Ulmia-ish Part 1

This is going to be a whirlwind post about how I made my bench.  It has been an ongoing project over the last couple months but has mostly come together in the three weeks.  I found plans on the internet that were based on an Ulmia bench like the ones we had at school.  Front and tail vises, tool tray and solid trestle base.

"Here we go..." - St. D.S.

The wood I chose for my bench was "Natural" Maple.  It was the cheapest hardwood available because apparently no one likes the heart-wood color in their maple.  OK?! Bring it on...

The mortises for the base were challenging because of the size.  I needed 2.5" x1" mortises that went 2.5" deep.

I tried this jig (left over from Rya's crib) using a 1/2" bit, figuring I'd rotate it 180 and have a nice centered mortise.  Problem: it left the ends needing to be cleaned out by hand and I was ending up with varying mortises, thus requiring more custom tenon fitting than I wanted to do.

In the end I made a template and used a bushing to do them.  It worked really nicely and my first attempt with the jig turned out to just be waste removal! :)  And no, the legs are not all nice straight rift....

Some nice shaping detail on the front ends. Tenons were cut on the tablesaw and bandsaw and then fit using the shaper before being fine-tuned by hand.  It went quick and made for an incredibly strong joint.

The front and back stretchers.  You can see the stub tenon and the holes to accommodate the 6" bolts, nuts and washers that secure them to the leg trestles.

A little edge softening with yes, a roundover bit and the base is done!  It's rock solid and what more could I ask?

 On second thought, I'm going to break this into 2 posts.  It'll be too long to get through if I do it all in one.  The rest is more interesting so check back!