Work Surface

[technitype]

Nope, it was stained, alright. I found the original light finish underneath a sliding rail arrangement someone had used to attach the top. Someone sanded off a lot of the original finish, the put on some walnut or other really dark stain, probably without pretreating the wood. I just spent 2 1/2 hours removing that - had to sand, since it's sunk into the fairly porous wood.

Next I'll do surface-prep sanding, and then try staining a side that's likely to be obscured. With luck, the new stain will go on evenly, and obscure some of what I couldn't get off.

Yeah, I recognize the dust issue, hence all sanding etc. is being done outside, and the insides, and all the drawers will be exhaustively wiped and vacuumed, even before I put any stain on it!

This is the price I have to pay to not be consigned to the garage!

Heck- it's your house TOO, isn't it?!

[GeneJockey]

This will not be the hill I choose to die on.

[GeneJockey]

The bench (Bench? or Desk?) is now stained, and this week I'll use some of the 4 1/2 weeks of vacation I've built up to finish it. Here's how it looks now....



Yeah, I cheated and left the knee hole as it was. Sue me.

[klevay]

Here's how it looks now....

It looks very nice. Good job!

[Skutt50]

Considering your planned vacuuming of the bench, I read a posting a few years back where someone had bought an old bench and restored. That person claimed to have found quite some amounts of gold filings in small gaps and openings of the bench. The gold value was more than he paid for the whole bench...

[darrahg]

Hey, what's wrong with a dining room table? Other than is a little too low so one has to use a foot stool for sitting. My watchmakers bench is still in my garage and I have become accustomed to the dining room table. I can't change it until my daughter moves out so I make it work.
I use one of those white plastic cutting boards for working movements and I have a bed sheet under it to catch bouncing parts. And. of course, I am not going to show it as it looks like crap. But, it works.

[GeneJockey]

Part of what was wrong with the dining room table is that it's next to a south-facing window, so I had WAY too much light sometimes - like Saturday morning, which is when I have time to do watch work. And after sitting a while on an ottoman with my legs all folded up underneath me, my legs start to complain!

Regarding the work surface, I ended up choosing a Vycodrafting board cover. I bought the smallest one, but it was STILL twice as much as I needed! Now I have a replacement for when this one gets gunked up. Here's the finished bench.



That stool is surprisingly comfortable, and allows me to get just the right height - I tried a standard chair and it was just the slightest bit too low. Spent a couple fun hours yesterday, happily tinkering! And I don't have to clear it off for dinner time!

[ben_hutcherson]

Doug,

Looks great, and it looks like you're making some great progress.

Regarding the work surface-like Samantha, I use a sheet of plate glass over my bench. The watchmaker who sold me my bench had used that set-up for years, and I continued with it.

Initially, it took some getting use to, but I too wouldn't trade it. If it gets dirty, I just put some denatured alcohol from my burner on it, and it wipes clean right away without any trouble.

[technitype]

Part of what was wrong with the dining room table is that it's next to a south-facing window, so I had WAY too much light sometimes - like Saturday morning, which is when I have time to do watch work. And after sitting a while on an ottoman with my legs all folded up underneath me, my legs start to complain!

Regarding the work surface, I ended up choosing a Vycodrafting board cover. I bought the smallest one, but it was STILL twice as much as I needed! Now I have a replacement for when this one gets gunked up. Here's the finished bench.



That stool is surprisingly comfortable, and allows me to get just the right height - I tried a standard chair and it was just the slightest bit too low. Spent a couple fun hours yesterday, happily tinkering! And I don't have to clear it off for dinner time!

The bench looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! It looks like a fine piece on FURNITURE instead of a work bench!

...and the knee hole area is SUPPOSED to be dark!

I use an incandescent workbench light- you know, the kind that clamps to the bench and has an adjustable boom? I don't like using flourescent light for close-up work because of ultra-violet light considerations.

And, I use a factory-type chair with casters. These chairs are easily adjustable, and provide back support. I use one of these on the job- and they are invaluable! I only wish I had one of these chairs that was covered with vinyl instead of fabric...vinyl easily wipes clean, and it sheds no fibers.

Finally, I would advise you to stick "rust blocker" foam strips in each and every drawer of the bench- wood is hydro-scopic, and you certainly DON'T want any rust on your tools.

Something else I forgot to mention- get yourself a large plastic sheet and cover the entire surface of the bench with it. That way dust will never get a chance to contaminate your work surface when you are not using the bench. I use a new lawn-size plastic bag to cover my bench top- I don't bother to unfold it, i just use it like a plastic sheet. When the top side gets dirty, I use the old plastic bag for trash, and replace it with a new plastic bag. I don't cover the bench light...just the bench top.

[dAz57]

Part of what was wrong with the dining room table is that it's next to a south-facing window, so I had WAY too much light sometimes - like Saturday morning, which is when I have time to do watch work. And after sitting a while on an ottoman with my legs all folded up underneath me, my legs start to complain!

yes dining tables are not high enough, a kitchen bench is just usable, when I made up a watch workbench 30 years ago, I built it along the lines of your bench, actually took the guide lines from Britten's handbook, I made the bench tall enough to stand at to work and be at the right height for watch work, I use a height adjustable chair on casters to sit on

Regarding the work surface, I ended up choosing a Vycodrafting board cover. I bought the smallest one, but it was STILL twice as much as I needed! Now I have a replacement for when this one gets gunked up. Here's the finished bench.


That stool is surprisingly comfortable, and allows me to get just the right height - I tried a standard chair and it was just the slightest bit too low. Spent a couple fun hours yesterday, happily tinkering! And I don't have to clear it off for dinner time!

great looking bench, the only thing I would have done is cover the whole top with the Drafting board cover, the stuff I bought is sold by the metre, no need for glass tops, this stuff is easy to clean with soap and water.

the lamp, one of the best I find is a twin fluro on an adjustable boom that clamps to the bench, or use a incandescent worklamp on a boom, chuck the bulb and use a 25W compact fluro, plenty of light and no heat, point of being on an adjustable boom is you can bring the lamp down close to the work like when you are adjusting hairsprings for example.