Workbench accessories...(Pt. 1)

Soon after completing the Moxon Vise project and creating the illustrated drawings, build steps, images, video... I decided to work on a few other workbench accessories.

Workbench accessories - any workbench add-ons that facilitate the holding and clamping of boards or panels. Boards or panels can be mounted on their edge and along their length. You get the idea...

Workbenches can be large in size, massive in weight and beautiful looking but their ability to hold and clamp boards is one of their most important criteria. So holding or clamping a long, wide board along its length can be a challenging tasks of a workbench. In an earlier workbench I incorporated a sliding board jack that worked in conjunction with the face vise. This has and continues to work well since I had built this workbench from the ground up and allowed for the addition of the sliding board jack. With two of my newer slab-type workbenches, adding a sliding board jack was much more of a challenge. I did not want to modify the workbenches or drill screw holes through the tops. Adding an apron or skirt with dog holes along the length of the workbench top was an option, but this involved modifying the workbench itself.

Enter the portable board jack. I designed it to easily attach to the underside of a slab-type workbench top where it serves to support the free end of a long plank or board. It can either be left attached to the workbench or removed when no longer necessary. It can also be moved across the length of the workbench or relocated to the opposite side of a workbench. It can just as easily be moved to another workbench. The nice part is there are no modifications necessary to the workbench.

After a period of testing, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works. It is completely unobtrusive and designed to accept standard 3/4 inch or 20 mm accessories such as surface clamps, bench dogs and shop-made planing stops. The portable board jack can be adapted to any slab-type workbench top without an existing apron or skirt as can be seen in the images. A face vise at one end keeps the board securely clamped on edge. Jointing the edge of long boards has become so much easier and second nature to me now.

The hole arrangement on the portable board jack is optimized for the work I do but can be modified if necessary. I no longer give any thought to attaching or clamping a long board on edge and along its length to my workbenches. Often, I simply need a peg to be able to rest the free end of a board on. This allows me to quickly and easily flip the board around to work both long edges.

Now, I just selected my most-often used side of a workbench to work on and leave the portable board jack attached. In the future, I will possibly be creating another board jack for my other, similar workbench. This adds to the versatility since it will no longer be necessary to move the board jack from bench to bench.

Next up in the forthcoming installment or Part 2, a couple of cool bench accessories that continue with the theme of attaching and clamping long boards to a workbench. These are boards that are too long to simply clamp to a face vise. It just makes it so much more pleasant to perform handplaning or hand tool tasks once a board or panel is securely clamped. I like for this to be straightforward so I can focus on the task I need to perform instead of spending needless time on securely attaching and clamping a board to a workbench.

Moxon vise build...(Pt. 2)

The Moxon vise build continued and the vise was completed a couple of days after beginning the project. There was a considerable delay in determining the optimum length of the vise. This actually held me back since making it too short is essentially non-correctable later. Too long and there is a weight penalty as these Moxon vises tend to be heavy, especially with the Benchcrafted solid iron handwheels. Although the extra mass and weight can be your friend when clamping boards down, portability of the unit is also a consideration. I would need to determine the size of panels I most often worked with. In my work, I never go over about 20 inches in width so I set this as optimal distance between the screws. Then, using guidelines on screw hole placement provided in the Benchcrafted instructions, a final length of 28 inches was decided on. I did follow the suggested screw hole placement in the Benchcrafted instructions, this saved some time. Next was to mark the 3/4 inch screw holes and begin drilling, careful to have the holes in the front and rear jaws perfectly aligned.

Mortising for the captive nut in the rear jaw inside face was performed using bevel-edge and mortise chisels. Hard maple is well.. hard! In this case, the mortise chisels excelled at hogging out material from the 3/4 inch deep mortise. With a softer hardwood, lighter bevel-edge chisels would have been sufficient. I also oriented the nut so it would align well with the long edges of the rear jaw, mostly an aesthetic consideration. 

After test-fitting the Benchcrafted hardware and ensuring it worked smoothly, the next step was to attach a large block of wood to the rear. This block of wood would both stabilize the vise assembly and allow holdfasts to be used to clamp the Moxon vise to the workbench top. Several other intermediate steps were performed, always careful to get alignments exactly correct. There is almost no room for error in making these vises since replacing either of the jaws is both time and material consuming. A more comprehensive article on how I made this Moxon vise will be available at the web site soon.  

