Workbench Progress

Progress on the Cornebarrieu Bench is coming along.  It has been slow going – I have been swamped with work, travel, lack of allowance (I spent it on Christmas and a classic fiddle/violin…), more work, etc…

Stamps-With-Foot gave me a gift card for our local Home Center/hardware big-box as a Christmas present that took care of the price for the last section of the top. I got a lot accomplished this last two weeks:

  1. The final sections of the top were glued up just before New Years eve- using every single clamp I brought to France and more than a little ingenuity.
  2. Installed (2 hours of cutting, drilling and chiseling) a pricey German-made cast iron end vice that I got on 65% sale – was missing two small metric bolts and the wood handle.
  3. Made final leg cuts: the tenons that go inside the bench top.
  4. Put 5/16 oak dowels in to the pieces that have cracked, even a little, to make sure that the cracks do not spread.
  5. Gave all the base parts an 80 grit sanding.
  6. Really like the sawmill marks on some of the pieces.  Am going to put clear poly on the base instead of milk paint to preserve the marks.
  7. The legs and stretchers shrunk and warped just a touch in the six months since I cut them even though I had it all clamped together.  It will be fine and could have been worse.
  8. Made the first dry-fit of the base to the top: Everything lined up , fit perfectly, and is as square as I could ask for.
  9. Drilled holes for connector bolts and lag screws.
  10. Installed base shelf cleats
  11. Cut the 12 sections of 5/8″ tongue & groove pine that will be the base shelf

Cornebarrieu Bench 08-2014 Cornebarrieu Bench 09-2014 Cornebarrieubench 12-2014 Cornebarrieu Bench 1-2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I head to the US in a couple of weeks, I hope to have installed the end-vise block, given the base a 120 grit sanding, polyurethane the base &shelf, cut the hole for the leg vise screw and the rectangle cut for the vices’ parallel guide. I also want to install the leg vise nut in a pocket behind the leg while the bench is upside down.