The Benchcrafted "Skraper"

At this year's Woodworking in American Furniture Design and Construction conference we unveiled a new tool, the "Skraper".

The Skraper is a utilitarian tool that is intended for tasks such as glue squeeze-out removal to refining surfaces and joinery, and everything in between. Honestly, it's a bit difficult to pin down just exactly what I use the Skraper for, since I use it for so many things. It's not like a smoothing plane that has basically one purpose--to take a fine shaving. The Skraper can do that too, by the way, in addition to strategically removing glue squeeze-out.

The business-end of the Skraper is a solid carbide bar honed on three sides and ends. All 8 edges are razor sharp and capable of taking fine shavings. And since its carbide, the edge lasts a long time. The Skraper can be resharpened with diamond abrasives.

Instead of trying to list everything I use the Skraper for (not that I could even remember), I'll point of a few of my favorite uses.



Glue squeeze-out. The obvious one.

We all know that scraping glue while its still rubbery is a good technique, but oft times the glue can pull out wood fibers along with it, especially when using a card scraper to remove the glue. Here's where the Skraper shines. The 90 degree cutting angle , coupled with the thick carbide edge helps prevent grain tearing, especially when the tool is used at a skew to the grain.



Skewing the tool helps keep the grain in place while the scraper can do its job of shearing off the glue. The angled handle allows a zero degree approach, allowing space to get your fingers around the handle.



The Skraper also really shines for cleaning glue out of corners. After removing the glue, the Skraper can be used to take fine shavings from the surrounding area. See the video below for the technique.



I also like to use the Skraper to refine small areas while keeping them dead flat. A card scraper will hollow an area, while the Skraper will not. This is especially handy for maintaining the fit of some joints or the flatness of a surface. I like to think of the Skraper as a sort of one-tooth float. Holding the Skraper at a low angle and taking short strokes at a bias to the grain makes nice wispy shavings.







The Skraper is incredible on exotic oily woods like this cocobolo. Holding the scraper upright with a rearward tilt (I'm pulling the Skraper toward my body here) produces beautiful shavings. I can make dead flat scraped surfaces with no tearout.



These are just a few uses for the Skraper. I find myself reaching for mine several times during a project. And they are not just for woodworking, the Skraper is also great around the house and shed for miscellaneous tasks.

Right now the Skraper is not available through the website. If you are attending the Woodworking in America conference in Valley Forge, PA October 2-4 you can buy a Skraper at the Benchcrafted booth. After the show, online ordering will be available. If you'd like to be notified when they are available, please drop us an email.

Gearing Up For Valley Forge

Next week marks one year since we officially introduced our Benchcrafted Tail Vise to our product line. Since then, what Christopher Schwarz dubbed "the ultimate wagon vise" has found its way into woodworker's hands from North America to the rugged wilds of Norway and as far away as Australia. We even had to fit the Aussie vises with a right-handed thread instead of the typical left-hand thread because of the reverse polarity of the earth's magnetic field in the southern hemisphere. To test the tolerances of that particular run of vises we utilized high-tech cardinal grammeters fitted with redundant wenal sprockets, and 100% of the results came back obsolete. That's how much we care about the quality of our products.

So it's especially poignant for us at Benchcrafted that next month we should be hauling ourselves to the Woodworking in America event in Valley Forge, PA for the most fantastic gathering of top-quality woodworking hand tool manufacturers and users in the world since, well, last year's Woodworking in America event in Berea, KY.

There are a couple differences between this year's show and last year's. First, Philadelphia is not a dry town like Berea, where you not only can't buy a six-pack (or single for that matter), but you can't even order a margarita at the local Mexican restaurant. (I'm guessing the family that opened that restaurant found out after the grand-opening that alcohol is frowned on.) No wonder that guy in the corner is sulking on his haunches under that big sombrero, I would be sad too. The lime wedge in my bottle of Mexican Coke didn't make it taste any more like Negro Modelo.