A table extension and vertical support was then added after ensuring the stabilizer was effective at clamping down the Moxon vise to the workbench. The table allows me to extend horizontal boards for marking..i.e. dovetails. I customized the design to use an extra row of dog holes in the center area of my workbench. I have two of these workbenches set as my primary workbenches, so the Moxon vise will be completely portable between benches. The vise can also be located almost anywhere on the workbench surface as the holdfast locations are optimized to clamp the stabilizer block of wood at rear of the vise. I am using Gramercy holdfasts but any holdfasts can be set up for use with the vise.

More detail of the handwheel, screw, and captive nut can be seen above. The table is reinforced below both long edges for maximum support, this to allow for any mallet work. i.e. chopping out dovetails. A large design consideration was to not make the Moxon vise too heavy as I would often be removing it from the workbench top and/or moving it between workbenches. The table size was optimized for this vise and the type of work I do. When designing your own Moxon vise, you will need to determine the size of boards and panels you most often work with. The overall length of the Moxon vise is the most important consideration in its design, it is best to get it right the first time!

A more in-depth article on how I made this Moxon vise will be available at the WoodSkills web site soon. 

Moxon vise build...(Pt. 1)

So I decided to build myself a Moxon vise over the holidays. Business slowed and I had the time to get going on this project. A Moxon vise was something on my mind for quite some time, it was simply a case of finding time to make it. Some time was spent on research to determine which version best suited my work methods. It is essentially a straightforward build, but critical to get it right to ensure the time and material investment is put to good use.

I'm not 100% sure of the origins of the Moxon vise design, but it is widely attributed to Joseph Moxon. Joseph Moxon (8 August 1627 – February 1691), hydrographer to Charles II English printer specialising in mathematical books and maps. Moxon's 17th century book. The Art of Joinery first described the double-screw vise. In this historical publication was documented the Moxon vise - a double-screw held to a workbench top with clamps or holdfasts in order to facilitate certain work.

The main criteria for me was to be able to hold work above the standard height of a workbench. Rather than piece together the hardware for the vise itself, I opted for the Benchcrafted Moxon Vise hardware kit as it includes everything mechanical. I would need to supply the wood and shape the vise jaws (chops). This would be for the basic vise. A more complex version with an additional work table behind the vise would involve several more steps. The overall length of the Moxon vise has yet to be decided on, but will be in the 28 to 32 in. range.

So after deliberating on the design, I simply went at it and worked on the front and rear jaws. Not having 8/4 stock available to me, I opted to laminate some 4/4 maple pieces instead. In the past, I have had success with the strength and stability of 4/4 boards laminated together. In selecting the boards, I mixed the grain orientations up so each of the laminated boards would counter the grain of the other board. This, in my opinion, balances out the internal stresses of the woods and keeps it all straight and stable. Laminating one of the jaws here with 4/4 boards. As they say, one never has enough clamps. In the pic below, this was almost the case, but it worked out. I do have other clamps, but for the most part, they are lighter. To be continued...

The evolution...

Several years ago, 2006 to be exact, Michael Dresdner contacted me to ask about profiling me in an upcoming Woodworker's Journal online publication. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to talk about my woodworking and how I got to where I was at the time. I was transitioning from primarily being a box maker to furniture making and the reasons for this shift in direction were discussed in the interview.

In that period, I had completed a series of courses at a high-end furniture making school and began to use hand tools more in my work. I recall that the year 2006 was an important juncture in my woodworking. I had embraced the Krenov philosophy and his methods of work. Reading and attending the fine furniture making school inspired me to increase the complexity and scale of my woodworking. I also learned to slow down my woodworking and focus instead on each and every piece rather than applying myself to creating in batch mode ( multiples). So my direction changed dramatically in the years 2006-2008 to where I now design + build one-off furniture pieces exclusively.

The most important takeaway from the interview would likely be the last line: “If you are tired of your day job,” Pirollo advises, “do what I did. Pursue your passion instead.” To this day, I completely believe in this quote. It is never to early to pursue your passion. Get a head start, so if unforeseen circumstances affect your livelihood (career), you will be prepared.  Early on my hi-tech career, I pursued many woodworking courses at the college level, set up my own workshops and struggled and worked at learning the woodworking trade. After experiencing a total of 3 downsizings, I gave up on my hi-tech career and moved on to a career in woodworking. This had been my Plan B all along 😉 The important part is that I was well prepared to launch a second career. You never know where fate will lead you!

I'll let you read the article.
Norman Pirollo: The Refined Edge of White Mountain

Hand Tool Class

I have recently compiled a series of 24 videos into an online class on hand tools. The class combines videos from two different sources. So a background on hand tools is introduced as well as best practices. Many of the video lessons include step by step hand tool sequences. The Hand Tool Class is derived from twenty years of woodworking and furniture making expertise. I work with both hand and power tools today but really only use power tools for preliminary processing of lumber into wood planks. I consider this grunt work. The carrot at the end of the stick comes later when final dimensioning, joinery and detail work occur strictly using hand tools. I find this to be an effective compromise in my real-life furniture design + build studio.

