A couple readers have pointed out a problem with page 81 of “Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use” (Popular Woodworking Books).
The two columns of text on that page were transposed during the layout process, and I didn’t catch the mistake before we went to the printer. All the text is there, and the story will make sense if you read the right column of text first and then the left.
Of course, that’s not a good solution in my book (pun intended).
So I’ve prepared a corrected page that you can download, print out and stick in the book if you like. The page is in pdf format. If anyone else has any errors they have spotted, please e-mail them to me and I’ll see that they are corrected in future editions (assuming that there are future editions).
Sorry for the mistake.
Funny. I just read through that section last night. I read page 81 a couple times to make sure I was getting it right. I really like the book.
Hi Chris – Loved your book and read it cover to cover, but I have a comment/question. You advocate (or at least tolerate) building the top of a bench with partially wet wood, then mortise the legs directly into the top so that the frame is distorted into a bit of an "A" shape as the top dries and shrinks.
However, it would seem this would be problematic for those of us that us a jointer plane to dress rough wood on its edge (rather than use a jointer plane to just clean up a power-jointed edge). If one end of a wide board is clamped in the face vise and then the other end is clamped to the front leg, then planing the edge at 90 degrees to the face would seem to be more difficult, because the sole of the plane must be held at an angle other than 90 degrees to the floor/top of the bench.
Would this not be one reason to use a stretcher system on the top of the legs, and bolt the top to these stretchers with elongated bolt holes?
David, Raleigh NC
David,
The simple answer is that the work does not have to be at 90° to make the edge 90° to the face of the board. I edge-joint every board on my French Roubo bench, and so I clamp it in the leg vise and support its trailing edge as necessary.
Then I use my jointer plane with a cambered iron to dress the edge. The location of the iron on the edge dictates the slope of the edge I’m planing – not whether or not the top edge is parallel to the floor.
In fact, no matter what you do, the edge of a board will rarely be parallel to the floor anyway. That’s why a cambered iron is so nice. It seeks to correct an edge rather than just photocopy it.
Hope this helps explain my perspective.
Chris
Chris, I have followed you through the years in Popular Woodworking magazine. I know you have a great appreciation for good workbenches. Knowing that, I was pleased to see you had written a new book on building a workbench. I am interested in purchasing your book. However I have read several of your blogs where you have added chapters or made corrections. If I purchase your book now, will the corrections be in the bound copy or will I need to print them out and keep them with the book? If they are not currently bound with the book, will they be in the next printing? If they will be in the next printing when is that expexted?