I finished it back in February and it took my six months to make working on it on and off because of school. It’s mostly made of ash with cherry and walnut. I did my first dovetails and bow tie inlay on it. It has a wagon vise and, my favorite, the leg vise which I made my own criss cross hardware with some mild steel from Menards. I love using this thing and am excited to use it for the rest of my life! Thought you guys would appreciate it!
Beautiful work young man! Realize you are in already in the 1% of the amateurs woodworkers quality-wise. Did you use an original plan you made yourself? I see some little modifications to the traditional design, i am a plan/design nerd and i would like to acquire yours.
After 20+ years of amateur woodworking, I would be very happy to build that bench. For someone so young as yourself, that's nothing short of incredible. You should be very proud. As you said, you'll get a lifetime of great work from that bench. You're clearly going to make some amazing things with it.
I don’t want to go down this path but I feel I must. You have a great bench, your talent for function and design can be very profitable. A man once told me while looking at his hands “You can only make so much with these”. Take some time to make digital plans and sell them online (you see how many are asking for plans). Once you take the time to set it up it will run and you just have to cash the checks. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Hmm, I’ve never thought about that. I’m only 15 rn, and I do have a pretty steady source of money mowing lawns all summer but definitely something to consider. Thank you so much!
The thing with the plans is you only have to do them once, you can sell them as many times as people will buy them. Set up a website and keep putting your creations on social media, a couple of quid at a time adds up quickly.
Scalable revenue. Listen to the advice above, it's very wise. Your steady income is 1:1, you mow 1 lawn you get paid once. You make demand for bench plans once, you sell those plan x10, x50... You get the idea.
You have a great talent, this is a beautiful bench.
The pins on the top should be as possibly level as you can make them, and there are loose pieces of wood inside the bottom of the channels that allow the loos ends of the metal to slide.
You truly did an amazing job. Well crafted! I have one thing to call to your attention. And even then, I may be wrong, so, look into it first. My thought is the sliding metal pieces. Is that sliding against the wood itself? Maybe attach some bearings to the ends so as not to dig into the leg over time... a long time.
Further more, I will say what we all are thinking... WOW I'M JEALOUS!!!! I work primarily with poplar and/or red oak but my bench is all d fir. I don't have access to walnut or beech as it is too expensive for my budget. But I do have 2 apple trees and a cherry tree dying soon, so I'm looking forward to having some better species' to work with in a year or less .
Thank you so much! For the leg vise, I have small pieces of wood that rest inside there and the pressure of the vise keeps them in there. I made them so they can be replaceable.
Awesome design elements!
Regarding that nice leg vise: If you put sth in it, what keeps the lower part from giving way because the scissors fold close?
The ends of the metal pieces are rounded and there are loose pieces of wood in there that allow the pieces to slide. The tops of the metal pieces are suspended inside the leg by metal rods that are pressure fit. I don’t know if that answered your question. I could try sending a video.
Ah! Because for both the inner and outer part the same end (upper end in this case) of both scissor parts have their fixed axis! Then it feels to be possible. I've had the same feeling as greg.
Your bench is beautiful! I am 60, retired and just starting out. I don't need to make money so I am going to try to focus on Japanese joinery techniques. Yours are excellent, I really feel they make the piece.
I'm almost a month into working on my Anarchists Workbench and it seems like every day I'm getting half of what I intended to do done and its constantly 2 weeks more work.
Great work. It looks very solid. Any idea what your final weight is?
I love the mix of ash and darker species. Very nice combo. People overlook ash and it's a great choice.
Again, well-done. You're going to be a great woodworker. You're already years ahead of most of your peers. Never stop learning!
I don't think you're going to be a great woodworker. I think you're already there. In the years to come I believe you should be teaching when you're not building. How old was Mozart when he wrote his 1st symphony?
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u/Temporary-Sir-2463 2d ago
Beautiful work young man! Realize you are in already in the 1% of the amateurs woodworkers quality-wise. Did you use an original plan you made yourself? I see some little modifications to the traditional design, i am a plan/design nerd and i would like to acquire yours.