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Without a doubt, this is one of the most rewarding things I've ever made - and appreciate it every time it gets used. I enjoy building shop furniture and using it as a chance to try new things. It serves as a constant reminder you are capable while also reminding you what could have been done better. I have made a few work benches through the years but always wanted a true, overly elaborate, intricate two-toned workbench I could beat the crap out of. I decided to do it with the support of a loving wife (lumber alone was well over the cost of a sturdy steal bench with wooden top from any number of dealers). I was excited to start with complete rough lumber and learned a lot about planning, managing waste, and what is involved with hardwood. After working through it with the beginner tools I had on hand, and then going back to pine and aspen for a few projects, I realized hardwood is actually really hard - duh. Burning, dull blades, and splitting are to be expected but to learn something, you need to actually work through it. It took about a year as a side project and the project continued to justify itself - making a bench without a bench is a pain. It involved moving saw horses around, make-shift holdings, and caused my truck to sit outside for many stormy nights. A work bench is like a mallet - seen as a right of passage for wood workers and opportunity to test new ideas. All of my shop furniture is an opportunity. Woodworking is and was a hobby so I don't mind dedicating 99% of my time to it. The single most important accessory is a hearty vice. I was amazed at how badly I wanted a vice while building the bench and can attest that any flat surface will do, but a clamping surface is invaluable. Planning Going in I knew I wanted a few things - deadman slide, leg vice, end vice, dog holes, two tone lumber. As time progressed I used it to try metal/epoxy inlays and massive sliding dovetails. From the extensive research I did before and during - I wanted it as long as possible but wide enough I could reach the other side. I also wanted a split top with an insert that could act as a stop or be flat (this required some planning). Importantly, it had to be solid and heavy. I researched lumber and spent my free time reading about the nuances involved. I found what I thought I'd like and made it up as I went. I choose Beach because it is stable without sap and Sapele becuase it was available, stable, and has enough character to stand out. As I do with most projects, I made things up as I went. The legs have their shape because I decided not to strip extra material from the middle board - why not have the only non-tenon be wider for more support? The bottom is two toned because I didn't have enough of a single color. I also had a list of refining touches I had built from research • Leather on one side of each vice • Leather on hold fasts Putting these on as the last step was very rewarding. New things to try • Complete project from rough lumber (nothing dimensional) • HUGE dovetails (too large for hand tools but targeting similar accuracy) • HUGE through tenons • Sliding dovetails • Sliding deadman with a custom key to remove • Inlayed wood / metal / epoxy • Get more acquainted with hand tools and what trade offs exists Lessons learned Planning fails sometimes. For the mobile wheels, I simply didn't think about having them sit perpendicular to the length until it was almost done. Then, I imagined myself tripping on them and didn't like the look. This involved me getting squirrly with a hand router and chisel because the wheel braces were too wide for the legs and screws would split the wood. Extra time was spent carving into my new bench but I like the way they sit much better now.

I wanted to test detailed inlays and build something my wife would not expect. I am proud of the result and consider it the only piece of 'fine furniture' I've built. We didn't need an end table but I wanted to try detailed inlays given our new CNC. I started playing with standard images to learn the modeling software and decided to try something so detailed, it would test my patience and stand out. Upon first look, it is obviously not done by hand but that isn't a concern of mine. (Some woodworkers appreciate 1/8" dovetails because they know it wasn't done by a power tool.) This was an excuse to learn the software, machine, and make something my wife wouldn't expect. Planning When my wife and I were dating we lived in different states. At work, she would draw me pictures of stick figures and send me photos - this was ~17 years ago. One of a kind - that is what I wanted. I looked through the folder tucked away in our safe and found one that I thought would show well and let me try different types of wood. I knew softwood frays and does not hold detail well - but thus far I had only tested the CNC on MDF so it was a trial in many things. I chose scrap pieces from an order placed a year prior - Padauk, Purple Heart, and Wenge. I picked up some Maple and Walnut from my local shop and jumped in. I ordered a 30-degree V-bit - it seemed like a good middle-of-the-road bit based on what I had read regarding inlays. Through the initial attempt, I learned which species held delicate angles, saw firsthand what happens when you lose power with a V-bit and experimented with carving out previous inlays to repair. After trying to repair the top a few times, I glued up a new top and started over. This also involved me ordering a new 30-degree v-bit as the previous one slowly rolled over the table and broke the tip on the concrete. Such is the way things go sometimes. New bit in hand and armed with knowledge, the second run was straightforward. Good thing my clientele didn't give me a deadline or even know what I was working on. Tolerances were maintained and each inlay came out great. As I got close to completing the top, I figured I should try steam-bending and thought that may be a nice touch for the legs. At this point, the table was a beast of a project, so adding something new wasn't too far-fetched (and I didn't have a plan for the legs I liked). I debated building a steaming tube but given the size and width of slats, wood chosen, and scope or project, winged it over the stove which worked out well enough. I made a few forms with the CNC in MDF (the best use of a CNC in my opinion) and steamed each up over a giant key pan on the stove. I debated making a steam box but was not looking for something else to store and was unsure how much I would be steaming in the future. I gave myself enough extra material to have wriggle room and the process was easy enough. I am happy I tried it and feel they elevate the project. New Things Tried Spindle feed speed testing for the CNC (the inlays took a loooong time) Detailed inlays using different species Steam-bending wood Lessons Learned • CNC != easy. Computer drafting from a drawn image took some time and the actual carving time was so much longer than I anticipated. Each small inlay took 30 - 90 minutes. I am sure I could have sped things up but I'm testing and not looking to break bits or cycle through wood. Optimization wasn't a learning objective on this one. • Machines = power issues. I ended up making two complete tops. When carving the first top, the power died after 4 hours in - with a V-bit. I watched as the machine dove through the workpiece. Shit. I cut a plug out of another piece of Maple, sanded a point, and hammered it in. I matched the grain and it looked great. It happened 2 more times. Each patch after the first got worse to where the third showed more glue than wood. I then tried extending the file - carving a bit more and making a new inlay. Over time, the flames were too large and still didn't look right. I also lacked the refined detail I wanted. • Know when to fold 'em. I didn't want to start over (and wait for another bit to arrive) but am happy I did. The second round was much more straightforward. • Don't rush and clamp on. For inlays, don't rush gluing - For the first, I tried to put runners across multiple and do several at a time. This was not effective and left several gaps. I ended up carving and gluing the words twice, the first just had too many gaps. I tried to make the boundaries larger and thought any leftover walnut would be hidden. The second pass came out much better. Singular glues-ups were the way to go and each seated much better. Clamps > weights. • Last-minute details can make or break a project. Right before attaching the leg slats, I thought adding a chamfer would show well and emphasize the leg shape. This was a win - eyeballing at the router worked well, the Maple didn't blow out, and I think it is something you see and appreciate without really seeing it.