iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Rustic (?) ash log benches

Started by WV Sawmiller, February 14, 2017, 07:57:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

WV Sawmiller

   Never posted in this category before and after you see my workmanship Jeff may ban me from returning here again.

    Yesterday I split a rough looking 6' ash upper section into 2 4" "slabs" for benches. I  first flattened the bottom pieces opening about a 6-8 inch face. I made a homemade jig out of a scrap piece of 1X6 to help guide the angle for the legs. Its a little touchy as you don't want the legs sticking out too far or they will be a trip hazard. Too vertical and the bench will fall over. I found I had to tack the jig to the bottom of the log or it would move when I tried to bore holes with a 1-1'2" spade bit. The jig also served as a depth guide.


 
I start with a 3X3 I cut yesterday for the legs by clamping it into a vice mounted on the upright of my pole barn.


 
This is my homemade jig mounted on the bottom of the bench. Once the holes are drilled I remove the jig and move it to the other end.


 
Next I mount the tenon cutter (like a big pencil sharpener) on a 1/2" drill. This is a potential wrist breaker and would be much better mounted in a proper shop on a boring machine rather than hand held. During the process I even broke my T-handle on this bargain brand drill making it even harder to use.


 
I grind off the end of the 3X3 into the shape of the male end of the tenon. This is a 3" long 1.5" tenon (Dowel part) with a 60 degree slope if I remember the specs correctly.


 
I reverse the 3X3, do the other end then do the next pair of legs and place them where I can cut them in half with a chainsaw.


 
A quick cut and I have 4 overlength legs to install. I don't try to measure up front - cut overlong then trim. I drill and clean out the holes for the legs using a 1-1/2" spade bit 3" deep then apply wood glue to the male ends of the tenons, drive them in with a mallet (baby sledge) and even drill in a 4" deck screw to help keep the leg in place till the glue dries.


 
I take the bench to the mill and place it face down on the rails and shim is to help center it. When I started to cut I actually found the scrap/shim was too wide and had to put a smaller piece in and clamp the bench upside down.


 
I move the blade guides out wide and set the height at 17".


 
I pass the blade slowly through the legs cutting them all perfectly level to the bed.


 
Finished bench sitting on the trailer upright. Note all 4 legs fit perfectly level on the flat bed as they will on the floor of the house or porch.


 
Sampson says we are done and wants to go up in the woods and look for my next candidate log. These 2 benches will go to a consignment shop tomorrow and we will see if they sell.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

pineywoods

I been using my mill to level off table and stool legs for a long time. I use a forstner bit to drill the holes for the legs. Makes a much cleaner hole than a spade bit.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

WV Sawmiller

Piney,

   I have the Forstner bit that came with the tenon maker but have trouble getting these angled holes started with it. Is there a special trick I am overlooking. I can see where they would work fine on a stationary boring machine but maybe freehanding is the problem.

   Yes the mill works great for cutting the legs all level and straight.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Ox

Don't be so hard on yourself - that bench looks great and will sell quickly.
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

WDH

Hopefully, the legs will stay flat.  One potential issue with using green slabs is that if they warp a bit as they dry, the warp will pull the legs out of level flat. 

What do you value one of these benches?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

Danny,

   This is WV. Few of us around here have level floors anyway but somebody on his way to Ga might buy them :D Yes, I realize they may shift a bit and require future adjustment. The first I made I split with a chainsaw and tapered with an ax and leveled with a chainsaw. They are used at my outside picnic area and find their own level. I used basswood cut by the utility company with locust legs. I later used buckeye. Buckeye is real soft and lighter and mostly trash wood for us. Ash is naturally a little drier than many other woods anyway but these are definitely green.

    I will start off pricing them at around $100 and see how well them move. If they move fast I may jack the price up. Other woods would be priced differently.

   Sampson and I looked around yesterday and I spotted 2 standing, dead walnuts with the sapwood already gone about the same size I may cut next and use for benches or such. I've been meaning to cut them for years and never got around to it yet. Not sure how walnut would do as legs as it is not going to be as strong as ash or locust IMO.

