Lookee what I found, a cool old cabinetmakers bench:

[imported_Steven Bauer]

I was doing some work at my brother's house today and I moved a bunch of old doors in the basement and found this:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/p986df1354d4ee970d4f33835150721e8/f7765c44.jpg

I know it's a 'little' rough, but he said I could have it. :D The base is pretty rotten but rebuildable. It has nice drawers with sliding trays inside:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/p9cbf375b5500f01cb48eb7c6c9b06925/f7765c37.jpg

The top is doweled to the base (I can actually get it out of his basement :D ):

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/pb8e76e220e1bd35b12fdc05d0195eb8e/f7765c2f.jpg

There is a cool bench dog mortised into the left end. Turn the crank to adjust the height of the dog:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/p8c14900179127a54cec83b73db563a2b/f7765c29.jpg
The vice on the left side is missing but I'm getting some of Tim's hardware to make one of Harry Bryan's vices - what do you think? Should I put it here?

After pictures will be posted here eventually.

Steven

[ 09-12-2004, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: Steven Bauer ]

[Ian McColgin]

Wow!

[Dave Fleming]

First off I would try to rebuild the original vise.
Parts are available from the usual catalog places.

That bench looks interesting see if you can find a makers mark somewhere on it.

From what I can see of the Harry B. vise it belongs on a long bench for working planks.
Just wouldn't look right on that bench.
Which is a classic cabinetmakers bench or so it seems to these tired old eyes.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

You're right Dave. Though the left vice is gone you should see the right one! About the fanciest old vice I've ever seen. smile.gif I'll keep an eye out for any markings. First I have to get it home!. You should see the staircase (and I use that term loosly!) it has to go up. :eek:

Steven

[Dave Fleming]

Ayup, that handwheel caught my eye first off.
Any chance of taking a few closeup shots of that end of the bench.

When you move it leave it in two pieces as I'm betting you are not going to have that stuck in the basement behind the fuel tank for the house heater.

Let it acclimate a bit to its new home and then carefully place the top on the base.*

Don't be surprised if the fit is not perfect it should settle down in a bit of time.

*Whilst it is apart might think of cleaning the top of any paint and glue splatters etc..
If the top is in less than ideal condition a finely set #5 or #6 hand plane will dress it up followed by a nice hand scraper and then perhaps a coat of 'secret sauce'?

[TimH]

Some people have all the luck :D

[imported_Steven Bauer]

I'll have to leave it apart long enough to rebuild the base. There are 3 or 4 inches of wood rotted away at the back. :eek:

What would have gone in that narrow spot under the top? A shallow drawer? or some sort of slide out tray? plan storage area?

Steven

[Dave Fleming]

Shallow drawer for chisels and gouges I'm guessin'.

[TimH]

http://students.washington.edu/hoehnt/legvise1.jpg

[Dave Fleming]

Not to hijack Steve's thread here but, TimH that is looking good!

[Ken Hutchins]

That looks mighty nice smile.gif what a find!

[TimH]

Originally posted by Dave Fleming:
Not to hijack Steve's thread here but, TimH that is looking good!Thanx! :D
Nothing like doing woodwork on a Bridgeport mill...hehe its almost like cheating... :D

[Ken Hutchins]

I don't call it cheating, I call it using the best tool available for the job to be done.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Hey Tim, the check is in the..um..envelope. ;)

Steven

[Hughman]

:cool: :cool: !!!

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Hey! What's up with my pics? I can go to Imagestation and see them. But here it says they are temporarily unavailable. Hum...
Anybody know what gives?

I got it home today. The end of the top without the vice wasn't too heavy but the end with the vice took two people to lift! Each jaw is a half inch thick, the wheel is solid, and there's a big casting on the bottom. It looks like some kind of dog (missing :( ) drops into a slot and moves back and forth when you open and close the vice. And I've made some progress on getting the vice to work. :D

Steven

[ 08-12-2004, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Steven Bauer ]

[imported_Steven Bauer]

I've re-linked to the pics and they seem to be showing now.

Steven

[Jack Heinlen]

They're showing here Steven.

I'm jealous, the second find of an old bench in a month. The only one I've ever found was at a garage sale, and was bought right from under my nose. Missed it by that much. :(

That one looks very special. The legs are rotten at their feet? Rather than replace them whole and lose all that patina you might consider scarfing sound wood in. If you wanted to get fancy you could even play around with stains. Done right no one but you would know it had been done. Or you could replace them whole and do the same thing. Depends a little on how it's joined.

Good luck. Nice find. smile.gif

[Keith Wilson]

Damn, how come I never find anything like that in a basement? That's very very cool. smile.gif

[George Roberts]

lovely patina.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Here's a couple of shots of the vice upside down:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/pdf86ada082230763190895d80e1575df/f76e5d71.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid134/p9400c7c56fafe9662491581171258d6d/f76e5d5f.jpg

Steven

[Donn]

Stout looking item. I especially like the wheel.

[Corso]

&@@##%$#!!!!! :mad: look at that thing...
Plenty of posts on tools (not mentioning canoes/small boats) found for free or closeby...
Basements and garage sales here in Toronto suck... :(

Is that a normal woodworking vise or its taken out from something else?

[ 08-14-2004, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: Corso ]

[Dave Fleming]

Thanks for the photos Steve.

