Nice Legs!

I've been making gradual progess with the bench over the past couple days. Trying to take my time (I've got plenty these days!) and get it right as I plan on using this contraption for the next couple decades.

I got the legs and strechers glued up over the weekend and then trued up on the jointer/planer... and once again I sing the praises for Harbor Freight and their almost reasonable quality tools. My full fleet of Chinese clamps, and the few nice Besseys I own, were employed in the glue-up. I've gone through 2/3 of a gallon of Tite-Bond so far; should have bought stock prior to buying the 8 barrels of the stuff.

Next was to start drilling all of the square holes (not easy!) for the leg/top mortise and tenon joints. Being the case that I don't have a workbench yet (issue being addressed) or a real drill press/mortising machine or the desire to cut 2.5"x5"x2" mortises by hand, I had to cobble together a solution involving a relatively flat concrete floor, a couple stacks of offcuts from the bench parts, and my trusty $25 mini drill press sourced from Tractor Supply Co.

In the end, it actually worked well and left the underside of the benchtop with four massive mortises somewhat resembling the silouette of a block of Swiss cheese from the deli counter. The liberal application of my butter soft Sorby mortise chisels squared the mortises nicely and I was able to trial fit the legs. I need to trim a bit of length off of the tenons, but things fit up nicely.



*** Begin Sorby chisel rant ***

About a year ago I was trolling the aisles at a Rockler store back in Cincinnati and noticed that they had Robert Sorby bench and mortise chisels on clearance for 75% off. Having the tendency to sometimes buy things I don't absolutely need just because "its a good deal!", I pieced together a set of 6 or so bench chisels and a set of 4 or 5 mortise chisels. At full retail, the combined price of these dudes would have exceeded $500... I left $135 poorer, but the victor (so I thought) as I just scored a great set of chisels relatively cheaply. And my other set of Marples chisels, though they sharpened up nicely and held an edge pretty well (my set was still made in Sheffield, England) looked just too crude with they're big goofy blue plastic handles.

I got home, admired my victor's spoils, honed an edge or two and put them away. I used a couple here and there while wrapping up Norah's crib and thought they seemed to work admirably.

Then came the baby, Nisha wrapping up her PhD, fixing up the house, moving, etc. They didn't get used much for about a year.

The Sorby chiels, though beautiful, suck. They sharpen up nicely but a couple whacks with a mallet into the Southern yellow pine benchtop to clean up the mortises typically resulted in a dinged up, folded over edge. Say what?! Pine!

A bit confused/frustrated at these events, I searched the internets about others' experiences with these quickly dulling finger nickers and found many similar gripes. Bummer. Theories abound regarding as to why these things won't hold an edge, everything from bad materials to intentional weak heat treatment to keep the steel somewhat ductile so they don't shatter when some numbskull uses the chisel to open a paint can. Ick. Anyway, it looks like others have luck hardening the Sorbys with the liberal application of a MAPP torch and quenching in oil. I guess that'll be the next project... unless anyone in blogdom wants to buy a set of lightly used Sorby chisels! :)

*** End Sorby chisel rant ***

Next is to continue the mortise-a-thon and cut motises in the legs for the strechers, cut the ends of the benchtop square, fit the face and wagon vices, et voila! I can start woodworking! Wait. That's what I've been doing.

Well, its already 9:30am and I haven't applied to any jobs yet! Better get to it...

Justin