In response to comments as of 4:45 pm WST 4/13/04
starting backwards
Dave: - that was one or your shortest posts - ever. Wander over when you get the chance. Call first - I do leave the property once in a while.
Nick: - perservere - mine was over a year in the making - though that's elapsed time not actual working time. Now that I've found a source for thick stock and have done one I think I could do another one in less than 40 hours, drying time for danish oil and shellac excluded.
You'll use most of the hand tools and power tools you own before the bench is done and what you learn will get refined on the next project.
As for being a "real" woodworker - you obviously haven't made it to my OOPS! pages so here's the latest page - one of several related to making this bench
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Unless comcast goes under or raises their rates out of my league my site'll be around - and growing. If what's there helps someone out or gets them to try something they didn't think they could do I'm happy.
A Dubya: - My site's pretty primitive as web sites go but you can get to most everything from the all text index.
I like Swingman's "20/20 Hindsight" idea and should probably do somthiing similar.
Mark: - Not sure how SWMBO's projects always become the top priority. Was (empahsizing was) married to a woman who had to be related to Sarah Winchester (Sarah believed that as long as she kept building on to her house the souls or all those killed by Winchester rifles couldn't "get her".). I went through "move the kitchen into the end of the garage, make the current kitchen into the dining room, open up that wall into the living room, make that exterior sliding door into two windows, make that back door into another window and while you're at it, raise the remaining garage floor so it's level with the house floor AND wire and light it for my weaving room - did I mention that will require opening up the living room wall - right up against the fireplace - for a door? Raised the property value, which she got 60% of as part of the property settlement. But I've got the house AND the four car garage shop!
Mike: - There will be round dogs and round dog holes as well, some in rosewood (been collecting smallish pieces for a year or two), bocote, bubingo and maybe some out of badda bing badda boom (very rare wood found only in Jersey). But round dog holes, though easy enough to drill, do require making round wood things to fit in them. Alas, no lathe - yet (but I've got a line on one :).
Could you e-mail me the guitar maker's url, lost my ea-mail a while back. Want to send him a piece of that bear claw spruce.
Chuck: - Actually, Dave's a nice guy - in person :)
That otherworldlyglow thing only shows up in photos. Wonder if it has something to do with the ghosts who were after Sarah Winchester?
As for the workmanship - you obviously missed The See Through Leg (mortise cut on the wrong side of the line) and the other screw ups on this project. Am thinking of adding a section to my site called "F**K UPS & Fixes"
Ain't woodworking fun?
charlie b