My Benchcrafted Roubo Workbench Build

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I just put the finishing touches on my roubo. Can't say enough about Jameel and his company, Benchcrafted (http://benchcrafted.com/). The vises are massive and glide effortlessly as billed and the plans were outstanding. It was a challenging project and I had great fun and derived much satisfaction. Anyhoo, I thought I'd post a few pictures here. I documented my build over on Talkfestool if you're interested in more detail.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4777831901_352bcd31ea_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4778465970_a50eb8507d_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4777832215_a1eb09167e_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4778466380_75fddcb2b8_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4777832365_47a665d3a3_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4778466770_5fd84bcb3b_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4777832935_4bfb4db4ee_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4778467560_1692d2c3fb_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4777833813_5743c5301e_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4778467804_31f026f69a_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4778467688_f51be01005_b.jpg (")

[Frederick Gross]

Absolutely gorgeous & great craftsmanship!

[Matt Kestenbaum]

Jim,

Sweet bench. And a great build thread over on TF forum. I met the guys from Benchcrafted at Valley Forge last year and was really impressed by their designs. Enjoy the bench.

[Russell Hudson]

You can just tell that this working surface will help make hundreds of other beautiful things.
Will you be bolting it to the floor?

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

No need to bolt it, it weighs well over 300 lbs. I really have to put my weight on it to get it to budge, even with the UHMW plastic feet.
Thanks

[John Schreiber]

Looks great and stout like a workbench should be. Too bad about that little crack in the top:D. What's your thinking on that?

[Tom Godley]

Very Nice - I debated about the gap in the middle.


Also like the lower shelf -- are the boards attached?

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

John, The crack is a great feature! There is a gap stop that is in the below picture. It just slides in. On the bottom of the gap stop there are 2, 1/2" notches cut so it straddles the short upper leg stretchers, keeping it flush. It keeps tools from sliding off into the crack and also has slots cut so you store hand tools in it. Remove the gap stop, flip it over and reinstall and because there are no notches on the other side, it sits 1/2" proud of the bench making a great full length stop for cross planing. I don't know if I'm 'splaining this right. Check out the youtube video and it becomes clear (1:18 in):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1Z2kd0rg4Y&playnext_from=TL&videos=nF9_YvhbKTY

Also, when you remove the gap stop, any k-body clamp fits easily in between the tops for holding down narrower projects. I've been using the bench for only a short while now and like a swiss army knife, I'm finding new tricks everyday!

http://www.talkfestool.com/vb/members/stoolman-albums-my-benchcrafted-roubo-build-picture4776-completed-22.jpg

Tom, the shelf boards are ship-lapped and float freely on ledger strips on the stretchers.http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4777833199_25a8a4b11f_b.jpg

[Jeff Monson]

Beutiful bench, just about too nice to work on :D. Your craftsmanship and attention to detail are top notch.

[Rick Markham]

Man, I am super Jealous Jim, That is the exact bench that I want to build! After playing around with his wagon and leg vice that Ron Hock has on his bench... I was sold! Absolutely stunning work man!

[Michael Peet]

Jim, it looks fantastic. I am building a similar bench: Schwarz roubo with Benchcrafted hardware, square dogs, no split top though. Yours came out great.

Mike

[Vinny Miseo]

Are there benefits to square dog holes vs round ones?

I'm about at that stage on my bench and haven't decided.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Hi Vinny, There are many distinct advantages to square dogs. As a matter of fact, Jameel Abraham wrote a great essay on this very subject over on his blog here. (http://benchcrafted.blogspot.com/2010/06/talking-bench-dogs.html)
Thanks for all your kind remarks guys, I gotta say, this project was by far the most satisfying project I've ever done. I recommend the design and the vises highly. I don't work from plans when I can. They are rarely accurate. Jameel's plans were highly detailed and completely accurate. 100 pages! It was a pleasure to work from.

[Andrew Gibson]

The bench looks great, and the vises are amazing. I talked to Ron Brese about them for about an hour when he was in Tampa for the Lie Nielsen event.

I seriously have to save my pennies for my ever waiting bench project.

[Thomas love]

Outstanding, I built mine with the split top as well ,no regrets here.
Tom

[Greg Plowman]

Very nice looking bench.