The second and more important factor is the number of exhibitors at this year's event. There are quite a few more tool makers at this year's event. One thing we noticed about the people at the WIA event in Chicago. They were all really excited to be there. The hand-tool renaissance is in full swing, and these events hosted by Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine are paving the way for future gatherings of hand-tool experts and enthusiasts. These forums for exchange and transfer of knowledge are highly rewarding, and a lot of fun. If you've never been to an event like this, do try to get to Valley Forge. We're really excited about participating.

How excited? So excited that we've decided to bring along the workbench we used to prototype and develop both our wagon (tail) vise, and our new Glide leg vise. It's a ginormous 8+ foot long, 500 pound Ash monster bench outfitted with the Glide leg vise and the original Benchcrafted Tail Vise. We'll have an assortment of fine hand tools and wood available for those who would like to try a Roubo bench outfitted with our vises.



One other exciting piece of info about WIA Valley Forge. A new exhibitor will be bringing bundles of Ash lumber specially selected and assembled for building Roubo-style benches. If you're planning a bench project, there will be no better time or place to pick up the wood for your Roubo bench along with the two vises that work best with the Roubo design: our own Tail Vise and Glide Leg Vise.

For a list of exhibitors and more info, follow this link.

If you visit, please stop by our booth and say hello.

Bench for sale update

Thanks for all the interest this past weekend in our latest bench. The bench is sold.

See Us In Chicago This Weekend

Another Woodworking in America conference is about to happen. Last year we helped out in a friend's booth (Brese Plane). This time around we have our own booth, and we're pretty excited about it.

If you're in the vicinity, please stop by the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles where the conference is being held. There is no charge to get into the marketplace where the vendors will be exhibiting. You can test drive our vises on two separate benches outfitted with 5 vises.

We're also introducing our latest product at the show. This tool is so new that it's not even on our website yet. The only place to get one is at WIA this weekend, and we're anticipating selling out the first day. This is a very handy tool that is completely affordable for any woodworker.



And for those who are looking to spend a little more, we're selling our latest bench, completely outfitted with both our Glide Leg Vise, our Wagon Vise and accessories from Gramercy Tool and Veritas. It's a massive Roubo-style bench that weighs nearly 300 pounds. For $3195 it would be the last bench you'd ever need.

We'll also have an assortment of Mag-Bloks, including some in exotic woods like cocobolo, available for purchase at the show. Mag-Bloks are an excellent choice for storing your fine chisels and other edge tools.


Fine Japanese Cutlery on a Mag-Blok




They are also the best storage and display option for fine cutlery. See our Mag-Bloks above at the incredible Knifewear cutlery shop in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.



Bad Axe Toolworks.

About a year ago after we began producing our vise hardware I began corresponding with Mark Harrell of Technoprimitives. Mark specializes in restoring vintage handsaws.

But recently Mark has begun producing saws from scratch. I like to demo different operations with our vises, including sawing. I also wanted a chance to try out some of Mark's new saws. So in the interest of having nice tools to demo our vises with (and for my own selfish reasons) I asked Mark to build some saws for me a couple months ago. I'm bringing two of these saws to WIA to use at our booth. I'll also be selling these two saws at the end of the show for a discounted price. The first saw is a 16" 12ppi crosscut saw with the hot-blued steel back. Mark charges $215 for this saw, but I'll be selling mine for $175. The second saw, which is quite striking in appearance due to its polished stainless steel back, is an 18" 10ppi rip saw. Price is normally $235, this one I'm selling for $195. Both saws feature cherry handles that are beautifully made and finished. They fit my largish hands sweetly. But the one thing that stands out on Mark's saws is the detail. The etch is simply incredible. It's crisp, detailed and shows a real sense for design. It's just plain fun to look at. The back of the saw is also stamped with Mark's Bad Axe brand, as is the finely detailed brass medallion. I only have a couple years under my belt with the modern western handsaws, so I can't offer a detailed review. I'll leave that up to other sawing experts. But suffice it to say, these saws are very impressive so far. For more info on these saws, take a look at the Bad Axe Toolworks website.

Mark's saws will also be featured at the Hand Tool Olympics area at WIA. For more info on this, see Mike Siemsen's blog.



See you this weekend!

