Saturday, September 26, 2015

Mutton to Lamb

I've a few days off in a row and in my never ending quest to make 10 lbs look like 5, I made some changes to the shop. The first was to move the "off" bench about 150mm to the left and push it against the wall or at least as close as I could get it.

Next I wanted to make the bench useable so a number of things had to find a new home. I'm also thinking about making a portable bench and a traveling tool chest. MsBubba gave marching orders to that effect over morning coffee. I'll use the small QR vice off of the secondary bench for the portable bench.

As I was doing bench maintenance anyway I figured now was as good a time as any to pull the QR vise off and re-install the leg vise. While I was at it I tested the wagon vise and it was frozen, strange how if you do not use something it quits working. After several times of taking the sliding block off and re-installing it with each time the wagon vise working worse, I made a new sliding block. I've not a clue what the difference is, both blocks look the same, but the new sliding block works and the old one doesn't.

Anyway here are a few photos of the "new" old leg vise and the old bench. I left all the shaving and cutoffs on the floor so you would think I've been beavering away in the shop:


The view from the primary bench:


One more from the back side of the primary bench:


Click 'em to big 'em.

BTW, on the end of the primary bench are the parts for the bath cabinet. The rails and stiles for the door are under the Sycamore waiting to be glued up for the door panel and the finished case is hanging off the end of the bench. One other thing I haven't a clue about, for some reason I keep finding other things to work on instead of just glueing the damn thing up and going on down the road.

ken




10 comments:

  1. Ken I see some aluminum clamps hanging on the wall. Are those your main clamps?

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  2. Ralph,

    I use those along with Besey, Jet, and different small quick clamps. The aluminum clamps are the easiest to use and as I buy new clamps I expect they will be the aluminum ones.

    BTW, I remember why I took the leg vise off in the first place....an English QR holds better and is easier to use. If I find I use the second bench more I expect the leg vise will be replaced once more.

    ken

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  3. I was curious as to why you put that back on.

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  4. Gee, I don't have a clue neither, as I seemingly suffer the same ADD like problems :-)
    Humm, I wonder if that as anything to do with our spouses finding that we take a while to finish "a" project :-)

    I find interesting that you find the Record QR holding better than the Benchcrafted leg vise, you have the leather covering the jaws?

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  5. I count roughly 30ish wooden planes on your shelf, smoothers, a plow plane and a bunch of molding planes. Would'nt mind seeing more of them :-)

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  6. Ralph,

    I was planning on using the QR for the (soon to be made, ha) portable bench. I may pull the leg vise back off and re-install the QR. If I do I will find another QR for the portable bench.

    ken

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  7. Bob,

    Yep leather on both sides...I know I step on toes because leg vises are in fashion right now but bottom line a older English QR is a better vise, at least for how I work.

    Don't encourage me :-). I may post some close ups of the ones I have working. BTW, I moved some of the ones that are seldom used to a cabinet and used their space to hold a set of working planes for use on the secondary bench plus I moved some chisels around so to have at hand a set or two of working chisels for the bench.

    ken

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  8. Damn it Ken, you made me looked it up! Could not visualize 150mm so had to look it up because it bugged me all PM :-) 5 in 29/32 nd, darn near 6 inches...
    I would have just said, a smidgen under 6 inches, that I would have got right away :-)

    Bob, from the land of failed Metric implementation...

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  9. Bob,

    LOL, I do it for the metric impaired :-). MsBubba will sometimes mention someone is 14 1/2 stone and of course my answer is "say what?"

    You really should try it in the shop, makes life a lot easier with many fewer measuring mistakes.

    ken

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  10. NOPE, shall remain staunchly Imperialist :-)
    Says, I should write a book and called it The Imperialist Tool Chest, ITC :-)

    Bob, who says Maple syrup and Metric don't mix he he

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