I am in the midst of constructing Lon Scheinings workbench from Fine Woodworking plans. I have the base, aprons and vise pieces made from black walnut, cut from a tree on my property, slabbed and kiln-dried.
Here’s the question: the front apron is about 64″ x 6 5/8″ x 1 3/4″. I cut it and finished it to size some months back and now that I am ready to work it, I notice a pretty visible TWIST (not bow) along its length, about a good 3/8″. Is there any remedy to this? I really hate to remake this guy, its tough planing and finishing!
Also the plans call for 1″ square metal dogs and i wasn’t sure if I should dado the full opening out of one of the laminated top boards or take 1/2″ each out of two mating sections.
Any advise would be appreciated! By the way, the top is being made from hard rock maple boards, 2 1/2″ x 1 7/8″ on end, so it will be a two-tone bench!
Edited 7/30/2009 12:50 pm ET by MilfordWoods
Replies
"........some months back and now that I am ready to work it, I notice a pretty visible TWIST........"
Been there. The lessons I learned: (a) do my best to machine equal amounts from both sides, and (b) don't mill the wood (especially long pieces) until I have the time to do the assembly within a day or two.
Grain orientation also plays a big role, but it's not always possible to sort for QS - particularly from "home grown" wood.
Thanks, good advise, but the deed is done. Any remedy you know of?
The apron is a tough one as it's also going to be part of your front vise. Also, it needs to be flush with the rest of the bench so installation could get a bit tricky in it's twisted state.
A good 3/8" of twist over ~64" should straighten out when clamped, but..... If it were me I'd be inclined to find a replacement. If that bugger twisted again 6 months down the road it'll be a lot more work fixing it.
I'd dado the dog holes out of one piece instead of splitting it between two laminations. Seems to me they would be stronger and easier to make than keeping the slots aligned during glue up.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Agree on replacement. Sorry, but....When you are digging a hole for yourself, first thing is to throw the shovel away.
On dog holes, I ducked the issue entirely. The dog holes were made as a series of separate blocks, angled (on CMS) and dadoed (hand saw) for the dog head recess. Then, I glued and screwed these blocks (screws to hold alignment, using actual dogs as spacers) to a 2x board, then glued and clamped another 2x board to the outside of the dog hole blocks. Now, I have [2x - 3/4" dog strip - 2x] assembly, which becomes just another section of table top in glue up, with apron added on the outside. Took a few minutes with chisel to clear any squeeze-out from dog holes.
The irony here - for the blocks to make the dog hole "strip", I used black walnut reclaimed by my Dad from my grandfather's farm 30 years earlier. The twist in Milford's original post was dead-level compared to this stuff, after it had been piled in a Kansas barn, and a Phoenix garage for 30 yrs. Also used that walnut for drawer faces. Very nice accent details on red oak bench. Red oak only because that was 2 x 8 framing from renovation of 100 yr neighbor's house.
Bench was the first big thing I had made, and my thought was that if I could make it out of 30 yr walnut and #3 100 yr red oak, then by the time I was done, I would have learned how to mill, machine, and assemble.
Looking like the apron will need to replaced, due to the noted issues. Appreciate your valuable input. I would not be a happy woodworker if the apron started a dance later on!
The thing is I don't know if the twist resulted in acclimation to your woodshop or if there was tension in the wood that was released via milling it.
One theory I have on tension is that it will appear during/shortly after the milling process whereas twisting, as a result of acclimation, may take some amount of time to appear. Not saying this is so. There are many folks who have forgotten more about this than I will ever know.
Still deciding which bench I want to build but for now my solid core door benchtop is working very well. When I first saw Mr. Schleining's Essential Workbench article I thought it was the bench for me.
I do wish you much success with your Essential Workbench and please show us pics of the finished piece when you get there. Also, ask questions as you go along. It hopefully will help you as well as aid others who might be following your progress.
I'll betcha there are more folks out there who would like to make that bench.
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
THanks again, the twist was surely the result of the piece sitting around for months -- should have left it till i was ready to install, though all the other sections are very straight.With the base complete and glued up, I am now assembling the maple top, sorting the planks, numbering, etc. I have to say that this is a very aggressive project requiring lots of patience (don't they all?) and very accurate measuring. Cutting the mortises and tenons and keeping them square was a challenge, even with the help of my Jet mortiser. I am not totally happy with the result, as there are side spaces between the tenons and mortise holes. After driving the wedges in the stretcher ends, and the final glue-up, however, this baby is solid like a rock and perfectly square. To me, that's an accomplishment!I am a little flummoxed facing the rather ambitious glue-up of the top. Also not sure about the square metal dogs I bought (two of them), as the instructions that came with the dogs indicate the top has to be at least 3 - 3 1/2" thick (I'm thinking this is so the tension springs get a good hold in the dog hole), whereas my maple planks have been milled to 2 1/2" width (by 1 7/8" thick).I do like the idea Samson suggested using a router and jig to cut the holes, and will proceed that way. Interesting note on this as the Fine Woodworking plan calls for a 3 degree angle and everywhere else it's 2 degrees? I'm sure it doesn't make much difference.I live in Manhattan Monday through Thursday and travel to Milford most weekends, so I'm building this baby part-time! Will post photos and ask questions as I go along. Thanks so much for the encouragement and advice!
I really hate to remake this guy, its tough planing and finishing
If you have a wife... I would think she thought the same thing about YOU!.
My benches I made over the years.. NEVER had any set in stone holes.. Just the holes made to fit my usual working habits.. I think about 5 holes in my curent bench.
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