What's on the bench? January 2022

Dave Diefenderfer

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Good morning, Dave - and Happy 'Twenty-Two!


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Lots on the bench and in the shop over the past month. Luckily, I had plenty of seasoned help....


View attachment 02 sm Hauling firewood.jpg



Most of my woodworking was NDR - gifts for the family. This chalkboard is now up in our kitchen.


View attachment 03 sm Chalk Board - preassembly warmer.jpg



Colored chalks keep the messages lively - and little hands at work.


View attachment 04 Chalk Board installed CLOSEUP.JPG



With the close of the season, some wrap-up was needed before Old Man Winter arrives. These birds were retrieved when the ice went off our Hemlock Swamp - however briefly.


View attachment 05 Homer Mallards in snow.JPG



Several vessels are securely awaiting their turn in the heated shop.


View attachment 06 James Caird - long winters rest.JPG



One of my trailers snuck into the shop between my last customer project and holiday gatherings.


View attachment 07 Duckboat Trailer in shop.JPG



After 20 or so years of yeoman service, this trailer has earned new bearings and new rubber. One bearing set came off in "textbook" fashion - the other required about a week of solvents and some persuasion with some blunt instruments. But, both spindles cleaned up nicely.


View attachment 08 Duckboat Trailer - Bare Spindle.JPG



Although rust is inevitable on these un-galvanized hubs, I decided to tart them up a bit.


View attachment 09 sm Hubs needing bearings.JPG



The new bearings went on much more easily than the old came off.


View attachment 10 New Bearings.JPG



(continued....)


SJS























 
The Bearing Buddies I put on decades ago had begun to rust - so a new s/s set is ready. I may back the trailer into the shop later today.


View attachment 11 Bearing Buddies - new ss.JPG



Special gifts always get completed about a day before they are needed. This one was opened Christmas morning. I did not make the Reindeer - it was out-sourced from overseas.


View attachment 12 Reindeer and Santas Sleigh.JPG



The latest in a long line of vessels. The first was launched over 40 years ago. The helmsman gets easier to paint as each year passes....



View attachment 13 Toy Boat BARRY 03.JPG



This one is for our newest nephew.


View attachment 14 Toy Boat BARRY transom.JPG



My current projects involve some built-in cabinetry. This traditional 4-panel door needed to be about 24 inches wide.


View attachment 15 sm New Door - in clamps.JPG



It is now fully painted, hung and doing its job on a new utility closet for Susan.


View attachment 16 New Door - topcoat.JPG



An adjoining cabinet - which will hold our files and printer (et cetera) - will get this drawer.


View attachment 17 Cabinet Drawer - ready to install.JPG



I am pre-finishing the panels (and parts of the frames) on these 2 doors prior to assembly. They will hide the file cabinets.



View attachment 18 Cabinet Doors - priming before assembly.JPG



January promises to be a busy month on the bench.


All the best,


SJS











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[size 4]Dave & Steve,

Good to see that both you guys are slowing down and taking it easy !! [;)]

Our season is still in here, and temperatures have taken a colder turn while the River is coming way up due to the heavy rains & runoff over the past weekend.

I've been working in 'fits & starts' on yet another deadmount tableau, and the New year has ushered in a couple of trips to the studio to begin the painting process.

Should keep me busy for a while.


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Rooster, since we are presently buried in nieves, here, at least, i will have shots of 7 gadwall stool for you in a couple of days.
 

Appears folks are keepin' busy to welcome 2022, and that is a wonderful thing. Kudos to all.


Have been outta the shop for a long spell due to several reasons. Now time to get back at it. Deep winter is here.

Time for eyes in this Applehead.




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Somehow I have another workbench project on my workbench. Several years back I bought a vintage school workbench for the vise that was on it. Turns out it had two vises and two very unique pop-up bench dogs that turned out to be an EH Sheldon patented item. The bench legs rotted off and someone used a few 2x4s to hold it together. Pretty rough shape. After getting it to my shop and researching some I learned it was an EH Sheldon workbench from around the turn of the last century. I also learned these old benches are sought after and some people like using them for kitchen islands. Rather than removing the vises and tossing the bench away I've decided to restore it. So far I've completely taken the bench part, cleaned the vise components, fabricated a new part for one of the vises, and milled up some maple to replace the components that were water damaged or altogether missing. When I'm done I don't really have space for the bench so I think it will go up for sale. Should have another 100+ years of life in it.


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good job, love to see old workbenches rehabilitated and put to use. I doubt that the Harbor Freight, Home Depot or IKEA work benches and furniture will be around in 20 years or even remembered in 100 years.
 
Brad Bortner said:
good job, love to see old workbenches rehabilitated and put to use. I doubt that the Harbor Freight, Home Depot or IKEA work benches and furniture will be around in 20 years or even remembered in 100 years.

IKEA workbenches or anything will likely be remembered for all eternity with how difficult the pieces are to put together and how sucky the instructions are.
 
I like using different materials for the various long tailed species (don't we all!) and this old pitchfork has been on my bench for several years. When I carved this Old Squaw today it was there staring at me and was just the shape I wanted so it finally went to use, half of it anyway. might be the first time I have to use a counterweight on the front half of a decoy!
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Richard Lathrop said:
Eric,

I saw one of these benches recently, they were asking $750 for the bench.

Rick

Richard

That is a steal from the prices I've seen on places like Etsy and ebay. You wouldn't happen to have a link to it would you? With all the hours I'll have in this bench, should I decide to sell my price will be higher than that. Otherwise I'll hang onto it for a use down the road.

Thanks.

Eric
 
Bill Embacher said:
I like using different materials for the various long tailed species (don't we all!) and this old pitchfork has been on my bench for several years. When I carved this Old Squaw today it was there staring at me and was just the shape I wanted so it finally went to use, half of it anyway. might be the first time I have to use a counterweight on the front half of a decoy!


I dunno.

Could be just me, but I could imagine the potential for problems with a steel spike, if the decoy is used for hunting. Dogs, people, waders, entanglements, etc. Contest decoy maybe.

Have some rusty hay rakes used for curlew bills. Shelf riders, not hunted over or seldom messed with.

A pitchfork was used in a murder up here some years ago, don't just happen in the movies. Gives me the willies.


I gotta admit, the decoy does look good. [cool]


my 2 cents
 
Capt Rich Geminski said:
Eric, how did you get it up to the loft? Made in the USA.

The top comes off making it manageable for a couple of guys to haul it up the stairs in two trips. All work is being done in the main shop and I doubt it will go back up in the attic, which by the way, is getting converted to living space. In fact that's what prompted me to rebuild the bench, the need to get it out of the attic while we work up there.

Eric
 
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