Neil Zenuk
02-15-2010, 2:23 PM
So I've been meaning on making a post about my bench for some time, but Michael Peet's post asking about the advantages of the split top Roubo made me post this.
First the reason I made a split top bench over other designs. I'd been picking away at buying tools and picking up the skills to make piece of value for a little over a year, when my partner and I found out the building we were living in was getting torn down. So we found a new place 2 blocks away and for cheaper..... but also smaller (about 600sqft small), and having 3 cats, 6 bicycles, other hobbies and a bunch of crap, space would be at a premium. So we came up with the idea for raising our bed off the ground and making use of the space under it. Plywood became my best buddy for a month while I made the 5 pieces that make up the unit. Because I would be breaking down a lot of sheet goods with my circular saw I made a bench with a "X" cut out in it lining up with the 54" length and 11" wide of most of the pieces I would cut. The dimensions also happen to line up with how much space I was able to negotiate with my partner for woodworking in the new apartment.
So after I built the casework, but before moving I cut the bench down to 54" long, so I could fit it into our small apartment. With only 600sqft my partner and I are committed to small space living but I don't want to give up woodwork due to lack of space so my bench so all my tools need to take up the smallest amount of space. For that reason my bench's dimensions are a little weird when compared to some of the other bench designs that are floating around.
As a new fine woodworker I'm working on smaller projects so my bench can be a lot shorter then the 6'-8' benches most are building. Also the location of my bench is in a corner so I don't get much access to the back of my bench, so I made the bench deeper to give me more bench space while staying short. The front section of the bench (9 7/8" wide) is the planing/sawing area, while the back section (24" wide)is used to keep tools, other parts of what I'm working on. The gap between the sections is about 7/8", but like others I rarely hang my tools in that area. But it does make a great spot to "hook" in my bench hook and shooting board. Mind you this is still the prototype of what I want to build to replace it tho not far off after working with bench with and without vises over the past 6 months. My ideal bench is just an upgrade of what I have working so far. A face laminated front section of hardwood with a torsion box for the back half, and flush Roubo style legs/strechers. If you have questions about how I made my tail vise or anything else about my bench feel free to ask.
First the reason I made a split top bench over other designs. I'd been picking away at buying tools and picking up the skills to make piece of value for a little over a year, when my partner and I found out the building we were living in was getting torn down. So we found a new place 2 blocks away and for cheaper..... but also smaller (about 600sqft small), and having 3 cats, 6 bicycles, other hobbies and a bunch of crap, space would be at a premium. So we came up with the idea for raising our bed off the ground and making use of the space under it. Plywood became my best buddy for a month while I made the 5 pieces that make up the unit. Because I would be breaking down a lot of sheet goods with my circular saw I made a bench with a "X" cut out in it lining up with the 54" length and 11" wide of most of the pieces I would cut. The dimensions also happen to line up with how much space I was able to negotiate with my partner for woodworking in the new apartment.
So after I built the casework, but before moving I cut the bench down to 54" long, so I could fit it into our small apartment. With only 600sqft my partner and I are committed to small space living but I don't want to give up woodwork due to lack of space so my bench so all my tools need to take up the smallest amount of space. For that reason my bench's dimensions are a little weird when compared to some of the other bench designs that are floating around.
As a new fine woodworker I'm working on smaller projects so my bench can be a lot shorter then the 6'-8' benches most are building. Also the location of my bench is in a corner so I don't get much access to the back of my bench, so I made the bench deeper to give me more bench space while staying short. The front section of the bench (9 7/8" wide) is the planing/sawing area, while the back section (24" wide)is used to keep tools, other parts of what I'm working on. The gap between the sections is about 7/8", but like others I rarely hang my tools in that area. But it does make a great spot to "hook" in my bench hook and shooting board. Mind you this is still the prototype of what I want to build to replace it tho not far off after working with bench with and without vises over the past 6 months. My ideal bench is just an upgrade of what I have working so far. A face laminated front section of hardwood with a torsion box for the back half, and flush Roubo style legs/strechers. If you have questions about how I made my tail vise or anything else about my bench feel free to ask.