Portable Workbench Build Process

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Last job for the day was sizing the bits that will make up the vice mechanism body. First of all I used the side of an end mill to square up one end of each part (none of these components need to be especially accurate and this is a quick and easy way to do it):

Then I got a carbide insert face mill (which is wide enough to cut all the bits in one go) and cut the opposite end to length - this ensures the two ends are parallel with one another and that's all that really matters here:

Action shot (one of the less significant advantages of my home-made X-axis power feed!):

For the (longer) front and back pieces of the body, I added some extra clamps while face milling to make sure they didn't wobble around:

That's it for today. Tomorrow I'll drill the holes in the box front and back pieces for one vice mechanism (possibly using a bit of scrap instead of the real bits) and weld the lock mechanism together. If that works it's full steam ahead; if it doesn't work it's back to the drawing board!

I am a hobbyist metalworker and woodworker. I work as an electronic design engineer and spend most of my working days in front of a computer so I enjoy having the opportunity to use my hands and make things in my spare time. I particularly enjoy making tools as I can then use them on other projects. This website showcases some of the things I've made.

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