UFO from the Woodworker

   My woodworker, Sir Old Man, has been contemplating this UFO for at least 4 years.....and now it is almost completed!   The tool man's woodwork bench is over 8 feet long and gone through at least 3 re-designs.
   It began after he took a bench making class shortly after he retired.  He was quite inspired and spent days/weeks/months searching for just the right wood and timbers.
   Of course, the wood (like fabric)  had to be "seasoned".  A quilter might stash/hide fabric in the trunk of the car, back of the towel closet, or under the bed behind the Christmas decorations.....but it is hard to hide 8 foot boards of yellow pine, and 5" by 6" red oak timbers!  We spend the last 4 years stepping over, around, and by-passing the stack of them.

  The twin-screw tail vise----aren't you proud of me for knowing that?---was a birthday present to him  about 2 years ago.  Sir Old Man modified the handles....you see those things that turn the screws.  Anyway, he "improved" them, and please note the hard maple he used to make the jaws.  I only point it our because of the coins it cost.  At least 10 yards of fabric worth here.






  By the way, the legs and top have to be equal to about 10 quilts.....but who is keeping track.  Grin!

  Quilters make miters, and sandwiches, and a woodworker makes mortise and tendons.  The base was constructed separately in sections...each leg set on the end is a unit and the stretchers are mortise and tendoned in.   He is preparing/designing/figuring out how to create a storage cabinet/shelf that will fit between the stretchers.

   If you think  a  quilter has a lot of small tools....a woodworker beats us hands down.  For every ruler that I have, he needs 2 or 3 planes.  For every spool of thread, or different size needle I use, he needs a special router bit, or wood glue.  The list is endless, and I will stop while I can still think straight.


  And the top.  It had to be smooth, really, really smooth.....and level, don't forget that.  Luckily, for Christmas this year, he was allowed to take the top to a cabinet shop where they ran the entire thing through a huge planer/sander.  Otherwise, it would have been 4 more years for him to hand plane this baby!
  And now, I discover he is going to drill  HOLES into it!  Really, he needs holes for the dogs......no, Deana and Dana, not the 4 legged kind.  A  bench dog in this case is a  devise that will hold the wood in place while Sir Old Man is working on it.  Kind of like a third hand, or a old -fashioned sewing bird of a by-gone era.


 
 It is such a beauty....but hopefully soon, it will have a few dings in it.  I have placed an order for a new bed to be built.
  One thing for sure, this puppy is not going anywhere.  And if a tornado is spotted, it will make a great storm shelter!