That vise sure does look sweet!

I hadn't thought of a wheel on my woodworking vises?

Time to peruse the Reid Tool catalog, I'm thinkin'.

[Tom Dugan]

Yep, some guys have all the luck. smile.gif

That vise looks like a pretty standard model with an "upgrade". Yeah, it looks cool, and is probably quicker to open and close, but I'm thinkin' it wouldn't be as easy to really clamp down on a piece as the stock handle would be. Not as long a moment arm, and not as easy to throw your weight onto. YMMV of course, but some of us can use all the leverage we can get.

Oh, and that space under the top is where all of the chips and dust ends up after it falls through the dog holes. And you really wouldn't want to have your dogs poking down into a drawer, would you? 'Course, it's a good shelf to stash your tools on when the piece you're working on takes up all of the real estate up top.

So can I have it? :D

[Dave Fleming]

It is a tail vise and they are notorious for being 'overtightened' which springs the "L" join of the sliding jaw.
Perhaps the wheel was an attempt by the maker to limit the force applied to control that problem?

As I recall there have been some pretty elaborate designs incorporated into benches to limit that problem. See Scot Landis' book on Workbenches.

I prefer the full width type of vise with 2 sets of dog holes along the length of the bench top and no tool tray either.

But Steve has scored a huge 'gloat', as we say over in the newsgroup rec.woodworking.

Clean it up, repair or install a new shoulder vise and ENJOY!

[imported_Steven Bauer]

I'm afraid it's going to be a little more work than just 'Clean it up, repair or install a new shoulder vise and ENJOY!'. Here is what the base looks like:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p36a178efe3a18ef8bae8a7c583d68065/f70913c2.jpg

I think it's made of mahogany but it sat in that wet basement for so long that the bottom few (3,4,5?) inches are just gone. The rails, 2" x 3 3/8th" Are attached to the corner posts, same size, with two 5/8" dowels and a square head bolt. At the bottom the front and back rails are completely gone and the side rails are about half gone:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p36a178efe3a18ef8bae8a7c583d68065/f70913c2.jpg

So I was looking around to see what I had on hand to rebuild this thing and I remembered the fir doorjambs I took out of the second floor when I put the laundry room upstairs and connected Gavin's two small rooms into one:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/pdcc6f65667b2eeee3451b213fbf4f760/f7091397.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p411c2beefbafd737fe6db6fbf2f769cd/f7091322.jpg

So a little milling and a little glueing and a little more milling, and I've got stock for the new rails and legs.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/pf53dbf2cc6046a5885339822aaf6a3f9/f709139d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/pf44c66f9e4e03a9d3068ee8578cca357/f7091307.jpg

So I guess I'll scarph on the new legs first, then take the whole carcass apart, and glue it back together with the new rails in place. Then fix the t&g back and make a new bottom and I can work on the top. I remembered that I got an old vise from a customer about 15 years ago that I never re-used. I'm pretty sure it's in a box up in the attic of the garage. The search is on.

Steven

[imported_Steven Bauer]

OK, I got the base fixed up. I just need to cut a few bottom boards and a few trim pieces and put a piece along the bottom of the back and then I can put the top back on.

Here's how rotten the side rail was:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/pf6212f1dda4b6c334b3759977f4f5aa8/f6390ec1.jpg

The back rail was completely gone. The front rail was mostly gone. The bottom 6" of the posts were gone.

The back:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/p9ea55b7e88fe811c93b864f53b1d001f/f6390e95.jpg

The front:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/p767405ed28ec36b2e427a1d5b02f4e22/f6390eb6.jpg

More when it's back together.

Steven

[ 11-20-2004, 05:06 PM: Message edited by: Steven Bauer ]

[Dave Fleming]

Steve, got any photos of how you reinforced the joins between the old wood and the new wood?

Looks good from afar but I would like to see some closeups, please?

[imported_Steven Bauer]

The front legs are lapped like this:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/pf1edc75b8f6ff5583bd0e60ba70b54cc/f6390e75.jpg

The back legs have the laps the other way:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/p9ea55b7e88fe811c93b864f53b1d001f/f6390e95.jpg

All epoxied, I joined the rails like the originals, two 5/8" dowels and a 3/8" bolt.
Came out really sturdy. Now I just need a couple of helpers to set the top on it.

Steven

[Bob Smalser]

Cool.

[Hughman]

:cool: :cool:

[gert]

Old benches are the best,congratulations.

[ 11-18-2004, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: gert ]

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Nice job... great bench. glad to see it coming along.

[Scott Rosen]

Nicely done!

[Jay Greer]

Wow! Keen bench!
About that narrow slot; when I built my own bench I put in two such slots above the drawers. That is where I store two sliding flat "bread board style" drawing and extra working surfaces that pull out and can be used when the rest of the bench space is filled with chips and tools.
Cheers.
Jay Greer

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Mary and I got the top down to the shop by ourselves. Just barely, but it's down there.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/p32d784d52a3012f6000bbc76197abaf0/f631aa0f.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid147/pc8490b31c45a85416470340f0891e6d7/f631aa64.jpg

I saw another cool old workbench today. I'll post pictures on Gert's 'on workbenchs' thread.

Steven

[Hughman]

Finest kind, Steven.!

Mary getting new cabinets? ;)