Jimk which head did you go with the byrd or the grizzly one? Can you give me the part number? I have been looking at them for a while, and I know they are easier to put in the jointer then the planer. The one on the planer requires you to bring the head to a machine shop and have the bearings pressed on and to take the whole planer down to a skeleton. I am going to have to do that anyway to change the gasket on the gear box so maybe I will just take the leap.

Also with your makita, did you have to sharpen your knifes mid project? I have been nervouse about that because I have never done it before. If I am going to have to sharpen the knifes I mine as well take the leap and get the head while I am on the regular maintnance.

I went with the Byrd head over on Holbren.com. Tell Brian what model you have and he will find you the requisite part #. The Makita has double sided disposable blades that are very easy to change. There's a slot in the middle of the blade that keys into the head. I've only bought 3 sets of knives in the almost 20 yrs I've owned it. I probably should change them more than I do but I'm too cheap

Your mortises came out great! Did your through mortise come out perfect? I drilled from both sides and there was an ever so slight offset that I had to clean up with a chisel.

A word on the gaps in your legs: When it comes time to glue up your bench top, gaps can become a real problem. So go back to my "take your time" tip and smooth off the chatter marks from the power planer on the faces of the boards with a smoothing plane. It is time well spent. But there is a lot of time involved in doing it. I rushed it in the beginning and as a result, there were some hairline gaps that seem to open up further over time. Live and learn.

My through mortise for the vise came out perfect, not one bit off. I did not drill it though, I just used the MFS again as with the other mortises and transfered the lines all the way around the leg and came in from both sides. I used the bit you recommended and they are just so darn clean. It looks in the pic like it is offset a bit but it is just an obtical illusion as in person it is perfect.

So the byrd head is what you using and you love it? I read some mixed reviews so I was not sure what to go with. I will take your advice and go with the byrd when it comes time to purchase.

Also when you used your smoother for the job you mentioned, did you camber the edge?

And final question, what type of infeed and outfeed support did you use when jointing and planing the top lumber?

I have a light camber on my smoother.
I didn't use any supports for my planer, hence the dents in the table. It's an older model Makita the table raises and lowers, rather than the cutter head. So every time you take a deeper cut, you need to adjust the infeed/outfeed tables. Dumb. So once I got the workpiece half way through the planer, I walked around and supported the other side. It's not a perfect science.

Did you do the same thing with the jointer? No outfeed or infeed support? If so that must of been tough since the darn wood is so heavy.

I used infeed / outfeed rollers on the jointer. But the jointer is only useful before they're glued up. After a few laminations thick it's way too heavy so it's impossible to get a straight edge.

For what it's worth: Popular Woodworking - Delta 22-590: Benchtop Planer

Jim,

Do you have any BD planes or just BU planes? Do you love the BU planes you have?

Did not get much done tonight as it is my night with my kids while my wife goes to the gym.

I trimmed the vise chop lamination to rough dimension and boy I just wanted to show the grain on this piece of wood one more time. I have enough from this one board to complete the sliding deadman as well so it is going to make for a stunning first impression.

I also surfaced a rough piece of QS white oak I got for the guide rail for the leg vise. I see what all the fuss is about because it really is a beautiful grain! When I cut it to final width I took the cutoff to practice cutting the scroll detail at the end of it. I had to change the saw blade on my band saw for the first time. Taking the crappy blade that came with the saw off was a relief. I put on a 1/4 lennox skip tooth blade and adjusted everything the best I could using the bandsaw instructions. The I sketched the outline on the wood and had at it. It came out pretty good off the band saw and I brought it over the my 1"x30" grizzly belt sander to smooth the curve. This is when a osiliating spindle sander would come in handy. I started thinkin about going to HomeD and getting the ryobi one they carry but I never have much luck with the cheapy tools.

Anyway it gave me a bit of practice cutting curves for the first time and also changing a bandsaw blade. Tomorrow I am going to drill the pin holes and cut the tenon on the end of the guide rail. I wqas curious to find out how JimK and jameel make the holes look so good with the small cove around the inner edge of the hole?? I am not sure how to do that as I do not have a small enough router bit to cove the inside of a 3/8" hole!

PS: also in the pic is a shot of my new antique hammer. I ordered it from Tony Merland at The Tool Shop. www.antiquetools.co.uk He was great, as I had email Chris S. to find out where he got his. He directed me to this company, so I emailed stated what I was looking for. He said he did not have any but would try to find me one. 3 days later I get a email with a pic of my new hammer. I love antique tools as you never know where its been or whos used it. I even chuckled to myself as I ran directly into my shop after getting the box out of the mail box. Ripping the box open with the anticipation of a child on christmas! All over a mallet!!!

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What absolutely beautiful grained wood you have there! You'll want to set your bench somewhere in your living space once it's completed.

Tell me more about that hammer. Are those replaceable hardwood inserts I see? You've struck a nerve with me, I also love old tools -- using them and thinking about where they may have been used & for what purpose. When you think about it, there aren't many of those old tools that weren't able to last +100 yrs. unless they were severely abused and even then many still live on. Take a walk around the tool department at HD or Lowe's and make a list of the ones you think will be functional in 100 yrs from now.
I now have hammer envy... :p