installed the chop and dropped the top on the base.

chop for the vise

here is the base finally on

going to move on to a couple of projects for the time being then come back to do the face vise.

I added the Tail Vise

today I mounted the tail vise. Its an antique Columbia I got for Christmas. Started one mortise and realized I need to replan how I will cut the mortises.

Base is assembled

I assembled the base. I had created the legs and left and right stretchers a few weeks ago. I had made the front and rear stretchers only to get interrupted for a little bit. I sometimes have to slip little bits of work in when I can.

This is the assembled base.


I saw someone had created some dog holes in the leg opposite where the leg vise will be eventually. I decided to do this as well. This is a good idea for two reasons. It gives you a place to store the holdfasts and acts similar to a sliding deadman for longer boards.


Next bit of work will involve working on the top for the end vise and mortising for the base. Leg vise is something I plan on but will come later after I make another interruption to work on a project for the wife.

Bench Update

When I started my bench I had no place to work. I made the leap and got the top done but didnt have a base for it yet. Well I am finding this has been the best thing that would happen to me. The top is heavy enough in which I can work on it to make the joinery for the base. I sat the bench on saw horses a while back but never did much with it. After drilling the dogholes another world opened up and I was able to use the grammercy holdfasts I bought from TFWW to hold down pieces of my base. I would recommend anyone who builds a bench use the top to build the base.

Here is one of the joints they arent pretty but strong.


Here is the assemble getting the stretchers that go in the front and back.


Not much longer work wise will I have left before I finish this bench.

Finished another project

A project that has been in the making for about 6 years or so. I told my wife I will build you a jewelry cabinet. It got to be a joke around the family since it had not even been started until about last year. I toiled over the design several times and even restarted it last year after i started it. Once I finally settled on a design that I found pleasing I started building again. I tried to give it a Krenov feel though not sure how successful I was at that. I started off using oak for the majority of the cabinet. Then made up a cedar drawer to fit in the place where I decided it would go. I had some maple I found in my pile to use for the doors. I went back to Oak for the legs and base that would be screwed to the bottom. I finally made a tapered leg project on this one. I got a lathe in the last year just so I could turn spindles or shaker style knobs. The lathe I got to use by turning a couple of shaker style knobs for pulls on this cabinet as well. This has two sets of hook racks for handing necklaces or earrings. I used an oil and wax finish which is by far one of my favorite finishes. Oil and wax yields great results and is a perfect low VOC finish for small shops like mine. It starts with BLO ( boiled linseed oil ) applying till it is no longer needed. Then sand down with 0000 steel wool and rub on wax let film and buff out.

Progress Update

been working on this one a while. its my wifes jewelry cabinet. I made the base this last weekend has hand cut tenons but I used the router table to cut the mortises. still has a bit of work to go.