More or less finished with building a mini workbench which has kept me busy through Xmas.
It’s based on a Pask Makes video I found on YouTube and is going to be clamped on top of my desk for some proper workholding. The back piece is on rails and can extend out to give something like 1m clamping capacity between dogs.
I’m pretty happy with how it came out. Compared to the workmate I borrowed for the project (can’t make a bench without a bench!), the workholding is much more secure and it generally feels very solid. One potential issue is that my IKEA desk it’ll go on isn’t! So I might have to get a bit creative if it’s going to be good for hand planing and other more energetic tasks (considering screwing the desk to the wall). I think I may end up also getting a workmate as there are pros and cons of both but having the two will set my spare room up well whilst still allowing it all to be packed away giving a functional bedroom (part of the deal with my wife!).
With the exception of a cordless drill it was all hand tools which required a bit of learning and a few mini projects along the way e.g. how to set up a hand saw to be good at long rip cuts (still working on getting the saw working right).
Hopefully this will set me up to make much more in 2021. Next up is some joinery practice with scraps then I think a tool chest but I’m still reading up on options there.