   Using the tenon cutter I understand it is actually better to use dry legs and greener wood. Then as the wood dries it naturally tightens around the tenon. Of course I guess that offers a chance fo splitting too. Time will tell.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Bruno of NH

I still find my 2 year old air dried white pine slab benches will move some
i put adjustable feet on them
That has worked for me
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on February 14, 2017, 07:57:53 PM


 
Sampson says we are done and wants to go up in the woods and look for my next candidate log. These 2 benches will go to a consignment shop tomorrow and we will see if they sell.
Your furniture skills are fine.  Sampson wants you to venture into some upholstery work. :laugh:
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Darrel

WV Sawmiller, I have a leg leveler that looks very much like yours. You won't believe how excited I was when I discovered that I could use it for sawing logs into lumber! ;D

Good looking bench too!
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

21incher

That is a good looking bench. I like how you put the tenon on a square leg. I bet it is sold in no time.  :)
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

WV Sawmiller

TT,

   Not sure about Sampson and upholstery. He is in the doghouse this week for getting bored and taking my favorite worn our $20 work coat (which was only 20-25 y/o), dragging it off the 4 wheeler and chewing the jersey hood off it. Don;t worry, I will commute his sentence in short order.

21"r,

   We will see. I took a truck load of big slabs and these benches and a bunch of cookies and donuts (cookies off a hollow log) over to the consignment shop today. The owner did think the benches will sell quickly and the cookies also. I hope so as I have several dozen more and several tops I can cut into more. They would make better cookies than lumber or woodworking slabs. The guy at the shop wanted to know my hourly rate for making tenons as he wants to make a log bed and needed 4 cut. I told him if just 4 no charge and come on over and I'd cut them for him and show him how the tenon maker works and he can buy one himself if he likes it and wants one.

Bruno,

   More on the adjustable feet if you will. I think I missed something there.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Ox

WV - a quick question on your tenon cutter.  I've never used one - do you have to really lean into it in order for it to feed and as such you have to really hang on?  Or can you let it kinda hang there taking little tiny shaves off nice and easy but taking much longer?  You mentioned breaking the grab handle off so I'm guessing it really bites.  Nice work - I like your bench.
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

WV Sawmiller

Ox,

   In all honesty the tenon cutter would work much better on a horizontal boring machine with adjustable low speeds or such than a handheld drill. It can be a real wrist breaker on a half inch drill.

   As to pressure you want to use a very light pressure and let it cut small chips off the end. If/When you lean on it too hard it will certainly bind and stop the drill.

   The "kit" came with the tenon maker, a 1-1/2" Forstner bit and a booklet showing various projects you can build with it. I think there are other, larger kits with different size tenon maker but I did not see any larger ones than this (1-1/2") and this was what I figured I needed and trusted for making benches.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Kbeitz

I mount my tenon cutter in my wood lathe and i made a slide to
put the log in. the slide has two scissor jacks in it to center the log.
I have a short rope that wraps around the log to keep it from turning.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

WV Sawmiller

Kbeitz,

   On my radial arm saw there is an extra shaft connection to hook up another device. Do you think it would power the tenon cutter or would the speed be too fast? If you think it would work how would you suggest I mount it? It has a threaded bolt just like the saw blade. I looked and it would be spinning in the correct direction.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Bruno of NH

WV
the feet are sold at most hardware stores
i buy the metal heavy duty ones with the drive in nuts
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Kbeitz

WV Sawmiller

Oh my God... Please don't even try that...
I turn my bits at the slowest speed I can get on my lathe.
The RPM of a radial arm saw alone would snap the stub
of your saw off before you even got close to it with a log.
You want 750 rpm tops. Radial arm speeds start at 3,450
and some are 5000 rpm. I think I running at 200 rpm.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

WV Sawmiller

Kbeitz,

   Thanks for the warning. I was a little nervous because the of the speed of the drill and because the tenon cover is a pretty heavy little piece of equipment. I will scrap that idea immediately. I think the aux. shaft says something about for use with drill, router, sander, etc.

