What's On Your Workbench?

[boxerrider]

I had my old SR800 out for a refresh and it won't sit on my new stand while plugged in.
Guitar Stand v2.0 - a hanger this time, which will need to accommodate different headstocks.
I have an old salvaged door casing (pine) that looks nice but has checking that has kept it from being used in something yet. When cleaned up it was only 9/16" thick. Good enough for the base. I doubled up the upright and hanger pieces.
Base halves joined with a spline.

I cut the hanger to outer dimensions,

and then turned the tenon round on the lathe.

1/2" hole bored in the upright,

and the hanger screwed into place.

Some satin poly, because it's in the gun for another project, and some leather on the hanger.
Good to go with the Soundgear, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass guitar, and the P-bass copy.

Pretty tall, but the base slides out and stashes away in a narrow flat space.

 

[Triad]

I'm building an 11 34". Single scale and no fiber-optics side dots as I'm getting lazy with age

 

[Lo-E]

Shaping is done on the tote and I’ve begun coarse sanding.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I'm building an 11 34". Single scale and no fiber-optics side dots as I'm getting lazy with age

View attachment 5112483

You've been gone too long! Can't wait for a build thread on this.

 

[Manton Customs]

Not on the workbench but close…just outside the workshop . I’m currently working on this all Walnut 5 string neck through 32” scale. The top is Claro Walnut burl, English Walnut on the back and a black walnut 3pc neck. There will be a walnut pickup cover too…just the fretboard is a different wood (ebony).

 

[Lo-E]

Still completely non-bass-related, but the finish is going on the tote:

The grain’s a lot prettier than it looked, even when I wet it down with alcohol.

I went with BLO for the extremely thought-out reason of: it’s what I have in the house. While I was applying BLO I also hit the sides of the plane body (it’s a transitional plane so the body is beech). There was a tiny amount of twist in the plane when I got it so I trued up the sole and the sides. The sides are getting BLO and then paste wax. The sole will just get the wax.

With finish going onto the new tote I can finally focus on getting the iron trued up and sharpened. Soon it will be a working plane again….

 

[Flamingo21]

Still completely non-bass-related, but the finish is going on the tote:

It's Luthiery related.

 

[Lo-E]

It's Luthiery related.

Ultimately, yes. And it’s most certainly workbench related.

While I was on a roll I decided to finish another tool restoration so I could clear up a little space. Several months ago I posted my quick clean-up of this tough looking fellow:

Missing a side handle and a bunch of teeth (bar brawl?), it was really just a trial run for a much nicer drill of the same model and I didn’t bother with cosmetics at all, focusing only on getting it running smoothly and, more importantly, learning how to reassemble the chuck without launching springs across the shop (too many times). It took a number of tries but I got it working. Then I got busy and the other one stalled until today:

I got the chuck back together on the first try (proving that I am capable of learning from my mistakes) and this drill even has all its teeth!

Both drills work fine but this one’s a lot prettier to look at and now I have two square feet of space back.

 

[Flamingo21]

@Lo-E Do these drills have multiple gears, like cars do? It looks that way to me.

 

[Lo-E]

@Lo-E Do these drills have multiple gears, like cars do? It looks that way to me.

Each has two gears but the rough looking one was missing too many teeth on the low gear to work properly so I affixed it permanently in the high gear. The better looking one works in both gears. The crank comes out and gets repositioned in order to change from one to the other.

 

[TerribleTim68]

...I affixed it permanently in the high gear. ...

"Just gimme the high gear Harry!"

 

[Flamingo21]

Mine doesn't have that, so I was wondering.

Zenten, German made, bought new in 1991.

 

[Lo-E]

Mine doesn't have that, so I was wondering.

The smaller ones typically don't. The larger ones with the chest/shoulder pad on the back like these, often called breast drills, are the ones that usually have two speeds. They have much larger chucks and were used for heavy-duty drilling of both wood and metal before electric hand drills were common, making that low gear a necessity. I really can't imagine being on a construction site in the 1920s, using a breast drill in low gear to make rivet holes in a steel I-beam but that's exactly what people did! It must have taken forever.

