Workbench from leftover 2 x 8 lumber

Making the workbench legs and bottom parts.

I'm gluing up the legs. 2x4 glued together to make roughly 3 x 3.5 inches. They were quite flat so I just glued and clamped. Every second board has glue. I just clamped them all together to save on clamps.

I took the clamps off the leg blanks but some of the drips were still not quite dry so I'll wait before shaping and smoothing the legs.

Planed and squared the legs. There was some bowing of the original boards but luckily no real twisting around. My lumber is quite rough. I didn't have enough of the leftover 2 x 8 so I had to pick up a few extra 2x4 for the legs. Not quite true, I had a nice board left over but it has little bits of gravel embedded in the surface and this would damage my planer blades so I had to get new wood.

I used the same method as before. I glued the blanks to a flat particle board sheet and sent the assembly through the planer, that way I get one good flat side which I can use to plane the second side flat.

I finished planing the wood for the legs and crosspieces and apron. It might warp some before I get to it but all the dimensions are the same and the sides are parallel, for now.

Instead of planing I could have used a jointer but I don't have one. I could also have used a table sander but again I don't have one.

With a proper set up I could also have arrived to this with a table saw. Old timers and cabinet makers have really long planes and dimensioned their lumber by hand. I'm not skilled enough for this.

Assembly of the workbench

I did a practice mortise and tenon. It's been a while since I've done anything like that. I usually do other simpler joints but I think this workbench is the perfect spot for mortise and tenons joinery.

I plan to cut one for the legs to go into the top and for the various leg pieces, 16 in all.

Wish me luck. The good thing is that they will not be through tenons so they will be a bit hidden.

I'm now figuring out exactly where things will go. I had a rough sketch but since I have received the vice and have final dimensions for legs and other lumber I can go ahead and mark the bench.

Here the bench top is sitting upside down on a table and I'm measuring where the vices and legs will be located and how long the various pieces need to be.

I'll have to fill a couple of the dog holes I was so pleased with myself about but otherwise there is not any problem that I can see.

The hardest question to answer is how high to make the bench. If it's lower then the user has better mechanical advantage to push on planes and other hand tools. If it's higher then it's often better positioned for power tools and detailed work. I think I will go for higher and use it for a while. It's much easier to shorten than to lengthen a piece of wood. I'm thinking about 35 inches high.

I cut my legs to proper height plus the depth of the planned tenons. I also cut the short crosspieces. It took some time to get the chop saw perfectly square but I got it and the pieces are nicely cut.

I carefully measured the short crosspieces tenons. There are 2 on each side and they will hold the legs apart. Measuring is harder than it looks. For the first time I understand why people like the little wood scratching marking things. I'm reaping the benefits of all the time I took to carefully square and dimension my lumber, everything is square and easy to mark.

Since I'm planning to use a 3/4 inch chisel to cut the mortises, I used the actual chisel to mark the tenon. After a test cut I checked against the chisel to see that the set up was good.

I set up my bandsaw with stops and used it to cut the tenons. It worked but there was a tendency to go off the line. It might have been because of the grain of the wood. The result was OK but not absolutely perfect. I'll have to shape my tenon before I can use it. Luckily they cut larger than required.

I don't have a lot of experience using a bandsaw. I bought this one at the wood show last winter and have not had a lot of practice with it. I don't think cutting against a fence is what it does best.

I also cut tenons on each of the legs. This time I did not use the bandsaw fence but rather cut freehand. This was more successful.

Right now I'm planning to have the top bolted on along the with tenons. No glue holding the top though. The leg joints are going to be glued. This would make the workbench easier to move. If my joints are really bad I'll cheat and use epoxy filled with silica and not worry about taking the workbench apart. I don't think I would pass the traditional woodworking exam!

I'm setting up to cut the mortises. After measuring really carefully, twice, I scored the lines with a knife. This cuts the top of the wood and gives a cleaner opening to the mortise.

I also sharpened the chisel. It's a funny thing that to make a workbench you need a workbench. It would be nice to have the stops on the bench set up.

I gradually and carefully started chiseling out the mortise

The tenons were cut to 3/4 inch and I'm using a 3/4 inch chisel. At first I make quite small chips but soon they get larger and it does not take long to cut to depth. My first mortise took an hour, the rest were about 20 minutes each.

After a quick clean up of the sides of the mortise I tried the crosspiece and they fit perfectly.

My first set of legs assembled but not glued. It is stiff and solid. It is also perfectly square. So far so good.

I cut the other set of legs mortises and all is well

I've glued up one set of legs. Checked for square and diagonals and they are good.

Tomorrow I'll glue the other legs and will start on the long pieces for the legs.

I also have to figure out how to cut the top to size. Width is fine but the length is still ragged. I don't think I can do it on the table saw. It's just too heavy. I don't think I could cut a good enough line by hand either. I might set up the skill saw and cut top to 2 inches and bottom to 2 inches. I have to go top and bottom because the skill saw cannot go the full thickness. I'll have to think about it.

I've started cutting the mortises that will connect the legs to the top.

My top is still face down and I'm working on the somewhat rough but flat lower face.

These are deeper and longer mortises. They should really solidify the connection between the top and legs.

Legs are on the top and they are absolutely solid and square. I don't think I need glue at all. I will use some lag screws to connect the top to the legs but glue is not necessary. I will have to decide later.

I'm running a test to see if I can use biscuits to attach the front apron piece of my workbench. There is a large biscuit and lots of glue. I'll test tomorrow. The legs are so solid I'm not sure I need much added strength.

There will be 2 long pieces per side and a shelf glued in at the bottom so lots of rigidity, and storage.

After letting the test dry overnight I broke it. The wood failed before the joint and it took a lot of beating up before breaking.

The glue was not completely dried. I think that using 2 biscuits and letting the glue dry, will be perfectly strong.

I cut the crosspieces, and made a mistake in the first one so I had to re plane and prepare a replacement board. What's that about measuring twice and cutting once?

Measured twice and cut the biscuit slots. Everything is ready to go.

After a hairy half hour I now have the legs glued together. Everything is clamped, squared, diagonals checked and checked again.

I did not glue the mortise and tenon joints to the top but they are tight and I think I would have trouble taking them apart.

I'm very pleased with myself.

Making a workbench, part 4

emails: Christine

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