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Franklin International stock is not publicly traded , a crying shame ’cause I could use a no-fail get-rich-quick plan. Editor Christopher Schwarz is building another bench; Franklin International makes TiteBond Glue.
In theory, I’m building a bench. When I first began dabbling in woodworking a few years ago, Chris gifted me what I think was his first bench (maybe it was his second; it’s hard to keep them all straight). Since then, I’ve gravitated toward hand tools, but often struggle with workholding on my bench that’s better-suited to power tools. So when he’s not in the middle of a project (and sometimes when he is), I sneak over to Chris’s Roubo where the surface is long and level, and the workholding is easy.
This new bench, which Chris has written about on the Woodworking Magazine blog, is being made from LVL (laminated veneer lumber). Chris has never worked with the product before, and that’s just too much temptation for him to resist. And I’m happy to let him lift, joint and rip these heavy, splintery, 8′-long behemoths , I seriously doubt I could do the work. I’m content to serve as an outfeed table, clamp-getter, glue carrier…¦What I didn’t count on was having to wipe up a gallon of glue from the floor. Seriously. A gallon. After ripping the LVL, we laminated it back together in four-piece chunks with the plies facing up (and down) , in large part because it looks cool that way. Chris poured the glue, and I spread it with a 4″ roller.
Chris admits he’s often been accused of having a glue problem. But in his defense, he says he’s experienced only one de-lamination in all his years of building benches , and that one de-lam was because he was young and foolish…¦and took the poor advice of a more experienced but parsimonious woodworker. So now, he pours on the glue. Lots of glue. You know how when you glue up a panel and you look for tiny beads of squeeze-out along the seam? Apparently, when making a benchtop, what you’re looking for is Angel Falls.