Bruno,

   So you are talking about the little round metal screw in/out feet like on a washing machine or such. I had never thought about installing them. My benches in the past were always planned to be used on dirt and such leveling would not work. On solid floors they would. I will consider that too. Thanks for the assist.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Artski

Do you realize you can use your table saw and or radial arm saw to make those tenons with a simple jig

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on February 16, 2017, 03:49:58 PM
Ox,
   In all honesty the tenon cutter would work much better on a horizontal boring machine with adjustable low speeds or such than a handheld drill. It can be a real wrist breaker on a half inch drill.
I have a couple of Shopsmith 10ERs.  They can be set up to horizontal boring rigs.  They show up free or really cheap on CL quite often.  That's why I have two.  If I didn't have so much stuff in my shop, I'd probably have more! :D
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

Darrel

I just came to that conclusion this week when I saw the price of an old shopsmith on Craigslist. Costs way less than a horizontal boring machine and works just as well.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

WV Sawmiller

Darrel,

   I've been watching CL and see them listed here and been thinking the same thing. I thought about sending them a message and see if they wanted to swap their old SS for a load of lumber. Then I get to thinking if they trade off the SS they don't have anything to work with the lumber anyway.:D I assume you can adjust the speed down on the SS for woodworking. Not exactly sure how you attach the tenon cutter but if it has a chuck to fit a drill bit that is the same as on the TC.

   My big problem with a SS or most such equipment is not having a true shop to work with. I'm working out of a pole barn with a dirt floor. Don;t know who well it would like being set up on a couple of plastic pallets like most of my lumber stacks.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Darrel

My dad had one of those old SS and it had a 4 step pully For speed adjustment.  If you can keep the rain off, the 10ER will do ok.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Ljohnsaw

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on February 18, 2017, 09:05:25 AM
Darrel,
  I assume you can adjust the speed down on the SS for woodworking. Not exactly sure how you attach the tenon cutter but if it has a chuck to fit a drill bit that is the same as on the TC.

  My big problem with a SS or most such equipment is not having a true shop to work with. I'm working out of a pole barn with a dirt floor. Don;t know who well it would like being set up on a couple of plastic pallets like most of my lumber stacks.

I'm talking about the old, first generation Shopsmiths here.  The first one was the 10E and then the revised version 10ER.  Subtle differences and both work equally well.  The head stock is setup like a drill press so that gives you the boring function.  The bearings are rated at 10,000rpm.  The spindle is a 5/8" hardened shaft with a flat that has a slight reverse bevel.  The "tools" attach to this shaft with an allen screw.  If the screw happens to loosen, the taper prevents it from coming off until the screw loosens a LOT.  Hopefully you notice by then.  I've never had them loosen.

I have about 10 of the 12" sanding disks that use self stick paper.  That way I don't have to tear off the paper to change grits.  There is several different lathe drive centers and a Jacobs chuck.  Half inch IIRC.  You would use the chuck to attach the tenon cutter.  It also could be converted into tilt-table table saw - but awkward to use.  However, the tilt-table with the fence makes an automatic V-block for drilling round stock in drill press mode.  Yes, there is a step pulley to adjust speed from the 1/2 HP motor - but I think it is only a 3 step on mine.  I did a conversion on one with a tread mill motor (2 hp) and that gives you a very wide speed range.

Shopsmith did make a variable speed option for these old machines but they are somewhat rare.  It consisted of an intermediate variable pitch pulley (one side would get big, the other side small) that is used with two shorter v-belts.  Along with the step pulleys, you had a high and a low range of speeds.  However, it did consume a little bit of your available HP.  Most guys will up their motor to a 3/4 or 1 HP with the variable speed option.

A very solid cast tool.  It wouldn't mind sitting on pallet but I'd screw down a sheet of plywood on the plastic pallets so the base has some "traction" to keep it from sliding around.  These beasts are heavy but disassembly is easy and quick to make moving them easier.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

DansSawmill

most of those pencil cutters recommend about 300 rpm, if you use a varible speed 1/2" hand drill it goes too fast and kicks
you need a low speed 1/2" drill. i found one for $60 at my local pawn shop.
dan
Dan's Sawmill
Custom Sawing since 94
CNC woodworking too
now with a 98' lt40 super

Thank You Sponsors!