Friday, August 02, 2019

Slab Machined

Slab pieces machined and ready for glue up.


I need to make several sets of cauls for the glue up and go to the woodstore for a big bottle of glue before I start. The shop is getting hot so I may be finished for the day.

I think the vise dithering is over, my plan is to install the BC vise with crisscross on this bench. If I like it, then get another BC vise and crisscross for the shop bench. If not and someone wants to buy this bench I'll offer it with either a Lake Erie wood screw and parallel guide or the BC with crisscross.

ken

2 comments:

  1. If you think of it Ken post pics of the glue up. I will be doing one myself and you have a few of under the belt already. Especially interested in any do's or don't's.
    I PM'ed (on the creek) Tom but I haven't heard back yet. Fingers crossed that he still does it.

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    Replies
    1. Ralph,

      I'll try to remember to make some photos, not likely during the glue up but maybe the set up before and right after. Being a one man shop the glue up itself tends to be assholes and elbows once started. Standard advise, have everything ready and handy and do at least one dry run. I like to use a 4" short nap paint roller to spread the glue. I've tried both dowels and biscuits to keep the slats alined, cauls work just as well and are less work. That all applies if gluing up the whole slab at one time. The last few slabs I've done in sets of two or three slats at a time followed by gluing the sets together. The biggest problem with doing it that way is it takes several days to finish a slab. Another thing I like to do, if I remember to, is take a shaving or two from what I think will be the top side of each slat to see which way the grain goes and then mark the slat for orientation.

      The best suggestion is to find a one or two board slab if you can. The only thing I could find this time was some Hard Maple or some Poplar. The Hard Maple was too expensive and hard for a slab and the Poplar too light and soft. A Beech glue up hit good middle ground.

      BTW, I see you found Tom. Is he going to do the machine work for you?

      ken

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