[Jewelry making - Article 00410] - Re: [Orchid] Jeweler's Work Bench

[Douglas Turet]

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    Hi Folks, Seems I've missed the original email on this topic but,
    following the thread, I recently built my own bench, using a
    combination of 2x4's, 7/8" plywood (2 plies laminated together for
    the benchtop) and maple 1x4's, and opted to go the half-moon cutout
    route, rather than the straight-across one. For one thing, doing so
    lets me zero-in on my work, both visually and physically, and
    enables me to reach all of my tools without much in the way of
    repositioning. 

    For another, by building a sliding tool shelf and drawing surface in
    between the top and sweeps tray, and adding a pair of armrests on
    either side of the cutout, I'm able to both maximize leverage and
    look down at reference sketches of whatever I'm working on, again,
    without having to strain to reach in one direction or another, when
    comparing my progress. Where setting's concerned, while I do use the
    Benchmate system to hold the workpiece, I've found that a little bit
    of a "variation on a theme" was needed, to keep melee from traveling
    and getting lost. What I've done is to get a square yard of a sheer,
    black, poly-cotton twill, add a neckstrap to one end of it, a pair
    of brass grommets to the two corners opposite the neckstrap, and a
    pair of arm-loops (made of the same strapping as the neckpiece),
    stitched about halfway down the left and right sides of the piece.
    The two grommets hook onto a pair of small cup hooks, screwed into
    the underside of the benchtop, on either side of the cutout, then
    one strap goes over my head and I slide my arms into the other two.
    The net result is a dark-field trough with sides -- sort of like an
    inverted umbrella, sans frame and centerpole -- which makes the job
    of locating any dropped melee a snap to locate! (And best of all,
    when the job is done, the fabric gets folded in half and draped over
    the back of my bench stool: simplicity itself!) In a few weeks, I'll
    finally pick up a decent digital camera and be able to offer a
    closeup look at the bench, as a whole. I'ts far from perfect, but so
    am I, so it's a great pairing! 

    All the best Doug Douglas Turet, GJ Lapidary Artist, Designer &
    Goldsmith Turet Design P.O. Box 162 Arlington, MA 02476 Tel. (617)
    325-5328 eFax (928) 222-0815 anotherbrightidea AT hotmail.com


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