Two Outstanding Benches

Now and then we get treated to pictures of our customer's bench projects. Here are two that stand out. These benches are elegant in their simplicity of design and material choice. For us, these benches represent exactly why we started producing our vises.



Softwood is a popular choice lately for a bench material. It's readily available, easily worked, and most of the time, really inexpensive. It has a couple drawbacks, but these are minor. Nevertheless, there are those who choose a material that simply evokes a feeling of old-world craftsmanship in their bench. And this material is Beech. Although I can appreciate the beauty of a bench built with contrasting woods, such as walnut and maple, I personally prefer a plain-looking surface, without contrast or wild grain variations. This allows me to focus on the wood I'm working instead of being distracted by a pretty bench. To me, a pretty bench is a plain bench. And Beech fills this requirement perfectly.

Customer David Giles of Texas built his Roubo-style bench from Beech. The 28" wide, 7' long bench is built with massive 6" square legs and is outfitted with the Benchcrafted Tail Vise. David's build quality is evident in this outstanding bench. David opted to join his front laminate to the end cap with a bolt and captive nut instead of a dovetail. We like this technique. It makes for a strong connection without the time-consuming and difficult task of cutting a large dovetail. Although we would have chosen to use two bolts to reduce any tendency for the front laminate to twist at the corner. The captive nuts can be installed on the inside face of the laminate.






David was inspired by our Glide leg vise but opted for a more economical choice for his leg vise hardware. Building his own roller guides, David created a sweet running leg vise with an inexpensive bench screw. Although I prefer our Glide for its quick and ergonomic function, I admire the simplicity and frugality of David's vise.

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Raney Nelson of New Jersey purchased both Benchcrafted vises and built his Roubo bench from Douglas Fir. Raney was at his local Home Depot when he stumbled on a pallet of dead clear Fir 4x4's, which he used for the top. Another pallet of beautifully clear 2x material yielded stock for the base. In all, Raney paid about $1.25 per board foot for the material. A great deal.

Douglas fir, being a softwood, is often overlooked as a bench-making material. But it's actually as stiff or stiffer than many hardwoods. Surface hardness is often mentioned as a possible downfall of the softwood workbench. Raney believes that this is one of its greatest strengths. If your benchtop is softer than most of the projects you build, then dents and dings will end up in your benchtop rather than your project. And resurfacing a softwood bench is easy with hand tools. Douglas Fir also fulfills the "plain" factor nicely.


Raney's Douglas Fir Roubo Bench

Raney made a bold move when he built his bench. He finished the entire thing before he had the vises in hand. This is something we warn against. You should never do work on your bench without the hardware in hand. It's just too easy to mess up the install. Raney isn't new to tool-making (and what is a bench but the largest hand tool in the shop), so we weren't totally surprised by his daring effort. Raney builds infill planes (see the smoother on his bench below). In fact, a couple of years ago he won third place in a toolmaking contest for his first plane. See the details here.



This is a small steel miter plane infilled with ebony that Raney recently finished. But more about this tool in another blog post.

As a toolmaker and long time woodworker, Raney has a keen sense for his ideal bench and workholding. He sent us some comments recently after finishing his bench. (these were originally posted to the Woodnet hand tool forum)

Raney's Comments:

1) Doug fir is a great bench wood. Super stiff, good density, and cheap. It does dent pretty easily, but that's a plus as far as I’m concerned – it means the bench will dent before whatever I'm working on. It’s flat, but it’s not smooth, so it has a little friction advantage for holding stock. It’s also unfinished. Completely. So far, not so much as a coat of paste wax. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stick to that strategy (it means I can’t do ANY gluing on the bench) but for now I’m committed to trying it out.

2) Size - I had to rearrange my whole shop to do it, but I finally squeezed an 8-foot bench in, and managed to get three sides accessible for working. 8 feet is ten times as big as 70-inchs (the length of the old bench) and I don't need no math to tell me otherwise.

3) two words: Bench. Crafted. - well, maybe it's actually one word. I don't know. Anyway - it's the vises, stupid.

