The Tuscan Design Method

In the first two episodes of this build, I worked on getting my live-edge table top shaped. This is actually the reverse process from how I typically work. Usually I start with the carcass and then move on to the top, but in this case the irregular shape of the top needs to actually inform the shape of the base. But in order to be able to lay out my aprons, I must have my legs designed and built first. In this episode, I'll walk you through my organic design process for creating what ultimately became tusk-shaped legs. Then in the next set of episodes, I'll get into the actual layout and construction of the base and joinery - probably my favorite part of any project. And stay tuned, because this project is going to have a fun little twist in the design of the carcass itself.



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So many vises

Well I finally got weekend 7 in the bag. This is the assembly of the base, top, and the mounting of the end vise. This one is a bit long, but there' s a lot of material to cover! Enjoy.

Just checking in

Sorry for the gap in posts and video here. I do have two more weeks of video to edit, I've just been busy with the holidays starting. I also ran into a problem with the cut list in the magazine article that has set me back a bit (if you're building the bench, read this!). It turns out the length specified for the tool tray bottoms is an inch too short in the cut list (I verified this with the sketchup drawing). I had to modify my tool tray lengths because my bench is shorter in length (72") but I applied the same 2" differential between the sides and bottoms that the cut list describes. The difference should be only 1". So I had to re-mill my bottoms but was out of 4/4 stock. I ended up laminating QS pieces of 8/4 stock together, so in the end my box bottoms will mirror the bench top more so there is a silver lining here. But laminating all that stock and re-milling cost me a good two days on the project. But I still hope to finish up next weekend, and hopefully get caught up on video. I've talked to several people now who are planning to build this bench, so hopefully this blog will be a helpful resource for all of you.

Finally fitting some joints!

I have a 3 week backlog of video, but managed to get week 5 knocked out. In this episode, I finish fitting the wedged tenons, glue up the base side assemblies, and knock in my tenon wedges. This is also the first episode where I make use of the bandsaw (nice plug for Rikon here). Week 5 1/2 and 6 will both focus on the construction and fitting of the dovetail lap joints, at which point I will have a working bench ready for vises and dog holes. Enjoy, and look for more video probably later this week.

Week 4 in the bag

I spent almost 10 hours either in the air or in airports on my flight home this week, so I had plenty of time to get caught up on editing. So I also had time to get a little creative and add some humor this week. In any case, week 4 is all about chopping mortises and cutting tenons. And we have a new sponsor this week. I'm now all caught up on footage. This weekend I will be fitting the tenons and hopefully gluing up the side structures, and if I'm lucky I might even get started on the dovetails for the stretchers. I have a family commitment on Saturday, so I only have one day of shop time this weekend, but will see how far I can get. I also received all my vise hardware this week, so I'm happy to report that the materials have all been procured now. I'm starting to feel like there will actually be an end to this project at some point!

Week one video

Still having some trouble with the video editing, but managed to get week 1 finished. In general, my goal with the video blog is to focus on learnings specific to the 21st Century Workbench. That being said, week 1 was mostly about dimensioning lumber so there's not too much specific to this project, but should be of interest to anyone looking to buy rough-cut lumber to dimension themselves. Week 2 will get into the actual laminating of the bench top, with content that gets more specific to the workbench project. Enjoy.