The sexy symmetrical sloping semblance certainly adds you know what.

100_0549100_0550

Cutting thin Kershout and Witpeer strips on the table saw is not a good idea. You can probably see the burn marks in the first picture. I laminated some of these strips to create a blank to turn a bootylicious handle for the vise.

100_0653100_0679100_0680100_0722

The mentioned handle being shaped and turned.

100_0723100_0724100_0824

Finally the hole meant to allow the Parallel guide to extend through the inside jaw gets completed.

100_1085100_1086100_1087100_1088

In the pictures below you can see how the nuts that are supposed to accept the threaded rod feet gets locked into position by a thin Assegaai lid.

100_1089100_1090100_1091

 

In the last chapter we will discuss the final months of my the legvise pregnancy. Jippee ki-yay … as they say!!!

Legvise with a twist (Chapter one)

In this post I thought I should spend some time documenting one of my preeminent projects to date. As stated earlier in a post on my alternative workbench/assembly table I decided to go with an adaptation of an assembly table to serve as a workbench until I have acquired the skills to build and the experience to design my ultimate work bench. In order to do a wide range of hand tool orientated tasks, I thought that a proper leg vise toiling in conjunction with a sliding deadman is essential. We will start with the leg vise and move on to the slithering deceased somewhere down the line.

Creating a leg vise for an assembly table with legs hiding quite some way away from the edge of the  top conjures up a formidable challenge. In the pictures and text to follow you can join me on my jaunt towards solving the mentioned poser.

If you read anything I have written so far you would be able to guess were this story starts. Yes, I went looking for some Assegaai. Where would I be without Assegaai? Well, come to think of it, several of my ancestors will have to scurry around frantically to find an alternative cause of death. Did I say that aloud?

In the pictures below you can see the foxy beauty of the assegaai tree (one of which is rooted on the slopes of Table Mountain), it’s leaves and the traditional weapon it derives it’s name from.

1_Assegai_tree_-_Curtisia_dentata_-_afromontaneCurtisia_dentata_-_Assegai_tree_-_Table_Mountain_slopes_5assegaai Curtisia_dentata blaarAssegaai

 

After a fervent root around (there seems to be a theme here), I found the boards as displayed in exhibit A and B below.

100_0122100_0117

At this same time my father-in-law was visiting and helped me to laminate the Assegaai mixed with a bit of Witpeer into two boards. On the photo where he is cleaning off some glue, you can probably see how we mixed Assegaai with Witpeer. The Witpeer being the gray coloured wood and Assegaai more towards orange. I combined these two for a spesific reason. I wanted the elasticity and stability that the Assegaai brings and added the Witpeer for it’s rigidity. You can see that we laminated the two species to form alternating ribs that also adds the usual je ne sais quoi on the aesthetic side of things. To enhance the cerebral exercise that it was even more, I decided to use more Assegaai on the board that would become the face of the vise (increased flex) and more Witpeer on the board that was to become the leg (more rigid).

100_0316100_0317100_0318100_0320

Next you can see how the boards looked after it came out of the clamps and a bit of tidying up.

100_0324100_0346

In the picture below you can clearly see how the one board appears more orange in colour (Assegaai dominated) and the other grayish (Witpeer dominated).

100_0353

Until this point my design for the vise was quite a bit different from how it was eventually put together. One day at work I thought about it and started scribbling on some paper, as you can see below. It led me into a different direction altogether. It might make more sense once you see how it paned out, but basically I decided to take advantage of the strengths of the construction of plywood in the design of the vise. You will see what I mean as we progress. On this piece of paper I also decided on the joinery with regards to the parallel guide and how I would tidy up the leather that I planned to use on the vise.

100_0370

In order to strengthen the boards across it’s width, I used short Assegaai boards with it’s grain running 90 degrees to the rest of it. These were screwed on as gluing would cause havoc with seasonal movement of the wood. Therefore the shank holes were drilled significantly bigger than the actual shanks of the screws. You can also see in the second to last picture how I used a shim to create a consistent gap between these boards, also with seasonal movement in mind.

100_0355100_0360100_0361100_0365

 

100_0368

 

In the next compelling chapter we will look at what makes this leg vise different from others.

Bench Bitches

In this post we will look at an African solution to a lack of bench bitches.

Due to my predicament of living in self-inflicted woodworking isolation, it is not even an option to wonder into the nearest hardware store to pick up basic pieces of equipment such as bench dogs. Therefore like most other workshop-must-haves I needed to improvise and build my own.

For the same reason there are lots of bits and pieces I need to produce, so I thought up the following plan in order to speed up the production of this work-holding gem. The holes in my ‘bench’ are 20mm (0.79 in) in diameter and 96mm (3.78 in) apart (centre to centre). I took a piece of 20mm (0.79 in) threaded rod and chopped it up into bits of two different lengths. The shorter version being around 70mm and the longer version 150mm. The accompanying nuts were then welded onto the one end of each of these.

100_0275100_0276100_0277100_0278

After tidying up the welded areas, I took some leather strips and glued it to the bolts to ensure that it will not dent wood.

100_0286100_0295100_0297100_0298

These dogs stand 15mm (0.59 in) proud of the bench surface, which takes care of most situations I regularly come across. In cases where I need higher dogs I use the ones with another nut screwed on as indicated in the pictures below. You can see that it gives me the option to create a dog of exactly the correct height without too much fuss. It is however not as easy as the ones that you simply pull out of the bench top to the desired height, but this was not an option for me as my ‘bench top’ is only 20mm (0.79 in) thick. The thin top does cause the higher dog-setups to be somewhat floppy, but so far I do not tend to need these very often.

IMG_6563IMG_6564

One added benefit of my dog design is that I can screw a spare nut into the threaded rod that protrudes underneath the bench in order to stabilise the longer dog setups.

IMG_6566

If you are curious you can read all about my Alternative workbench/assembly table in a series of post with this title.

For stock thinner than about 18mm (0.71 in) I use a wide plane stop made out of 6mm plywood. I see Christopher Schwarz calls these devices ‘Redneck jigs’. I wonder what he would call my bench dogs then. It is probably better not to find out.

Finally, I made a small shelve below the top with 22mm (0.87 in) holes to accept the set of bitches for easy access.

100_0303

Below you can see some pictures of the bitches at work.

100_0504100_0406100_0511