First – the tail vise: Why is it so awesome? Because it incorporates all the good bits of a classic tail vise, but it doesn't sag, it operates really really quickly, and it doesn't sag. It’s basically a really well-designed wagon vise, and with a traveling nut instead of a traveling screw. That’s nice, because it means you don’t need a lot of excess space at the end of the bench. And to the best of my knowledge, it is the only complete wagon vise solution currently (and maybe ever) available for purchase. The hardware is seriously beefy, and seriously smooth. It’s just Well Built. Plus, and this is a BIG plus, you can actually WORK on the right corner of the bench without fear that the tail vise is going to sag . Why? . Because this vise doesn't sag.

Last night I did some dovetailing. When it came time to chop the waste – do you know what I did? I put the board in between the dogs, and I chopped the waste. No complicated clamp and holdfast arrangements - I just clamped, chopped, unclamped, flipped, and chopped some more.. And can you guess what the vise DIDN'T do??? Yeah - you guessed it: SAG.

And as far as I can tell, I suspect this vise is pretty much immune to sagging. Did I mention that already? Yup – this is the ultimate wagon vise – and for my money it’s the ultimate tail vise in general.

Glide Leg vise: what can I say about this. If you've seen the video for it, all I can tell you is that it's completely accurate. You just give that wheel a spin like your name was Vanna, and whoosh! Next thing you know your workpiece is locked in.


Raney's Glide Leg Vise

When I talked to Jameel about it, he told me that he’s still getting used to the fact that the vise really doesn't need any torque at all 99% of the time. I've been putting that to the test, and I couldn't agree more. Set the parallel guide pin, give the wheel the old Vanna spin, watch it lock down and go to work. No handles to rotate, no vowels to buy. Releasing is just as easy.

There are two indispensable bits of innovation in the Glide: the first is the parallel guide support rollers, which mean this thing literally floats along in the horizontal plane. A seriously cool idea. The second is the 'Acetal' bushing that keeps the vise screw stable. It keeps the vise laterally stable, but with almost zero friction. The combination of these two features is what makes the glide glide, and why that handwheel is capable of 10X more torque than you'd ever need.

I knew how incredible the vises were when I ordered them. But what did surprise me, actually, was how easy they are to install. Jameel's instructions are ludicrously complete, including outstanding templates, a video or two, and page upon page of photos, step-by-steps, and recommendations.

So complete, in fact, that I did one of those “dumb ideas” we all know you shouldn’t do: I cut all the pieces, and did all the prep for these vises before the hardware arrived.

Let me be perfectly clear that I DO NOT recommend this. It's a dumb idea. You know it, and I know it. Nonetheless, that's what I did... what can I say? I'm a risk-taker.

And you know what? It all went off without a hitch.

These things are incredibly precisely made - but one of the advantages of that precision, is that they really are forgiving about installation. You CAN screw the installation up, but if you take your time and follow the instruction guide (make sure you print the templates at the right scale) they're remarkably easy to get working, and working really well.

As with anything this great, there is a price. In this case, that price is – well… the price. I think they’re well worth every penny, and as someone well aware that my vises are probably the most used tools I own, I have zero qualms about the expense - but it costs money to make small runs of such high-tolerance gear; and I know that cost is not something all of us can swing.

So here's my recommendation - if you can afford it, buy a vise (or both) from Benchcrafted - it's money you won't regret.

But even if you can't afford them, spend a bit of time really looking at what he's put into the design. Some of the ideas he's implemented are worthy additions to ANY hardware. I don't really think re-creating the Glide is very feasible (or cost effective) with cheaper hardware, but if cheaper hardware is what you can afford, you might want to consider borrowing from Jameel's roller guide concept. And making a wagon vise from an inexpensive acme screw and wooden parts may not get you as smooth or robust a vise as the BC tail vise, but it will still get you a lot further than any other wagon vise solution you can buy!

So there you have it. Best workbench ever? I don’t know. But it is without a doubt the best one I’ve ever used. And the more I use it, the more I like it."

More Benchcrafted Bench Details

In this post I'm going to cover the gross dimensions of the bench, plus some joinery and construction details.

First off, main dimensions.

