Workbench, Saw Horse, Vise, and other Holding Devices

Duct tape

 

Mostly this

 

Aw c’mon guys! It’ll take me a while to get pics up but my two main work areas were a bench made out of a halved 24 inch diameter, 3.5 foot long cedar round with a mini bench vise mounted to it, and a 125lb Morgan bench vise mounted on a bench in front of the shop I’d clamp tools I was wire wheeling in. I say “were” because I haven’t really used/worked on an axe since last year.

 

I'll have to look into designs for bowl and spoon horses

 

Sorry, I just had to throw up the hand pic. I'll get some pics of the vises later.

 

For lack of anything better, I have a bench vise that I use for working on handles and heads. I use a couple of old leather gloves when working on handles to keep the vice jaws from imprinting on the wood. If needed, I will use some bar clamps to hold whatever I'm working on to the workbench top. I do need to upgrade, but time is alittle tough to come by right now.

 

Here are a few of my holderdos. Engraving ball, drill press vise, 4" Columbian bench vise, 2" Wilton on a Jr. Power Arm, and a newly acquired vise on a Sr. Power Arm.

 

All my garage/estate sale finds

 

How does one find fruitful garage sales and such?

I see so many awesome garage sale type finds on this subforum, makes me a little jealous considering I wouldn't know where to start...

 

I think they key is going to them... lots of them. I’d guess in the area I live in the chances of finding a good vice at a yard/garage sale would be 1/200. Around here that also means it’d take years. Folks here aren’t as thrifty, the widows don’t know the value of a vice, and in general there are fewer woodworkers.

Great thread idea @Old Axeman ! I’ll tidy up my workshop and get some better pictures, hopefully later today.

With Christmas coming and a young son and niece, I have some wooden toys that I need to get started on to keep new traditions thriving. Great timing.

 

I'd been thinking about making a Shave Horse for years, due to lockdown six months ago I found a had a bit of time to get on with it!
Made from found timber, door shuttering from a local building site skip & an old teak deck/terrace chair.
Browsed the web looking at pictures, made a mock up with a stool & some wood balanced to take my measurements, cut the parts & layed them on the floor on their side to get the main frame shape, fastened it together with threaded rod so it can be dismantled into smaller parts for storage or moving. Seat can move backwards & forwards, it's just a tight fit. Lathered it with Linseed oil as it lives outside (under cover). Works well.

 

Here is my combination of a stop clamped in the vice. Stop is sacrificial and so no worrying about damage from mis-cuts.

https://archive.org/details/AdzingSeat

 

that's really nice work! truly, that looks straight out of a period piece. Glad to hear it works as well as it looks!

 

My favorite, made with bow staves in mind, it's higher than the bench and I can work either end if clamped in the middle. Does pretty well with tool handles also.

 

what some of are able to do with this craft is really impressive (if that wasn't self-evident)

frankly, if I can get a bench and a table make for my workshop, and mount a nice vice to the tabl...

I'll be happy

and I'll be even happier if I can setup my workshop for less than $500!!!

(all that is left is the bench/table setup for carving, unless I go all East Asian and sit on the floor, but I really want to experience making a carving bench and table)

I wish we had had shop class where I went to school better late than never though!

 

Just look up garage sales in your local newspaper. As someone said also check on any auctions in your area. Estate sales are the best though. Most times people just see a vise as a big piece of steel that they don't want to move or deal with. You can get some really good deals. I got that Wilton Shop King for $24 at an estate sale. Just have to check out the sales, you'll come across one at some point. The thrill of the hunt is very exciting.

 

Some carvers remove the vise from the power arm and screw the work to be carved on the arm (like a duck decoy). The work can then be oriented in any position.