Workbench base done

I finished assembling my workbench base this morning and pounded it into place. I'm really eager to flip it over for real, but I need to make endcaps and flush the bottom edge first. So I'll do it in a photo.

What the bench would look like if I flipped it now (with the rest of the room upside down).

Bench in need of endcaps, and several strong people to flip it upright. 

Feeling good, Leg vise works

I'm back at my bench build in earnest now, and I'm eagerly anticipating being able to flip the bench upright and use it very soon. But for now, I'm excited to see the leg vise together and working. Here's a video:

glue-containing grooves

Here's a trick I used today while working on my workbench stretchers:

Look closely to see a shallow groove outlining the glue area's perimeter. Also shown is the tiny plane I used to do it.

I wanted to use the glue-up to create a rabbet, laminating two boards offset from each other. I didn't want glue seeping out on that side to keep it clean. So I made a small groove to contain the glue by catching a little squeeze-out. I used a little convex palm plane since I have one handy, but if I didn't have that I might tilt a shoulder plane and make a couple passes with the corner. I am sacrificing a little strength near the edge by doing this, so there's a trade-off. In this case there is an enormous amount of glue area so it's worth sacrificing a small amount of strength to make a clean joint.

Two notes in case you want to try this:

1.) Spread the glue well, and try hard to put the right amount on, since the grooves only catch a little. Spreading it with a card really helps you see where it might need more to wet both sides. Experience helps a lot, here.

2.) Clamp near the grooves first. This will force the glue out the other side.