Between you and watching videos of Elia Bizzarri and Curtis Buchanan, you're making me want to make a Windsor chair. I guess I need to add that to my list of things to do...
Re: the bench moving, I use a lighter English style bench, and I’ve started using my foot to stop it from moving. The same way when using a shave horse the pulling causes you to push hard on the peddle, and so tighter on the stock, I use my foot to brace one of the legs, so when I pull with the drawknife it pushes on the leg. It still hops sometimes with real heavy cuts, especially in the tangential plane but overall a simple fix. Works great when using the leg vise too to shape material
Thanks, Mitchell. I'll give that a try the next time I'm removing stock. I think pivoting my vise may help in that regard.
The lighter, English style bench.... I'm considering adding one to the shop. What are your impressions? Are you making chairs? If so, how has it performed for you?
Honestly the biggest appeal is that it was fast and cheap and I could take it apart! I had built a nice slab style bench that I couldn’t fit in the house we moved into so I needed something quick and it has done the job! I did add a leg vise because I find them to be indispensable. I appreciate the aprons and do make use of all the holes but I do mostly find to be in the way for clamping things to the bench quickly. And I added some 3/4 pine to the underside of the 1.5 top where the holdfast holes are which has been okay, not as solid of a hold as they could be. But overall I’d say if you want something you can knock together in a day with screws and a handsaw it can’t be beat!
I, too, have my carver’s vise mounted to a Moravian workbench. Mine’s about 5’ long and also walks when I use a drawknife for heavy stock removal. My solution? Push it back every so often. I don’t have room on the bottom shelf for adding weight. I’ve also thought about putting some non-slip pads under the feet at the vise end.
Thanks, Ron. Pushing it back may be my solution as well, until I find a permanent place for benches. Seems I push things around and change the room every few months. I have a non-slip for one bench...seems to do the job rather well.
Your workbench...do you find that you knock it down at times? I've made a few changes to make mine more permenant (like bolting the top to the base).
I’ve only disassembled it maybe twice in the last 10 years. The last time I tried, the joints were so swollen that I couldn’t get it apart (I live in South Florida). When I built it, I did so more because the construction methods better matched my skill-set at the time. It had to fit into a small space in my garage, so it’s only 5’ long and I lost a chunk of weight. At the time it was in a corner so it didn’t move much.
I had a chronic problem with tops levering up and off the pegs when I pushed down on the other end. I finally got tired of it and I also lagged bolted them from below. I know also have an 8’ Nicholson / English style bench which is much heavier and doesn’t move. I’ve come to like the fact that I can move the small one pretty easily if I need to.
Thanks Ron. I've had the same levering action on mine...which prompted the lags. I built my first one at 75" long, then added a metal end vise. Needless to say, I'm unable to move solo today, were I to disassemble it.
I'm sure you've seen the chair Mike Dunbar made for the video series? I am the proud owner / user of that chair. I was fortunate enough to happen to open my email when he posted it for sale.
I like your reflection on shifting back into student mode to learn different techniques. When I first took a chairmaking class, the methods were different from what I’d learned in the books I’d read (though I didn’t have enough experience for that to be a huge impediment) - but afterwards reading about a new build I find myself subbing in the techniques I learned in class because they’re more familiar now. The idea of tailoring your personal approach and revising it over time is valuable.
Also, “bespoke” usually makes me think of Ren Faire clothing (ye olden, hand-caste refrigerator).
I was unfamiliar with bespoke until recent years...now it seems attached to all sorts of things.
I find that I appreciate hearing and learning a chairmaker's reasonings for how they make. Almost more than the choices themselves, I like knowing why they approach the matter from a certain view. Mr. Dunbar's book provides his experiences and reasonings...it's a good read.
Between you and watching videos of Elia Bizzarri and Curtis Buchanan, you're making me want to make a Windsor chair. I guess I need to add that to my list of things to do...
Thanks for doing this!
