Good choice on the finish. I like Danish oil too since it penetrates nicely and leaves the color pretty close to natural.
Yes I'm very happy with the hardware. The face vise is their twin screw chain drive vise and has just over 18" between the screws. I think the chop is a little over 24" wide, which is roughly 1/3 the overall length of the bench top. I originally planned to add a deadman but given the size of the vise compared to the overall length, I thought it would just end up being overkill and get in the way of the drawers more often than I had need for it. The "cleat" thingies are a James Krenov invention I believe, or at least he taught them in his school; where they're known as "bench puppies". I guess I never took a pic of them completed though I'll have to post one later. There's a left and a right hand one, and basically they mount in the dog holes and allow you to use the tail vise for clamping something to the edge of the bench.
Here's a couple more pics of the "bench puppies". They can be reversed and used as spreader clamps as well. I made the dogs from curly maple too. I've got a few more off cuts left from the bench as well that I'm saving for handles and knobs or other small parts. I just got my hands on around 100bf of some really nice tulip poplar from my neighbor yesterday. It's a long story, but he was going to sell it to another guy who kept trying to beat him on the price and got tired of him so he gave it to me. I'm going to use it as the secondary wood for my drawer case. The other guy wanted to make a picnic table.
Shawn, I like the "bench puppies". They look real workable. Speaking of James Krenov, there is a article in this months Popular Woodworking about the continuation of his school in the Pacific Northwest. Interesting read if you so desire. I have used poplar for many things. I think draw boxes work just great. I would suggest a coat of water based varnish to seal things up after construction. But, you probably know that already. Again, I like the bench. Oh, last question how did you decide on the height? Waist high or a few inches above? Marty
Real nice job, good craftsmanship there buddy. Way to get er done, a lot of hours right there from Milling to finished product
I looked at a bunch of plans I found online plus I purchased Chris Schwarz' book. There seemed to be a consensus around 34" so I went with that. It did work out to about waist height. I think that's the correct height for hand planing because I can still reach across the bench comfortably. If it ends up being a touch low for other things I figure I can make bench horses or other jigs to elevate the work. To wit: my bro Eric VW hooked me up with this awesome clamp:
What I have heard about bench height is arm hanging by your side with a fist distance from floor to knuckles
Outstanding! I hope to have a portion of that ability and knowledge you exhibit before I leave this world.
Awesome bench!! I've been trying to come up with a design that's sturdy but also something I can build with what limited skills I have. I've never done any mortise and tenon work.
