Garage sale find.

[Miami Mike]

Hello all,

Progress is slow on my Penobscot 14. Saturday it was raining (I'm building outside) so my wife and I took a ride, stopping at a garage sale on the way to my Mom's house. To make a long story short, I wound up buying this work bench for $100.00. The owner who was in his 80's said he inherited it from his older brother who got it during the depression from the New York phone company. Odd as this seems he said the phone company had their workers making these benches as a means to keep them employed during the depression and they were sold to their friends and neighbors.

It has a Hard Maple top with two vises, tool tray and dog holes. It was a bit racked when I got it but a thorough tightening of all the bolts has turned it rock solid. The legs and cabinet are Douglas fir. There was also a metal vise and a pencil sharpener to boot!

So besides showing off this find I really was looking for input on what I should do with the bench. I assume the metal vise and pencil sharpener should come off. Should the top be stripped and finished or should I just use as is. It's fairly level which is suprising given the South Florida humidity. If so, what kind of stripper...what kind of finish?

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286149945&p=4156479105&idx=1

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286149945&p=4156480640&idx=13

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4286149945&p=4156477854&idx=29

There's more pictures than anyone could possibly want to see on image station. (the wonders of a digital camera)

The more I work on building the boat, the more of a novice I realize I am. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks: Mike

[Gresham CA]

Cool bench!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p6687de73ea8a02bad9b0f82da8323016/f7bed681.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p158296e3a3d0a6d80e7df53496da7b04/f7bedc80.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p3a7b8802a99d8e5c7e87a973d99a6a20/f7bed19e.jpg

[ 07-22-2004, 01:35 PM: Message edited by: Gresham CA ]

[Miami Mike]

Thanks, I think so too!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p5447271649c07e1938b180db9eaaa7ab/f7bedb1a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/pa61c3fcced663e8d52644ca3663c9b0a/f7bedd41.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p3a7b8802a99d8e5c7e87a973d99a6a20/f7bed19e.jpg

Also, I have no idea how that metal dog works. I can't find any corresponding holes in the bench for it to be screwed to.

[ 07-22-2004, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Miami Mike ]

[Corso]

:eek: 100$???? wow
id just give a good scrub to the whole thing (expecially the top) and use it as it is, nothing worse than an immaculate workbench that you are even scared hammering on

[ 07-22-2004, 01:44 PM: Message edited by: Corso ]

[Bob Smalser]

I'd hit it with some methylene chloride paint remover followed by the belt sander with a gentle rubdown with 150 grit on the top and hand sand the sides.

Then 50-50 linseed-turps applied hot.

Glue and goo won't stick hard to a linseed surface.

Repeat every 30 years or as needed. I still use my Dad's bolted-up beech bench from 1954.

[ 07-22-2004, 02:36 PM: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

[Mrleft8]

I really like the pencil sharpener detail! I even figured out how it works! You position the pencil approximately in front of the hole in the sharpener, and crank the vise in until the pencil bottoms out in the sharpener. Crank the sharpener handle with one hand while firmly holding the pencil in the other hand, while your assistant slowly cranks the vise handle in.... :D

[Miami Mike]

Thanks!

I have to agree about not making it to perfect because believe me, I will hammer a hole or two accidentily.

Bob, I'm going to take your advice and try your method. I'll post pics of the results. Any idea how that metal dog works that came with it? I can't find corresponding holes in the bench for the clamp part. The screw on the flat part of the clamp tightens the dog at the desired hieght.

Here's a couple of pics:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p023187923608d4d0d004a163c425cc56/f7bedf72.jpg.thumb

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p33e3dc0004f37da99ecc047faf347442/f7bede08.jpg.thumb

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p6d657c602297ba4ec23077e738092016/f7bedec4.jpg.thumb

Hmmm, maybe I'll keep that pencil sharpener after all, lol.

Mike

[Miami Mike]

Sooner or later I'll get it right on the first try.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p023187923608d4d0d004a163c425cc56/f7bedf72.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p6d657c602297ba4ec23077e738092016/f7bedec4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p33e3dc0004f37da99ecc047faf347442/f7bede08.jpg

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to mortice out a rectangle on the face of the bench for this to slip into. It would lie flush with the face of the bench when not in use, if I did. I just don't know.

Thanks:
Mike

[Jack Heinlen]

I posted awhile ago, simply "Great Find". I don't know what happened to it, but again, "Great Find".

You couldn't build a bench like that for less than five hundred, not easily anyway. The history is priceless. I love it when that happens.

I need a bench just now, pray it happens for me. smile.gif

[ 07-23-2004, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Jack Heinlen ]

[wolfietuk]

Mike
Do the square holes on the font of the bench ling up with the hole on the vice? It is a great bench. I agree with the sand it and finish with oil or wax. These will help with most sticky goops and not be a pain to maintain.

Rick

[SC-Lion]

What a find indeed!

I know this is a weird thought, but could the dog be intended to be let into the workshop floor to dog the bench down? Seems like a cool idea and it would explain why it was included, but not mounted to the bench. Are there any marks on the bench form being dogged down to the floor?

-Gary

[Miami Mike]

Hello,

I can't find any holes that fit the pattern of the dog/clamp (even checked under the legs). I called the gentleman I bought it from and he said he was never sure where it went but it came with the bench to him so it went with the bench when he sold it to me. He said the only times he used it, he would place it in the vise. This doesn't seem right but what the hell do I know!

Oh well, I'll just keep my eyes open and sooner or later I'll come across a bench or a picture of one where a similar clamp is in use.

Thanks for all the help.

Mike

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

It's a planing stop. Yes, you recess it flush into the surface of the bench. My father's bench (which my sister has got, gnash, gnash!) has one.

[Jack Heinlen]

It's a planing stop. Yes, you recess it flush into the surface of the bench. Also called a 'dog', or 'bench dog', at least that's what I always called them, along with the more traditional sort.

A few set at various distances from the end vice allow you to work long stock without clamping it to the bench. That one looks usuable, and if you look in some of the better woodworking catalogues you'll find companions. Its presence with the sale suggests a long ago intention, never carried out. They're quite handy at times, particularly for face planing stock, or for carving. But you probably knew that.

[ 07-26-2004, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: Jack Heinlen ]

[Miami Mike]

Jack and Andrew, thank you!

I'm glad that you knew it was driving me crazy. Recessing it was the only way I could see it working and I was frustrated that there wasn't a corresponding mortise for such an obviously old dog that had been passed along with the bench.

Now I just have ot pick the best palcement and I'm off and running!

Thanks for the help.
Mike