It would still be handy to have the extra leverage for an auger bit but I usually just use a hand brace for that. To be completely honest, breast drills are nowhere near as useful in the modern world as the smaller, single-speed drills like yours. They're not really made for fine work like the small ones are so there's little advantage over a power drill, if any. I just think they're cool so I like having them around and I come up with excuses to use them. I use my small eggbeaters (a 1960's Stanley very similar to yours and an older Millers Falls) much more often. I have three breast drills, which is probably two too many!

 

[Lo-E]

Not on the workbench but close…just outside the workshop . I’m currently working on this all Walnut 5 string neck through 32” scale. The top is Claro Walnut burl, English Walnut on the back and a black walnut 3pc neck. There will be a walnut pickup cover too…just the fretboard is a different wood (ebony).

View attachment 5114343

That's really sharp! Are you going to fill the gaps in the burl or leave them open?

 

[Manton Customs]

That's really sharp! Are you going to fill the gaps in the burl or leave them open?

Thanks, I previously did an all oak bass in the same model, this time it’s walnuts turn!

All the open bits will be filled with epoxy.

 

[SulzerType2]

My parts mutt/sandbox bass. Routed out for Yamaha RBX-760 soap bars and wired up like a Jazz Bass. Neck is a Chinese Fender modern player Jazz neck.

I located the neck pickup where the neck pickup is located on my Rickenbacker. I busked the bridge pickup location somewhat. With both pickups on it has quite a dark, ringing and honky tone.

 

[StereoPlayer]

My parts mutt/sandbox bass. Routed out for Yamaha RBX-760 soap bars and wired up like a Jazz Bass. Neck is a Chinese Fender modern player Jazz neck.

I located the neck pickup where the neck pickup is located on my Rickenbacker. I busked the bridge pickup location somewhat. With both pickups on it has quite a dark, ringing and honky tone.

 

[Lo-E]

View attachment 5124353

Punch and crunch. …or so I’ve heard.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

The smaller ones typically don't. The larger ones with the chest/shoulder pad on the back like these, often called breast drills, are the ones that usually have two speeds. They have much larger chucks and were used for heavy-duty drilling of both wood and metal before electric hand drills were common, making that low gear a necessity. I really can't imagine being on a construction site in the 1920s, using a breast drill in low gear to make rivet holes in a steel I-beam but that's exactly what people did! It must have taken forever.

It would still be handy to have the extra leverage for an auger bit but I usually just use a hand brace for that. To be completely honest, breast drills are nowhere near as useful in the modern world as the smaller, single-speed drills like yours. They're not really made for fine work like the small ones are so there's little advantage over a power drill, if any. I just think they're cool so I like having them around and I come up with excuses to use them. I use my small eggbeaters (a 1960's Stanley very similar to yours and an older Millers Falls) much more often. I have three breast drills, which is probably two too many!

I've got several Breast Drills in my collection too. I think they are all the Millers Falls 2-speed ones. I've used them a few times, for fun and adventure. I've found that, in the low speed, they work well for holes up to 3/4". They work best with the screw-tip auger bits. For holes bigger than 3/4", you need the extra torque of a brace.

I think Breast Drills were mostly popular with Carpenters and Electricians, for drilling holes in construction timbers for electrical wiring.

Drilling holes in steel I-beams in the pre-power days was usually done with a Beam Drill. A heavy steel frame that two strong men would lift onto the beam and chain it down tightly. The drill bit was turned and driven down by a strong heavy screw. Two men turned a big long T-handle to do the drilling, while an Oil Boy dripped oil onto the tip of the bit. Some serious physical labor.

 

[JIO]

I've got several Breast Drills in my collection too. I think they are all the Millers Falls 2-speed ones. I've used them a few times, for fun and adventure. I've found that, in the low speed, they work well for holes up to 3/4". They work best with the screw-tip auger bits. For holes bigger than 3/4", you need the extra torque of a brace.

I think Breast Drills were mostly popular with Carpenters and Electricians, for drilling holes in construction timbers for electrical wiring.

Drilling holes in steel I-beams in the pre-power days was usually done with a Beam Drill. A heavy steel frame that two strong men would lift onto the beam and chain it down tightly. The drill bit was turned and driven down by a strong heavy screw. Two men turned a big long T-handle to do the drilling, while an Oil Boy dripped oil onto the tip of the bit. Some serious physical labor.

what an image!