Top: 7'-3" long, 24" wide, 4" thick.
- center gap: 1-5/8" wide (each top section 11-3/16")


Height: 35" (if you want to build a bench at different height, we recommend adding or subtracting length at the top of the legs, not below the bottom rail)

Benchcrafted Glide Leg Vise:

- Chop 2-1/2"+ thick x 9" wide
- Maximum capacity (chop opened to extent of screw length): 9"

Benchcrafted Wagon Vise:

- Max capacity between jaws: 11-1/4"
- Maximum capacity between dogs with vise in open most position: 75"

Base:

- Leg dimensions: 3-1/2" x 5-1/2"

- shelf: 21" wide (space between long rails--shelf rests on cleats attached to inside face of rails) x 49" long (space between short rails, shelf again rests on cleats)

- lower rail dimensions: 1-3/4" x 4" long rails are knockdown joint to legs, short rails are drawbored M & T to legs

- upper rail dimensions: 1-3/4" x 3-1/4" drawbored M & T to legs



In this pic you can see the 1" long tenons which join the tops to the base. These fit without play, into mortises in each top section. They serve to keep the top from moving about during heavy use, and prevent the base from racking. Four lag screws (two in each top section) driven through both upper short rails fasten the top tightly to the base.



The holes for the lag screws are positioned so they fall in the middle of each top section (about 5-1/2" in from the edges of the top).

We use and recommend 1/2" Spax Lag screws. These are made in Germany and are of the highest quality, with high shear strength and deep, crisp threads, unlike the Chinese fasteners available at the big home stores which most the time have very shallow, flat and widely spaced threads. We buy Spax products at our local Menards home center. They may be available locally in your area, but if not Ultimate Garage is a good source.

For info on dealing with dog holes positioned over the leg next to the tail vise, see this post.



The accessory strip that fits within the gap is made to fit sweetly between the tops without much play. It's built from two 1/2" thick strips of hardwood with four 5/8" thick blocks of hardwood laminated between the strips: two at the ends, and two positioned directly over the upper rails of the end assemblies . These two center blocks are notched (seen in the above photo) to fit around the upper rails, so when the entire strip is flipped over (it's about 4-3/8" wide total) these notches slip over the rails and the strip sits flush with the top of the bench. See photo below.



The strip prevents all but tiny tools from falling through the gap. It is also a handy place to stash tools during use, like handsaws and chisels.



With the strip in the raised position it acts as a stop for planing or if slid to the end of the bench, as a bench hook for making crosscuts. In the flush position it could also be used to secure bench fixtures like shooting boards or bench hooks.

For details on vises, please consult the installation instructions and templates provided with our vises on their respective web pages.

Glide Instructions
Tail Vise Instructions

We followed Schwarz's plan for the deadman from his Workbenches book.

If you have further questions about how to build this bench that we didn't cover here (or in the books and links in the previous post) please ask in the comments section for this post. That way all can benefit from the info.

The Benchcrafted Bench plans

We've been getting lots of requests for a full set of plans and construction notes for both our travel bench and our latest bench.

Apart from our own vises and a couple small details, this bench can be built using several sources, all of which are readily available, and in some cases, free.

If you're interested in building a version of our "split-top" bench, please follow along here as we outline the resources for building this bench, along with our own construction details over the next few blog posts.

Resources:

1. Workbenches by Christopher Schwarz $34

If you're about to build a bench, this is the one book you shouldn't be without. It's the best book out there for designing and building benches, hands down. You don't necessarily need this book to build our bench, but it will help you decide on many aspects of your build.

2. Issue 8 of Woodworking Magazine $6 download

This issue features Schwarz's Holtzapffel workbench, which served as a basis for building the base of our own workbench. Chris has chosen very robust dimensions and construction methods for the undercarriage of his bench. Both vises on this bench simply bolt on, so it's easy to build the bench and disregard the vise elements of the plan. This bench features a 3" thick top, but we recommend a 4" top for easier installation of our vises, although tops less than 4" thick will work fine.

3. Holtzapffel bench extras. Free

Info and drawings about building a knockdown version of the base, plus other links to construction notes and info from a class Schwarz held on building the bench.