I also include the Dovetail Jig Plan as well as my Shooting Board Plan ($24) with each purchase. There is so much to grasp with hand tools, especially hand planes. Hopefully, this Hand Tool Class will make it easy for woodworkers (both new and seasoned) to better understand the intricacies of hand tools. The how's and why's of each tool are introduced! The class should provide a good basis and a good foundation to make hand tool processes become a larger part of your woodworking. As time goes on, I am transitioning further in the use of hand tools in my own work. With increased exposure and application, I find that I can simply pick up several of the hand tools and complete a task. Muscle memory kicks in and the tools are kept tuned and sharp. Woodworkers often struggle with hand tools early on unless they are shown how to adjust and tune the tools for optimum performance. The frustration of going through the steep learning curve can easily be circumvented through proper instruction. Once past this hurdle, the tools become a pleasure to use.

More detailed info on what the Hand Tool Class offers along with a short , lo-res video below of a few of the highlights and segments available at:  Hand Tool Class

Cabinet Build Class

I have recently compiled a series of 16 videos into an online class. The subject was a recent display cabinet build. The design and build of the striking Krenov-inspired display cabinet seen below is discussed and demonstrated. The contemporary styled display cabinet features veneered sides and doors. The veneers selected are highly figured although they can be substituted with alternative veneers. The frame and panel back adheres to the Krenov principle of properly finishing the back of the cabinet. James Krenov is widely known for his classic cabinets on stand as well as the incredible attention to detail he brought to furniture making. He also brought a unique philosophy and vision to furniture making of which I heed and practice. A large part of this veneered display cabinet has been created using an assortment of hand tools although some machinery is used in the initial wood preparation stage. Follow me as I describe the steps involved in creating a masterpiece veneered cabinet on stand.

The following topics are covered in detail in this 16 part design and build class:

1. Inspiration and design of the display cabinet
2. An overview discussing components of the cabinet
3. Wood selection and resawing veneers used in cabinet
4. The advantages of using veneers over solid wood
5. Detailed information on creating and using resawn veneers
6. The process of applying veneers to the sides and doors
7. Implementing bake-ins to create panels with hardwood edges
8. Hardwood edging and the veneer press
9. The veneer press and joinery used in the cabinet
10. Card scrapers and the use of a shop-made drilling guide
11. Dowel drilling guide in-depth
12. The case construction process
13. Frame and panel construction of the back panel
14. Back panel detail and installation
15. Final case assembly of the display cabinet
16. Installation process of knife hinges for the doors

Each video segment addresses one aspect of the cabinet build. The design process as well as the methodology behind the build are addresses. This is not simply a class on how to build a cabinet on stand. The class will inform you of a similar design process that James Krenov used in his own work. Since I am an ardent follower of James Krenov, the practices I use in this cabinet build closely follow those of James Krenov. Discussions and demonstrations describe how the design of this display cabinet originated and the design considerations in its build. Information on wood selection and preparation as well as the joinery used in this cabinet is covered in detail. Tips and techniques acquired over several years of creating this style of cabinet are shared in this class. The process of creating and applying veneers is covered as well as information on the installation of knife hinges. More info in the Tutorials section of my web site.

Furniture Design Course

In this new course, I cover the furniture design topic. This is a topic near and dear to me as I believe that good design is essential in a quality furniture piece. Good design also minimizes wasted resources and provides a furniture maker with essential feedback and pause when creating furniture. Loosely translated, the design process keeps the maker from rushing into a potentially flawed furniture design. The checks and balances give pause to the process as well as streamlining the build. Developing your own style and furniture aesthetic is also covered. Selecting the right woods for your furniture design is critical in determining the appeal of the final furniture piece.

As with most woodworkers, I was anxious to build furniture early on. With the passage of time and several furniture projects completed, the anxiety of simply creating work had passed. It was far more important to create a well-designed and striking piece of furniture. So I delved into furniture design, studied with some renown furniture makers, and used this knowledge to establish a furniture design process that works.

