The Workbench is Ready

JMJ

Greetings! I hope everyone had a happy and blessed Easter. Our family had a lot going on, so it’s nice to have a bit of a breather.

The workbench with engine stand is ready. The series of photographs below show the various stages of cutting and assembly. My thanks to Tiffany from dreamdesigndiy via Lumber Jocks (dreamdesigndiy, 2018) for the basic workbench idea. The posted photograph was actually an intermediate stage of a more complex build, but it served as an excellent launch point. I modified the design slightly to add cross-bracing into which the engine stand mounting screws could be driven. The added lip around the top surface is an attempt to foil Mr. Murphy whose famous law has a corollary – “A dropped tool will roll to the geometric center beneath the vehicle on which you are working.”

As noted in an earlier post, the project bench was made entirely from salvaged or leftover materials and hardware. I did buy some hardware for leveling the bench, but it turned out that a single shim at one corner solved the slight rocking motion, so I returned that hardware for a refund.

In the meantime, the parts manual (Harley-Davidson Motor Company, 2003) has arrived. It is a gold mine of diagrams and information. As stated on Page 1, it is not an assembly manual, but it sure helps to see how the parts are supposed to fit together and proper part names. Thanks to Shawn for the tip.

Some of the precision measuring tools have also arrived. The dial indicator, micrometer, and digital caliper are pictured below. I chose the 3-4 inch micrometer to measure pistons. There will probably be other things to measure outside of this range, but I will pick those up as needed.

The motorcycle is freshly washed and in the chock. I have removed the lower fairings and saddlebags to storage. The seat and battery are next. Then we dive into dis-assembly for engine removal. If I can resurrect my son’s old GoPro camera, then I’ll try to capture some interesting footage. Otherwise, it will be photos.

The Cost page lists purchases to date and the running total. I decided to charge the measuring tools to the project because I would not have bought them otherwise. Of course, I’ve always wanted the nicer calipers and such, but haven’t been able to justify the investment until now. While I wish that I could afford Mitutoyo, I believe the Fowler products will serve well.

Cheers!