sisyphus

my weekends have been spent hunting down elusive slabs of wood
how many beauties I've passed
I'd have a garage full by now if I stopped to pick each rose

what I seek instead is one with straight, even grain
boring old pieces yellowed from the store's florescent daylight

as I plane the transformation is unspeakable
some have been hiding immaculate fiddleback
most of which will be concealed once again

with each new section, the original bench is dismembered
only a couple bits have given me any fight

I really didn't know that much back then

the only thing holding some of the sections together was a Masonite spline

amazing what you learn in a few years

I still need a bench

it's my feeble attempt to keep enough mass containing dog holes to continue work

right now the center section remains the original bench top
the tool trough will inhabit the right hand upper third
for me, the most rarely used parcel except for stashing my winding sticks and hold fasts

the mountain I alluded to earlier is that from my planes
an endless stream emanates from the various versions of my bench

so many surfaces!
and they must mate
at least as close as I am willing to take them
I remind myself that it is a bench
the only one who will look at it closely is myself
and that, I will
so any imperfection will nag at me forever

in creating three sections
or rather two new sections and wedging in an ever dwindling core of the original
I've been able to manage the wind that plagues a multiple lamination

the end vise has been properly installed as is currently in heavy use

and making high marks for both of its intended purposes

each face presents a new challenge
a new work out
some more aches
a couple blisters, though those are by now few and far between

and a hell of a lot more glue than I would have imagined

and no you are not imagining; the front apron is not pounded home
I can still get a flat bar in to pop it free and the whole top comes apart

oh
just a funny thought...

all those years ago I bored the dog holes 4 and a half inches apart
guess what the optimum distance based on the travel of the end vise is...

full circle

here we are
back where I was almost four years ago
three BIG slabs of maple
I did the cove on the underside of one slab this spring
then the weather got too warm to plane responsibly
and my idea of torture moved a couple notches in the wrong direction

 
obviously the weather has returned to a much more suitable demeanor
and other obligations have been upheld
I checked the inventory and found there to be an ample supply of lumber on hand
the table has once again won my affection

the idea was to preserve as much lumber as possible
that meant cross cutting for depth every inch from the ends and chiselling out the waste
near the center there was enough material to then resaw and end up with a small panel
and I managed enough thin pieces for a few drawer bottoms later on
it was the middle slab that worried me
it was joined from two short lengths by a mighty little joint I kinda made up on the fly

I worked all the way down to it but was scared to cut it all the way off
what if the joint failed?
this three year stint was screwed!
I'd thought about leaving it till the glue-up, then cutting it off later, but it was seriously in the way

taking the plunge I removed it and thankfully no fail happened this week
the coved slabs were jointed

 the ends made perfect

and the whole reason I bought the best damn panel saw I could find
yes, that's Andrew's saw, whole and unscathed as was the fear of a couple readers
these cuts are fourteen inches of the hardest freakin maple ever
and this saw does just what it should
the kerf runs true from the far end to the near, just keep moving yer thumb
the saw never jumps, and makes its own new kerf
just plows on through, completely predictable
and it's funny because this thing is so flexible, it feels like it shouldn't cut as straight as it does
when it's done with a cut it rises forth and sings for a good two seconds each and every time
spooked the crap out of me the first couple times

chisel the waste and follow with a shoulder plane
it will be months before I find all of the chips from twelve tongue and tenon shoulders

I had to get creative when it came time to bring these giants together
the whole is bigger than my bench, but just as heavy
clamped to the assembly running the center of my shop, it acts as it's own bench
and I can work all sides

just checking the whole setup before glue
and it's a good thing, when I clamped up, the left slab cocked at a frightening angle
back to the bench, the clamps and a couple different planes
jointing is an art, and I have just the slightest inclination of how to do it right
on the second dry run, however,  it came up perfect

 glue, clamp, wait

and then the fun really begins!
missing above is the most important plane, the scrub
try not to worry about leaving big scrub tracks, they plane out later
eight hours of labor, three inches of shavings, three meals, and a couple beers
this top is flat!

proceed

the spell is broken
the curse has lifted
a touch of frost still lurks
maybe a wild rouge snow

leaden slabs, quick to dull even the best hone
but so forgiving when it's right 

the chill air brings quick relief after the scrub

practice comes easy, the lines are laid

and a long lost friend joins the party

a week of hours here and there

why waste good planks

yet another feline seal of approval