In the online furniture design course you will learn the skills necessary to design and create your own unique furniture. Learn to develop your own style of furniture and aesthetic. Over 2 hours in total. Course features videos on these topics:

1. Furniture design overview, the history of furniture design
2. Becoming familiar with the furniture design process
3. Understand design process, bring your furniture designs to next level
4. How to select wood for a furniture design
5. Use of mockups and prototypes to develop a furniture design
6. In-depth use of mockups to develop a furniture design
7. Determining a furniture style for your own furniture designs
8. Selecting a furniture style and aesthetic
9. Developing a furniture design
10. Getting the proportions right in a furniture design
11. Using the dynamic design process in a furniture design
12. Use of maquettes and prototypes in a furniture design
13. Use of templates and CAD when designing your furniture

The Wood Artist: Creating Art Through Wood

I've been working at writing a book on and off these past few months. Only in the last two weeks has the final title been decided on:  The Wood Artist: Creating Art Through Wood.  The book chronicles the evolution of my wood art and sculpture over several years. Several discoveries about wood are noted. I am excited about this book as this particular subject is part of the continuum of my second career as a furniture maker and wood artist. A few years ago, I never would have envisioned being part of the art world.  It is through the medium of wood that I stumbled into it. One thing led to another and soon I developed a sufficient body of work to make serious inroads into the art world. Shifting from creating functional furniture to creating purely non-functional, non-objective art was challenging at times. At the same time, the creation of art unleashed a newfound creativity and vision that could not be manifested through my furniture designs.

This is more than simply a picture book. In it I discuss the methodology and processes I developed to be able to create small and large pieces of wood art. As well, discoveries about the inherent characteristics and beauty of wood are discussed. Both sculptural and wall art are part of the journey. The wood art and sculpture closely follow the genre of contemporary art. It has been an exciting period in my career as both a woodworker and wood artist. I continue to work at both today. The book is 215 pgs. in total. So I created this video as a retrospective of some of my recent work. The evolution includes the introduction of curved elements and colored wood at different points. Currently it is in the final stage of completion. The final version is being proof-read at this time. The book is targeted for publication October 12, 2017. Information on ordering will be at: www.refinededge.com/books

1860's Sawmill & Cabinetmaker shop

This past week while camping I toured an authentic 1860's pioneer village in the area. We camp in the same area each year and try to visit Upper Canada Village while there. With each visit I learn something new or pick out a detail I missed on previous visits. One favorite stop is the authentic sawmill which continues to produce boards to this day. Most of the wood is used within the village. Watching the water-powered bandsaw in operation continues to amaze me. The innovative features built-in to process logs into boards are nothing short of ingenious. There is also a system to use trucks on wheels to transport logs in , then roll them onto the bandsaw platform for ripping. The videos below shows the bandsaw in operation and water turbine at the lower level. Blade is stationary except for up and down movement. The log is advanced into the blade through a system of geared steel wheels and detents. The bandsaw is powered by a shaft driven by a turbine wheel. The water is piped in to the sawmill through a system of square wood pipes which increase the velocity of water to spin the turbine. Water begins at one height when entering the sawmill and exits at a lower level. This is what causes the water to increase in velocity. The bandsaw mill works well with old growth white pine brought in from another area.

Video here:  Water-Turbine

Video here:  Water-powered 1860 bandsaw

Another favorite stop is the authentic cabinetmaker shop where furniture is continually churned out, albeit at a much slower pace we are familiar with. Most of the furniture produced in the shop is used in the authentic pioneers village. All furniture is created with hand tools as relatively no woodworking machines existed in this era. The Industrial Age was just beginning. Watching the cabinetmaker (David Jones) and apprentice provided a real appreciation for a slower, manual form of woodworking.

So I had the opportunity to do a short film of David Jones (resident master cabinetmaker) and apprentice. I asked a few questions while filming. They are currently working on a side table with frame and panel doors and drawers. All joinery is either pinned mortise and tenon or dovetails.
I have probably visited this Cabinetmakers shop four times to date and continue to enjoy discussing with the resident cabinetmakers their work methods and current projects.

Video here:  1860 Cabinetmaker Shop

I then visited the blacksmith shop which also doubles as the ferrier shop for the horses in the village. Had a good talk with the blacksmith. At the time he was forging a keyway for a geared wheel in a piece of machinery used in the crop fields of the village.

Bench stops (12th anniversary)...

In 2005, I developed this system of bench stops as a simple alternative to installing a tail vise on a workbench. So I've been using this system of bench stops for 12 years now, it will be the 12th anniversary shortly! The system is set up on one of my original workbenches which happened to be my main workbench at the time. This particular shop-made workbench did not lend itself well to incorporating a tail vise so I told myself there had to be a better way to hold boards firmly while hand planing. Apologies for the vintage photography, but I wanted to keep the article period correct :)

This alternative tail-vise setup is used when face planing boards. Most flat, regular benches can easily be modified to incorporate this hand planing setup using bench stops ( Roubo style). Photos below are of the bench stop setup on the workbench in my workshop. This bench has been modified for adapting the two bench stops. Adapting a bench can be expanded for longer bench stops, more holes for versatility, etc. I chose this particular hole spacing for the type of work I do. I am also left-handed and plane left to right, therefore I set this up on the back side of my bench which is unencumbered by a face vise ( the face vise at front of bench ).

