Lost Art Press

Category: Woodworking Classes

Materials & Tools for the Knockdown Nicholson Workbench

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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I’m teaching two classes in building the Knockdown Nicholson Workbench in 2015 (details on the locations to come) and needed to prepare a list of materials and tools for the students. Because I received an S+ in “Sharing” in kindergarten, I am also posting it here.

Hardware

  1. Ductile mounting plates for 3/8” x 16 threaded rod. You need 16. Available from McMaster-Carr.
  2. High-strength steel cap screws, 3/8” x 16 thread. You need 16. Available from McMaster-Carr.
  3. Plain steel 3/8” flat washers. You need at least 16. Buy a pack of 100 from McMaster-Carr.
  4. Plain steel split lock washers, 3/8”. You need at least 16. Buy a pack of 100 from McMaster-Carr.
  5. No. 10 x 1” slot-head screws (for attaching the mounting plates). You need at least 32. Buy a pack of 100 from McMaster-Carr.
  6. No. 8 x 2-1/2” wood screws to assemble the ends. A box of 50 should be fine. Here’s a link to the square-drive ones from McMaster-Carr.
  7. No. 8 x 1-1/4” wood screws for attaching the interior apron bracing. You’ll need about 20. You can also buy these from McMaster-Carr.
  8. Gramercy Holdfasts. One pair. Available from Tools for Working Wood.

Wood
For a 6’ or 8’ bench, I recommend you buy four 2x12s that are 16’ long. Buy yellow pine or douglas fir, whatever is available in your area. Buy the clearest, straightest stock in the pile. (And if there’s another 2×12 there that looks good, grab it too.) This will allow you some waste and to cut around knots, shakes, pitch and ugly. Note that this does not include the shelf – add a 2×12 x 16’ if you want a shelf. Yes, you will have leftover wood.

You will also need 1×10 material for the interior apron bracing. For a 6’ bench you can get one 1×10 x 8’. For an 8’-long bench, get two.

Tools
You’ll need basic marking and measuring tools, plus screwdrivers, a handsaw, a cordless drill, chisels and a block plane. Here are some of the specialty tools that will make your life easier. Plus:

  1. 9/16” socket set to assemble and disassemble the bench.
  2. 3/4” WoodOwl Nailchipper bit. Get yours at Traditional Woodworker.
  3. Forstner bit. You’ll need 1-1/8” for the counterbores.
  4. Brad points. Bring your set. Bench building is a lot about drilling holes.
  5. Tapered countersink bits. The Snappy set from Woodcraft is good.
  6. A pair of sawbenches or sawhorses to work on. (Barring that, a couple of 5-gallon buckets).

— Christopher Schwarz

Still Spots Available in the San Diego Presentation

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Got two days free in Southern California? Wanna see a guy make a campaign trunk by hand?

There are still seats available in my two-day presentation for the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association seminar this Saturday and Sunday.

I’m building a dovetailed campaign trunk from start to finish – including all the hardware – and talking about a wide variety of hand-tool topics, everything from sharpening to hand joinery to not bleeding on the wood.

The seminar is Saturday and Sunday at Francis Parker School, 6501 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, CA 92111. The seminar starts at 8 a.m. Saturday. You can still register here online.

All attendees receive a copy of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” (signed in thumb blood) and the book’s companion DVD.

— Christopher Schwarz

Keeping Bloody Promises to Detroit

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Last Saturday I gave a day-long seminar to the Michigan Woodworkers Guild that was a bit of a disaster.

I started with a sharpening demonstration. First thing: I picked up my #1,000-grit waterstone; it slipped from my hand and cracked into a dozen bits on the floor. So I muddied through with a diamond plate.

After lunch, as I was demonstrating full-blind lap dovetails, I nicked my thumb with a chisel – right by the fingernail. As Dr. Gary Assarian noted as he was bandaging me up – there is a lot of vascular activity right there. Boy was he right. I was squirting blood like the Buckingham Fountain.

(The blood-spattered joint went together quite well, thanks for asking.)

Anyway, there were several items I promised I would post links to here on my blog. So here you go:

  1. The chart on sharpening media that converts everything to microns is here.
  1. You can read how to grind and hone a fore plane blade here.
  1. And here is the article on 16th-century try squares.

Thank you Michigan woodworkers; and sorry about the mess.

— Christopher Schwarz

New Sawbench Class at Highland Woodworking

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This January I’m teaching a new two-day class at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta on building sawbenches using Windsor-chair techniques. The class will run Jan. 17-18, 2015; registration is open and through the Highland Woodworking site here.

I’m excited to teach this class because it will be the first time I’ve ventured into teaching Windsor techniques. I’ve built Windsor- and Welsh-style chairs for more than 10 years (not to mention Roorkee chairs), but this is my first toe into the water on teaching Windsor technology.

These sawbenches are excellent workhorses. John Hoffman, my partner at Lost Art Press, built the pair shown above about four years ago. They can take a heap of abuse and occupy little space in the shop. Plus, they look awesome.

During the class, we’ll learn about prepping stock by hand, making octagonal legs, creating tapered tenons and mortises, and lots about wood technology. And you’ll walk away with two (yes, two) great sawbenches.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. If you haven’t been to Highland Woodworking, you are missing out. If every city had a Highland Woodworking, the world would be a better place. Check out the blog entry from my last visit here.

Woodworks Conference – Spots Still Available

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The first-ever Woodworks Conference later this month (Sept. 26-28) in Perth, Ontario, still has some spots available if you have that weekend free.

The organizers have lined up some great speakers: Garrett Hack, Tom Fidgen, Mark Harrell of Bad Axe Toolworks, planemaker Konrad Sauer, inlay whiz Linda Manzer and Ron Barter of Rosewood Studios. I’ll be there, too, talking about chipbreakers and traditional nails.

If you live in the Midwest or on the East Coast of the United States, Perth is actually an easy drive and is well worth the trip. It’s a quaint old stone town with lots of nice restaurants and shops. In other words, you can bring the family and they’ll be happy.

In addition to the speakers there will be a small “Emporium” where small-scale toolmakers and sellers will be showing off their stuff, both antique and new. Check out the vendor list here. The event is being put on by the Ottawa Woodworkers Association and is being held at Algonquin College Heritage Institute.

If you can make it, I highly recommend the trip. Registration information is here.

— Christopher Schwarz