Gulf Island Building.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:00 PM

In making up the deadman, the original was cut with a small flat at the top of the notch. Here is how I took the triangular section out, a piece at a time.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:12 PM

When I went to install the nuts in the rear jaw, two things were not to my liking. Firstly, the thickness of the castings varied - something I would not expect from Lee Valley/Veritas. And they were badly finished. When I inset the first one and seated the nut, lo and behold it protruded right through the jaw. I definitely didn't want that, so I re-read the destructions to see if there was something wrong regarding the jaw thickness, but evidently mine should have been OK. One spot said 1 3/4", and another place said 1 1/2". Neither did I find acceptable, so I scrapped that one and glued up another new one which is way thicker, 2 1/2". That ought to be enough.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:14 PM

Here is the old and new, about 3/4" thicker now.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:16 PM

Both nuts are now recessed, and then I used a center punch to locate the holes for the drill.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:18 PM

I put the first two screws in without any slick 'em. They were a bit tight, so for the rest I used the old standby of candle wax to ease the effort. Makes just the right amount of difference.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:30 PM

So, by this point, the rear jaw - which was glued up from 4 pieces of arbutus - now has the nuts installed and fixed in place.
There are 4 long bolts with round nuts, which attach the rear jaw to the bench top itself. It's a little tricky getting all the holes drilled exactly right, and I thought the idea they suggest for the guide was somewhat mickey mouse. I didn't use it.

cocobolo · 01-02-2010, 10:37 PM

Since these bolts go through the rear jaw itself, then through the end skirt, and then right into the actual bench top, two things need to happen.
The holes really should be exactly perpendicular to the jaw face in order that you can get a really good idea where the bolt is inside the bench top. The bolts are completely hidden, and other than accurate measurements, you have no way of knowing exactly where they go.
You also need to know how deep they reach into the benchtop, so you can figure out where to drill the holes for the round nuts. This is very conveniently done from the underside while laying on ones' back. Nothing like some delicious spruce wood to chew on right after dinner.

cocobolo · 01-03-2010, 01:12 AM

In order to determine the precise location of the round nut holes, the photo will explain most of it. I deducted the skirt thickness, which left 1 5/8" to the center of the hole - bored from below, remember? All four holes used the same dimension.
The actual bolting up is a nightmare. It is necessary to somehow hold the round nuts in place at the correct height, while at the same time making sure the threaded hole lines up perfectly for the bolt to catch.
The instructions call for either an 11/16" or 3/4" hole for the round nuts, which themselves are only 5/8". It seems to me that gravity will win this battle every time. Then there is the problem of whether or not your 3/8" bolt holes will line up with the center of the round nut holes. And this is where some very careful measuring pays off.
After considerable diddling around, all the bolts found a home and were duly tightened up.

cocobolo · 01-03-2010, 01:14 AM

Here, for the first time, are the twin screws partly wound into the nuts. Looks like it might work after all.

cocobolo · 01-03-2010, 01:19 AM

Those steel dowel pins you see just to the right of the right screw and to the left of the left screw are there for the purpose of preventing your wood from contacting the screws. If you keep a light coating of grease on the screws, your wood could end up a bit messy.
There are matching holes in the front jaw for the dowels to slide into in order that the vise can be closed right up.

cocobolo · 01-04-2010, 01:44 AM

When I originally looked at the plans for the bench and subsequently decided to shorten it, I was aware that the vise screws were 17" long, and that there was some possibility that they might interfere with the legs.
As usual, Murphy showed up right on time, and in order to get the jaws to close completely, it was necessary to make a 1 1/2" deep recess in the top of each end leg. This is one of those extremely convenient places to have to drill a hole. Nowhere near enough space for a drill plus bit, so a little out-of-the-box thinking needs to come into play.

cocobolo · 01-04-2010, 01:47 AM

And here's the solution. Even with the 90 deg. angle attachment on the drill, there was still no room. So I did a small modification to the 1 1/4" drill bit and lopped off a couple of inches.

cocobolo · 01-04-2010, 01:52 AM

The next trick was to install the chain which transfers the drive from one side to the other. No surprises here fortunately. Although the instructions warn of serious chain droop, to the point where they supply a special link to shorten up the chain should it be necessary.
There is a hint of this in the assembly instructions when they suggest that you need to bore the two vise screw holes approximately 16 7/8" apart. I am always suspicious of measurements that say approximately.

cocobolo · 01-04-2010, 01:59 AM

But all my worry was for naught and the chain was just fine.
Next comes the cover, aluminum no less, and it needs to be trimmed to length to fit inside your chosen vise width.

cocobolo · 01-04-2010, 02:04 AM

Also provided are a couple of handles. Nicely done in hardwood.
Do any of you older guys remember those spinner handles you used to attach to the steering wheel of your car way back when? Well, they scooped that idea for one of the handles. You have to drill a hole for the screw and mount the spinner, but it's a great idea here. Works like a hot damn!