I Finally Finished My Bench

[Dave in Rochester]

Wow, another tool porn entry. Very nicely done, Sir!

[John Clifford]

Looks great, almost too pretty to use.

[MrWhite]

Thank you all for your kind words and comments.

The bench is made from a local Douglas Fir tree that I had custom sawn into lumber. I dried the lumber for about 18 months before I started the milling to laminate the top. I also stumbled across a 6/4 board of Sapele that was about 12 inches wide and 14 feet long. I picked it up at a sale. I used that board for the edges of the bench, the breadboard ends, the pin-striping in the benchtop, and all the bench dogs.

Dave, you're right about spotting the hinges. Good eye! There is indeed a compartment in the bottom of the bench. Here's a couple of pictures taken during the construction process that show it a little better:








Hank Knight, I think I'll deal with the anxiety, the thought of whacking it with a hammer makes me cringe.



Gregory, the twin tail vises stem from the ambidextrous design of the base. I am mostly left handed, but some tools are designed to work best when used right handed. I wanted to be able to do both. The bench does not sit against a wall, so I can work off either side. From one side the vises are laid out in a right handed arrangement and from the other, left handed. They can be used independently or together. I'd originally hoped to be able to use them like a twin screw, and this will work, but it's limited by the distance between the guide rods on the two vises. Here's a better view of the tail vises:





And this one, from before I drilled the dog holes:

[Aram]

Nice!

[blackhat]

Dang, I'm having trouble getting to one side of my bench right now. You claim to be able to get at both sides and one end. You build a pretty bench but got carried away with that tall tale.

[Ricky]

Sweet Bench! I love the look of DF.

[MountainWood]

Very nice! The sapele accents really take the bench to artistry status.

I'm currently building a bench out of regionally local woods - western larch, Oregon ash, and maple. Your use of local doug fir really adds credence to the piece.

Again, nicely done.

[Bartee]

Very nice !! It's your bench. There are no rules.

[Martin S.]

That's a very nice bench!

I like the compartment in the bottom, but I would probably forget what I put down there. I would need to store things I seldom use, or extra shop vac bags and consumables I have too many of.

Excellent work, and lots of cool features.

[Derek Cohen]

Very nice looking bench, excellent workmanship, and I especially like the chest below (although it may not be practical if you are in the habit of using the shelf above it as a tool rest!).

My question is what you have done to take into account wood movement. The top appears dovetailed at both sides. While that is how drawers are done, the top is solid and the dovetails will capture it to prevent movement. The top might be expected to bow and/or crack ... if there is no room for expansion. How have you accounted for this?

Regards from Perth

Derek