4. Travel bench blog posts. Free

Follow along as I built our travel bench. This is simply a smaller version of our latest bench with a couple small changes.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Next we'll post construction details and dimensions for the 7' version of the bench.

Roubo Bench--For Sale

We've just completed a massive bench to display our vises at the Woodworking In America Conference in St. Charles, IL next month.

This bench will be used lightly over the course of the weekend, and Sunday afternoon when the conference ends, the bench will be available for pick up (or possible local delivery--drop us an email if you're interested).

The top sections, base and shelf are of soft maple. The top measures 7' 3" long x 24" wide and is 4" thick. The height is 35". The top joins to the base on 1" tenons at the top of each leg, plus 4 Spaz

The bench is outfitted with both our Glide Leg Vise and Benchcrafted Tail Vise.

The Glide features a hard maple chop that is over 2-1/2" thick. The vise chop is 9" wide and opens to a maximum capacity of 9".

The Benchcrafted Tail Vise is installed for maximum capacity of 11-1/4" between the jaws. Maximum holding capacity between dogs is 75". All vise jaws and dog faces are lined with perforated suede leather for fantastic grip.

The 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" base legs are drawbored mortise and tenon to the short stretchers and complete the base with two long rails through knockdown fasteners: 1/2" bolts and 1"dia. custom steel barrel nuts.

The shelf in the base is 21" x 49" ship lapped curly maple.

The sliding deadman/board jack is hard maple and is outfitted with a Veritas Surface Clamp. The right leg and tops are drilled for Gramercy holdfasts (two included) or other accessories that fit 3/4" holes.

The bench weighs 285 lbs.











The gap between the tops is wide enough to accomodate a K-Body clamp. The bench features an accessory strip that fits between the tops that can serve multiple functions. In it's flush position (below) it seals the gap and prevents all but small tools from falling through. The slot in the strip can be used for storing tools (see below).



Flip the strip over and it protrudes above the bench about 1/2", serving as a planing stop or sawing stop when slid to one end of the bench. The strip simply rests on the top rails of the base in both configurations and can be removed instantly if desired.















If you're interested in purchasing this bench at the WIA show in Chicago, please drop us a line. The price is $3195.

Thread Inserts for The Glide

We've sourced some excellent thread inserts for installing The Glide in softwoods. Threading woods such as Southern Yellow Pine or Douglas Fir does not provide enough strength for the machine screws that hold the roller guides to the bench.

We've tested these inserts in Yellow pine with a roller bracket and the strength is impressive. We couldn't get the insert to budge.

To use the insert, mark the holes for the screws using the templates and drill the pilot hole for the insert. The manufacturer recommends 31/64", but we went ahead and tested them with a 1/2" pilot hole, since most will already have this bit. It worked fine. Just drill accurately and smoothly. You don't want to make the hole any larger than 1/2". If you have a 31/64" bit, use it.

The insert can be driven home with 10mm hex drive tool. Dig around your Allen wrench stash and chances are you already have one.

And here's the good news. The inserts are free. If you're purchasing a Glide intended for a softwood bench, just request the inserts and we'll include them with your vise. You can also use these in hardwood if you'd rather not hassle with tapping. If you've already purchased a Glide intended for softwood, drop us a line and we'll send you some inserts.

Installing the Glide in Softwood Benches

A customer recently wrote us about installing the Glide Leg Vise in a bench made of Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). This material is a common bench wood in the South, and a popular choice because of its low cost. It makes a fine bench, but there is an issue with mounting the roller brackets with the included machine screws, since SYP does not have sufficient holding power when tapping the wood for machine screws. Woods such as ash and maple have no problem with this, but the SYP does not have the shear strength to maintain the integrity of the 3/8-16 threads. Douglas fir is also a popular softwood used for benches, and suffers from the same weakness as SYP in this regard. You can strip out the threads if you overtighten the screw. The fix is to reinforce the SYP (or other softwood) with metal thread inserts, providing the machine screws with a better grip. We're sourcing appropriate inserts for this application, and will have them available in the next week or so.