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274590 Dan Beck <drumsandbacon@g...> 2021‑09‑22 Re: Nicholson Bench Build
The Nicholson bench is complete! Here is photographic evidence:

https://groups.io/g/oldtools/photo/267127/3306901?p=Created%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C0%2
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https://groups.io/g/oldtools/photo/267127/3306902?p=Created%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C0%2
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https://groups.io/g/oldtools/photo/267127/3306903?p=Created%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C0%2
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I am incredibly happy with the way this turned out. I actually finished almost
two weeks ago and altho I haven’t done any big projects on it yet, I can tell
you this thing is ridiculously solid and (even at only five foot long) it is
more than heavy enough to keep it from moving while planing.

I finished it with two coats of “shop finish” which is:
1 part Minwax Helmsman spar urethane
1 part boiled linseed oil
1 part odorless mineral spirits

This is the first time I’ve really used holdfasts and I absolutely adore them. I
used the dog hole bushing made by Lee Valley and once a had a couple of holdfast
holes drilled, I was able to use holdfasts in those to help secure the jig for
all the other holes.

I’m proud to say that this bench was almost 100% made using hand tools. The only
electrons that were used was when I ripped the boards for the legs on my table
saw (I didn’t trust my hand saw skills enough to produce straight, square cuts).

I’d encourage anyone who has been thinking about building a Nicholson bench to
just go for it. It’s not a difficult build - if I can do it, certainly anyone
can. The cost of wood is def coming down - all said and done I think I spent
about $300 total.

If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to send them my way.
And thanks again for all the knowledge that is shared here on the daily!

Best,
Dan

-- 
I'm a simple man. I like pretty dark-haired women and breakfast food.

Recent Bios FAQ