Nicholson Bench Project Update – Cross stop complete
The mill of time grinds slowly, but exceedingly fine.
So we’re old and we’re slow. But we finely got the cross stop finished (except for a coat of BLO) and in place. It’s made out of walnut, because that’s what we had. It has two 1/2″ thick cheeks with intermittent 3/8″ spacers placed over the leg sets and cross members, made long enough to accommodate several steps, which will allow the stop to be positioned 1/4″ or 1/2″ above the surface of the bench to hold material in place while planing across the grain (cross planing). The steps were simply “rubbed” with Titebond I, so no clamping was necessary.
steps glued in place ready for trimming and fitting
cross stop set at 1/2″ position
cross stop provides temporary storage for saws, protecting teeth from a “workbench catastrophe”
cross stop in “storage” position
Tags: etabli du menuisier, etabli roubo, Nicholson bench, roubo bench
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May 8, 2014 at 2:55 pm
Brilliant Idea. one question though, what prevents the stop from falling down to a lower or flush setting? I’d guess that the prevailing handedness of the operator would be enough to push it tward a stop, but not sure what you are encountering in use. I’m sure I’ll be stealing this idea or something similar…
May 8, 2014 at 8:08 pm
Yes, the “handedness” of the operator would be a factor, if both the slot and the stop were perfectly straight, and there was clearance. There was a little bit of a “bow” in the cheek boards, so we used it to our advantage. The stop “springs” from side to side, so there is a little interference, which keeps it nicely in place. Also, the “steps” are above the leg sets and the two cross members, so it can be reversed, thus allowing cross planing from either side of the bench.