Thanks Josiah. If your list is anything like mine, it tends to grow longer at a much faster rate than things are crossed off.
Yes!! It sure does.
Re: the bench moving, I use a lighter English style bench, and I’ve started using my foot to stop it from moving. The same way when using a shave horse the pulling causes you to push hard on the peddle, and so tighter on the stock, I use my foot to brace one of the legs, so when I pull with the drawknife it pushes on the leg. It still hops sometimes with real heavy cuts, especially in the tangential plane but overall a simple fix. Works great when using the leg vise too to shape material
Thanks, Mitchell. I'll give that a try the next time I'm removing stock. I think pivoting my vise may help in that regard.
The lighter, English style bench.... I'm considering adding one to the shop. What are your impressions? Are you making chairs? If so, how has it performed for you?
Honestly the biggest appeal is that it was fast and cheap and I could take it apart! I had built a nice slab style bench that I couldn’t fit in the house we moved into so I needed something quick and it has done the job! I did add a leg vise because I find them to be indispensable. I appreciate the aprons and do make use of all the holes but I do mostly find to be in the way for clamping things to the bench quickly. And I added some 3/4 pine to the underside of the 1.5 top where the holdfast holes are which has been okay, not as solid of a hold as they could be. But overall I’d say if you want something you can knock together in a day with screws and a handsaw it can’t be beat!
Thanks Mitchell. I've waffled over the years on adding one. I'd like to have one around. Appreciate your experinece with it.
I, too, have my carver’s vise mounted to a Moravian workbench. Mine’s about 5’ long and also walks when I use a drawknife for heavy stock removal. My solution? Push it back every so often. I don’t have room on the bottom shelf for adding weight. I’ve also thought about putting some non-slip pads under the feet at the vise end.
Thanks, Ron. Pushing it back may be my solution as well, until I find a permanent place for benches. Seems I push things around and change the room every few months. I have a non-slip for one bench...seems to do the job rather well.
Your workbench...do you find that you knock it down at times? I've made a few changes to make mine more permenant (like bolting the top to the base).
I’ve only disassembled it maybe twice in the last 10 years. The last time I tried, the joints were so swollen that I couldn’t get it apart (I live in South Florida). When I built it, I did so more because the construction methods better matched my skill-set at the time. It had to fit into a small space in my garage, so it’s only 5’ long and I lost a chunk of weight. At the time it was in a corner so it didn’t move much.
I had a chronic problem with tops levering up and off the pegs when I pushed down on the other end. I finally got tired of it and I also lagged bolted them from below. I know also have an 8’ Nicholson / English style bench which is much heavier and doesn’t move. I’ve come to like the fact that I can move the small one pretty easily if I need to.
Thanks Ron. I've had the same levering action on mine...which prompted the lags. I built my first one at 75" long, then added a metal end vise. Needless to say, I'm unable to move solo today, were I to disassemble it.
I'm sure you've seen the chair Mike Dunbar made for the video series? I am the proud owner / user of that chair. I was fortunate enough to happen to open my email when he posted it for sale.
Hi Terry, Thanks for the note. I've stayed away from the videos to this point...to try to build exclusively from the book.
Did you get the sackback? That's a beautiful chair.
I like your reflection on shifting back into student mode to learn different techniques. When I first took a chairmaking class, the methods were different from what I’d learned in the books I’d read (though I didn’t have enough experience for that to be a huge impediment) - but afterwards reading about a new build I find myself subbing in the techniques I learned in class because they’re more familiar now. The idea of tailoring your personal approach and revising it over time is valuable.
Also, “bespoke” usually makes me think of Ren Faire clothing (ye olden, hand-caste refrigerator).
I was unfamiliar with bespoke until recent years...now it seems attached to all sorts of things.
I find that I appreciate hearing and learning a chairmaker's reasonings for how they make. Almost more than the choices themselves, I like knowing why they approach the matter from a certain view. Mr. Dunbar's book provides his experiences and reasonings...it's a good read.