I just skimmed through Jay’s video. I built my workbench out of pine many years ago with some mortise and tenon joints. I like his build, but you have to chisel out the mortises in the top in his design. I’d say in my experience it’s harder to chisel through pine than hardwood. Usually construction lumber has a higher moister content and is springier. It frustrated the heck out of me and took way longer than it should have.
I’d modify the top so you can cut the mortises with power tools before put the top together, that way there’s no chiseling – somewhat like he made the legs.
Otherwise, good buys (I love watching David Barron) and that’s a nice shopping list you have there!
That’s a good point and I thought the same, although to be fair Jay did use a router to remove the bulk of the mortises before chiseling. I suspect the reason he did it the way he did was because he wanted to ensure absolute rigidity and squareness of the legs rather than risk them being a little out if the mortises were added before assembling the top.
However I was thinking that if all of my pieces of wood are planed to uniform thickness (top boards and leg boards) then I might even be able to avoid cutting either mortises or tenons and instead stagger the boards so they fit in to each other, a bit like this:
Of course I could use similar “joinery” for the rails and stretchers between the legs too. I might also drill 3/4" holes through horizontally from the apron and pin with hardwood dowels to provide additional strength as well as some visual interest. The only challenge with this approach is that I don’t have a power jointer (one of the reasons I’m buying a jointer plane) and this design would require perfectly square faces on pretty much every board as well as the consistent widths and thicknesses.
On my bench rather than mortising the top I made it solid. and cut out a recess in the bottom for the base to fit into. It’s hard to explain so here are pictures:
The advantage of doing it the way I did is that the top just lifts off. It’s been a huge labor saver when I’ve had to move it around the shop. If you get it right the top doesn’t move or rock. The top is so heavy that it’s never moved out of place no matter how stupid I’ve been.
The long stretchers are what I had to through mortise and it was a bear. I had the idea after watching Roy Underhill that I’d attempt a two piece dovetail, after I failed miserably I just glued them in place.
In your design above I’d route in square dog holes spaced about 4 inches apart before you put the top together and do at least two rows. After working with the different dog hole clamps, I wish I would have done the second row. I need to get around to drilling them now. The advantage of doing them before is they will be perfectly square to the top. I’ve found square holes are just as good as round, sometimes better. I have round holes in the side of the top and it’s harder to remove the dogs from the round holes.
Brilliant idea routing the dog holes in the boards before assembly rather than drilling them later, that is definitely going on my build list. I’m planning to build a leg vise in addition to something on one end, so as well as a couple of runs of dog holes along one of the long sides, I may also add some along one of the short sides. I certainly don’t want to end up with a ‘colander’ but can see the possible advantage in being able to secure things in both directions.
Ordered a Wiha 3k 5mm ball end hex screwdriver as well as their long precision screwdriver set and Proturn Precision 1/4" Mag Bit Holder.
Last week I got the 6mm ball end hex screwdriver and it ended up being the wrong size for what I needed (of course I didn’t double check).
I have a set of Mastercraft screwdrivers I got for like $15, but I think what is going to happen is they are going to be my spare set and I will eventually load up on the Wiha 3k screwdrivers to be my main set. They appear to be very good quality without being super expensive.
A lot, but most recently I bought a Porter Cable 9690LR on clearance. The only one they had left was the display, so I got it for $38.
I traded my Ridgid portable tale saw last week for a Rigid contractor saw, r4512, so I ordered a Freud diablo blad, a set of Mircrojig splitters and some Incra miter sliders to make a sled with.
We bought a fixer upper last year, and were remodeling the whole thing, so I’m using it as an excuse to fit out my workshop (also working on a hostile takeover of the 2 car garage from my wife’s storage).
Well, today I grabbed the last five Milwaukee 10-in-1 ratcheting screwdriver and 8-in-1 stubby screwdriver sets for $5.02 each. They’ll make good gifts and the bits alone are worth that price.
I also grabbed some more Werner Tool Lassos for $1.35 each at Lowe’s. I bought a couple at full price last year and they have their uses with the Lock-In top stepladders.
Even though I hardly need anything new - today I got the urge - and bought a few items (via Carbide Processors - a company I really like)
One was Woodpecker’s latest one time tool - their TRKSQ - a fixture that attaches to your track-saw track - to give it a square lip and handle for crosscutting. At $100 ($99.99) its purely an impulse buy luxury item.
The other 2 items - were carbide scrapers from Innovative Tools International that Stuart had posted about some time ago. I liked them so much that I’ve bought 2 more as gifts.
Were they the black handled ones with a gloss black bar, or the blue handled ones with a mat black bar? I have been a long time fan of these clamps, but have heard from several sources that the newer ones (black handled) are of a lesser quality than the older blue handles ones. Whether or not this makes a real difference in actual use I don’t know.
I picked up a Big Gulp dust hood from Rockler yesterday along with a few other odds and ends. Right now they are only $10. I thought that was a pretty good deal.
They are the black handled ones. I have had four of them for a couple months. No issues, I have never owned any high dollar clamps to know a difference.
I do know there is a huge difference when it comes to power tools.
Found a Porter Cable 12v Max oscillating tool at Lowe’s; it was sitting in a cart without a box or price tag. I asked the associate about it and ended up waiting almost an hour for another associate to arrive before being given a price. The other guy had found it and set it aside for himself but wasn’t upset that it had been discovered. Anyway, the manager was only willing to come down 30% for a tool made almost five years ago. I passed it up…have the 18v version and can buy the bare tool DeWalt for only a little more than they decided on the obsolete Porter Cable.
I spent the $80 and change on a DeWalt Tough Chest, which I can actually use as I finish this course and move to my next assignment.
I bought a 10" comfort-grip Knipex pliers wrench, and a pair of the Milwaukee offset job site scissors.
I’ve been doing a lot of sink drain repairs recently, and I’ve been in need of good heavy-duty scissors for a while.
Latest tool was actually a drill & 6-1/2" circ saw kit from ryobi with two batteries and a charger for $100. Im tired of her complaining that she doesnt have any tools. Granted she doesnt but i guess we cant share lol which im ok with, that means i can give her some ryobi outdoor tools so i can use them occasionally lol.
My latest tool purchase for me was a Hypertherm Powermax 30. Wow an awesome machine. It a plasma cutter with an internal air compressor that only needs a 20amp 110v circuit to work. It doesn’t have a huge duty cycle but i can grab it and cut anything anywhere without having to fiddle with a separate compressor and air hose.
Just picked up a much needed 3 gallon craftsman air compressor off a local Buy, Sell, Trade group. I’ve been running trim in my house with a measly 1 gal 100psi. Not fun.
