Comments on: Erik Mortensen’s Awesome English Workbench

By: MTMan

MTMan — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 04:59:19 +0000

Can you comment on the vise screws? I’m wondering about the wood used, size of screw and threads per inch… but mostly, is that screw dowel showing a bore hole through it? If so, how much and why? Thanks.

By: Kenny

Kenny — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 23:57:53 +0000

Impressive, especially while standing next to it. Fantastic workmanship. Erik is a great person.

By: emort

emort — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 05:22:37 +0000

jeffreyi,

Following up on the bench stop issue. Search the internet for “pop up bench stop” to find what you’re looking for.

By: emort

emort — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 01:31:39 +0000

jeffreyi, you know, I don’t remember off the top of my head. I’ll see if I can find the receipt. They’re sharp little buggers though — kind of dangerous actually. I think I might replace them with wooden ones someday.

By: jeffreyi

jeffreyi — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:34:50 +0000

Erik, what is the source of the metal bench dogs? I have old ones on my bench that adjust with a screwdriver and they get fouled with shavings and so on; the ones on your bench don’t need a tool to be adjusted and they can’t/won’t get fouled…very nice

By: jeffreyi

jeffreyi — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:29:09 +0000

I saw that bench…impressive. Beautiful construction, and the DF boards for the top were truly exceptional. Good conference, too! The Gambel house is outstanding, and there was more choice Greene and Greene furniture that you could get close to at the Huntington Library, a special treat. The air was miraculously clear; mountains in view. Pasadena would be a pretty choice place to do some serious yard-saling…

By: emort

emort — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:00:17 +0000

Tropicalww,

The VG fir is stable as… Its stays almost dead flat. That makes it ideal for a bench top. Plus the gazillion round head brass screws holding it to the sub-top cross members — it ‘taint join’ nowhere.

By: emort

emort — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:56:15 +0000

Jonathan, metalworkingdude has it right. The ‘cross-braces’ hold the aprons on by way of let-in dovetaied tenons.

By: metalworkingdude

metalworkingdude — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:19:10 +0000

I think those are the cross-braces under the bench top tenoned into the skirts.

By: Jonathan Szczepanski

Jonathan Szczepanski — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:20:34 +0000

What are those reddish rectangles at the top and bottom of the skirt board?