1st Project: Making a new work bench

The 1st project in making a work bench size 2ft x 4ft, I had decided not to use any single nail or screw, instead I had chosen to use mortise and tenon joints which was more difficult and time consuming.

File finish to a tenon to the required dimensions.

I used tools such as handsaw, jig saw, chisels, mallet, wood file, clampers and sand paper. Next was to make the mortise with the same dimensions as the tenon. The size was marked by tape. Two 10mm holes were drilled to allow the jig saw blade entry inside the wood. A relief passage was cut to allow the blade to maneuver along the straight line of the tape. The relief passage was created by moving the jigsaw blade to and from each of the holes until near the side of tape.

A wood was clamped together during drilling to ensure nice clean holes. If not, the bottom side of the wood holes would tear at the edges, consequently the appearance would be bad.

Making a mortise

Mortise

The above was the lower legs mortise of the work bench. Next was to joint all the parts together.

The joints were fastened with glue

To add strength to the joints, I used dowel pins.

Dowel pin size 9mm diameter

Frame assembly.

When all the parts were joined together, it was time to put on the 1in x 8in wood planks on top. I applied glue to the bottom of the wood planks.

Clamps were used to ensure tight fit during glue curing.

Ta da! The job was finished!