A Learning Adventure in the Workshop

A thought on clamps

When I first started buying "real" woodworking clamps a few years ago (like my Bessey clamps),  I went with the theory that since I was spending so much money on clamps, I should buy the longest ones that I could.  After all, you can clamp a small object with a 40" clamp, but you can't clamp a 36" piece with a small clamp.  Seemed to make sense.

So, I bought mostly long 40" Bessey clamps for a couple of years. 

The thing is, those clamps are REALLY long (and heavy).   Clamping a small object with a big clamp in a workshop with a low ceiling tends to be quite an effort.   After I poke the ceiling, knock stuff of the bench and drop everything on the floor, the long clamp works very well...

I now find that my small number of 24" and 30" clamps are my favorites. 

Another lesson learned.  Good clamps are expensive, but if you are like me, you will end up wanting both long and short clamps.

As a wise man once said, "you can never have enough clamps."   I will change that quote slightly.  You can never have enough GOOD clamps.

Ernie Conover Hand-Cut Dovetails Class

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending a one day hand-cut dovetails class with Erie Conover at his shop in Ohio.

The class was excellent, and I met some interesting people.  I will take more classes from Ernie in the future.  He has a great classroom/shop with a teacher's bench for him and 8 full benches for the students (one each).  Lots of natural light.  A great environment.

His website is here: http://www.conoverworkshops.com/

I will post more later about the class, but one of the side-items  that I took away from the class is that I REALLY liked using a workbench with a tool tray after-all (or hamster run as Chris Schwarz calls it).   I've never worked for any period of time on a bench with a tray, and I had no intention of building one into my workbench project...but now I am reconsidering.  Having a place to put my tools where they will not roll onto the floor was very nice.

If I do install one in the bench, it will have a removable bottom.  At the end of only one day of class at Ernie's, mine was full of shavings.  So, Chris was right...but it may be worth it anyway.

By the way, Ernie let slip that he is in the final stages of writing a book on dovetails (including the history of their use and styles).   He says that it may be out by late 2008 or early 2009.

"Workbenches" by Christopher Schwarz

Chris Schwarz has done it again...inspired me to build a new workbench that is better suited to the "blended" style of  hand tool and power tool woodworking that I do these days.

My original bench has served me well, and will be passed on to my son, who needs to graduate from the very small bench that we made him when he was about 4 (he is 8 now).  My son's very small bench will be passed on to my daughter (now 4), who also loves to spend time in the shop. 

My slave labor woodworking gang is growing.  Plus,  its more justification for me to build myself an honest-to-goodness woodworking bench.

This project started when I bought Chris Schwarz's new book:

Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use

Click here to buy it from Lost Art Press (Chris' own store) and Chris will send a signed copy of the book and a CD containing an electronic copy.

Don't buy this book  if you don't want to build a new bench!!!! I guarantee that buying this book will force you to build a new bench, whether you want to or not.  It is that well researched and written, but that is what I have come to expect from Chris.

Right now, I am looking to build a blend of the French Roubo bench and the Dominy bench  at Winterthur.    I am still  working on my design.   

I am likely to go with some sort of twin-screw front vise and a metal tail vice.  I'm shooting for at least a 3.5" thick top.    I also want a sliding deadman.  Likely, I will not include a tool tray in the top, although I have been tempted to add one.