It is critical to get the 3/4 in. dowel holes square to the bench and in-line with each other, to ensure that the 12 in. bench stops are perpendicular to each other. The side bench stop does a great job of preventing the board from rotating sideways while hand planing with diagonal strokes. It has a large bearing surface to keep any size board from rotating. The side bench stop is also movable within a 12 in. span on 3 sets of holes, allowing for narrow boards and wider boards (2 in. to 14 in.).



The side bench stop can be swung around towards the front bench stop with a parallel set of holes, this is to accommodate shorter boards. Pictures above and below provide a better explanation.

The wide front bench stop also serves to prevent the board from rotating or shifting sideways as it has a large bearing surface for the front edge of the board. Bench stops (front and side) are friction fit so they can be raised (1/4 in. to 3/4 in.)  to accommodate thicker boards, very much like a bench dog. Otherwise, the minimum height of the bench stops would be approximately 1/4 inch. The hole spacing is arbitrary and based on the type of board sizes I typically hand plane in my own furniture making. two inch long birch dowels are glued in the bench stops using ebony wedges. The wedges are inserted into kerfs created in the ends of the dowels for tightness. Kerfs at the ends of the dowels are cut on a bandsaw.

A benefit of having a board simply against bench stops is that you really cannot drag the plane back in your strokes since it would pull the board back. This trains you to lift the handplane instead of dragging it back. The only wear on the blade then is from the forward stroke. Also you eliminate the tendency of bowing a thinner board caused by clamping between bench dogs and tail-vise and distorting the board while planing. You also gain more tactile feedback and control of your planing and it becomes easy and quick to re-orientate the board end for end or flip it over, etc.



Typical bench stop setup to act as a tail vise.



More holes can be added to allow for very short boards as done in bottom pictures. It is then a matter of swinging the side bench stop around towards the front bench stop. The spacing and location I have selected is optimized for the length and width of boards I typically handplane in my furniture making.



The bored 3/4 in. holes can also be used for bench dogs and holdfasts for irregular sized pieces.



Align side bench stop to be perpendicular with face of front bench stop using a large square to mark holes. This will ensure the complete edge of the bench stop is against the board to be planed.



Side bench stop set to narrowest width, closest to edge of bench.



Bench stops can be raised or lowered as conventional bench stops for thinner or thicker boards.



A short, narrow piece of lacewood being planed.



Parallel set of holes bored to accommodate shorter and wider boards shown above. It is recommended to lay out all the holes you will need for this system and then drill them. This method ensures that all holes are square and perpendicular to each other and the front bench stop.



A small, wide panel being face-planed.

Developing this alternative tail vise idea led to an article on bench stops and jigs I wrote for Fine Woodworking Magazine. The 4 Bench Jigs for Handplanes article was published in early 2009.

Furniture maker's mark

The concept of a maker’s mark is not a new one. It has been around for centuries. It is a means to distinguish one’s work from another maker. It also adds a personal touch to every piece created by a maker. I have incorporated maker’s marks in my own work for the past two decades and have had excellent feedback from clients. Clients love the fact that the furniture piece they purchase is created by an individual. It adds to the cachet of the piece and serves to provide identification of the origin of the piece. Decades from now, the maker’s mark instantly identifies the furniture piece as created by a particular maker with the location of its creation. The new maker’s mark designed for my studio captures the essence of my work and the detail I like to instill in my work.

So I also use the new maker’s mark for my other work, namely woodworking tools. I find a place on each tool to inlay the maker’s mark. In a strange way, adding a maker’s mark inspires me to do my best work. Attaching my name to a furniture piece or handmade tool makes me more conscious of how the tool or furniture will likely be passed on from generation to generation.

Furniture maker’s marks also provide a historical point of reference to a piece of furniture or tool. The maker and country of origin can then be traced back to a particular maker. Maker’s marks can either be stamped on a furniture piece or hand tool or created as brass inlay similar to this new one applied to my work.



I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. It is my favourite time of year. I can shed the layers of clothing worn in other seasons and simply walk out the door. No complaints here about heat or humidity. The hot, humid part only really lasts a few weeks or months and the freezing cold alternative is always fresh on my mind 🙂  More tools at:  www.refinededge.com