Build Your Pants Off At Fine Woodworking Live 2013

With the announcement of the FWW Live Build-Off, Fine Woodworking Live 2013 just got a lot more interesting.

When FWWLive 2013 was first announced, the change in format and speaker list showed it would be even better than last year (and last year was great). When +Asa Christiana appeared on our Modern Woodworkers Association podcast to discuss FWWLive 2013, he let the cat out of the bag and mentioned that as an evening activity during the conference there would be a build-off. The details were sketchy, but the idea of conference attendees using limited tools, time and materials to build a project and then judging them against each other sounded like the kind of competition I could get behind.

Last week the formal FWW Live Buildoff announcement was made:

Weve filled in the final blank in the packed schedule with a Friday-night build-off open to all conference attendees. Whether you want to join a team or just hang out and watch the action unfold, you are sure to have a great time as show-goers partner up to design and build a piece of furniture using only 2x4s and screws.

Teams (made up of any attendee who wants to participate) will have about an hour and a half to design and build a piece of furniture. The type of furniture being build will not be announced until the day of the Build-Off (I bet they don’t know yet).

Bosch has stepped up to supply these brave woodworkers with jigsaws, cordless drills, and bits. FWW will supply the wood, screws, and sawhorses to work on. Along with bragging rights for the next calendar year, the top three teams will take home some of those very tools and supplies, plus theyll be featured on FineWoodworking.com.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be getting to FWW Live 2013 until Saturday morning, but here and now I’m publicly calling out +Christopher Adkins and all other MWA members who’ll be in attendance. I expect us to have a team, to build a kick ass piece, and talk more smack than all the other teams combined.

If you’re going to FWW Live 2013, be sure to build a piece of furniture while you’re there.

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Dads Benchtop Bench Part V

With the bench built, all that was left was to screw in the two veneer press screws which held on the front vise jaw.

The completed benchtop bench.

While they fit fine, I unfortunately found that once I tightened them, the handles came off the screw shaft. It seemed that since they were meant to exert pressure between the vise nut and the end of the screw shaft, Shop Fox hadnt bothered to attach the handles with anything more than friction.

Nope. That handle wasnt meant to exert clamping pressure.

While the discovery of this issue after I thought I was done did give me pause, I thought about it for a night and by morning I’d come up with a solution.

The pins and drill bits. I only needed 2. I bought 4 just in case.

Locked and ready to drill.

I headed down to the hardware store and picked up some metal pins. After drilling through the handle and screw shaft with my drill press, the pins were easy to knock in with a hammer.

Locked and ready for action.

Once the handles were pinned on, the vise worked great.

Clamping like a champ.

I’m very happy with the choice the benchtop bench came out, and my Dad appreciated it as a father’s day gift.

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