[Bruce Page]

Outstanding work Jim. It will serve you well for many years!
;)

[Jack Camillo]

That is really awesome. Beautiful execution. So, was there anything aside from wood that the package did not include? Would you be able to say total cost (wood, plans and anything else possibly required) for you to build this? (Not including time) Thanks for sharing. And great pictures, btw.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

That is really awesome. Beautiful execution. So, was there anything aside from wood that the package did not include? Would you be able to say total cost (wood, plans and anything else possibly required) for you to build this? (Not including time) Thanks for sharing. And great pictures, btw.

The "Benchmaker's Package" includes just about everything you need. They even included the little spring pin that acts as a stop for the parallel guide pin in the below picture. The handle was not included.

So my total costs were:
210 bf of 8/4 ash: $950
Benchmaker's Package (w/ shipping) $764
1/2X12X12" UHMW plastic for the feet(Grainger) $25
Turned handle: $25
Letter engraving: $75
Lee Valley Surface Clamp: $75
Add the glue, finish, wax I was right under $2k for materials.

I have a lot more detail over on TalkFestool. I'm not allowed to post a link here but you can head on over there and do a search for "Roubo" and you can find a lot of pictures of the package, etc.

Thanks for all the praise guys. It was a blast to build!

Here's some followup pictures of the parallel guide pin with the custom handle I hired someone to turn for me (I don't have a lathe):
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4756986083_e7af6d474f_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4757621248_d95906a338_b.jpg

[Mark Valsi]

Great job !!

[Gary Herrmann]

Very nice, Jim. One of these days I'm going to get around to making a bench. I may have to check out Benchcrafted site when I finally get ready.

I keep looking at the damaged silver maple in my front yard and contemplating...

[Jay Jolliffe]

Well looks to be a great bench but having dial up connection it will take 20 minutes for the pics to load. Why can some post huge pics that take forever to load & some can only do small pics that are limited to a certain size. When I come across such big pics I don't even bother to wait for them to load. I wish I could tell you how nice it is but I'm not waiting......:mad:

[Richard Link]

Outstanding bench and really beautiful pictures. Nice execution. That looks like it was a LOT of work.

Really nice photography, as well. Clear, crisp and well framed shots. I'm not sure I want to know how you got that helicopter's eye view of the bench, though.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

I want to know how you got that helicopter's eye view of the bench, though.
I have 24 ft. ceilings in my shop. It's a detached 3 car garage. I took the picture from the landing of stairs leading into the man-town room over the garage. Thanks Richard!

[David Colafranceschi]

Beautiful bench! I love the split top design. I believe that may aid in building the bench and making it somewhat manageable to slug around during the build. I like the center tool hanging tray that looks to be removable and then use the top to clamp a project if need be. Just not a fan of the front vise. Visually it is absolutely stunning, in my work if I have to dovetail a wide panel then I would have to pull out a clamp to secure the length of the piece like I have with my shoulder vise bench. I think I will make another bench, very similar to yours but try the double screw front vise for it.

Overall that is a stunning piece. Will give you years of satisfaction and pride. great work!!

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Correct David, Not only does the split top benefit me when I want to slide a clamp in between there but it did indeed benefit me during the build. I was able to build it without any outside help. Additionally, I didn't have to be too fussy when locating the mortises for the underside of the bench top to accept the leg tenons. Only 2 mortises to line up at a time rather than all 4 at a time.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4794644750_d957864083_b.jpg

I think if you have hands-on access to the leg vise you will change your tune about using one on your next bench. For dovetailing wide boards you can use the right side of the vise then slide the deadman over and use the Veritas hold down clamp to secure the right side of your work piece.
Check out these videos on how effortlessly the vise operates. I can attest first hand that they will indeed hold a 250 lb. man with the same minimal clamping effort! :rolleyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4kXnhcOtLU&playnext_from=TL&videos=q9STRJJ9fCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWe32IDX-Ec&playnext_from=TL&videos=WeSoZ5rI6sw

Thanks for the praise!

[Bill Wyko]

It's so beautiful I'd hate to work on it. An absolute work of art. Time to get it dirty.:D

[Chris Parks]

Great bench, great workmanship. Isn't it wonderful what good crisp photography gives does when a project like this is shown. It is the photography that puts the final seal on it for me.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

It's just my lil' point-n-shoot Canon. Nuthin fancy. But I do have 4 large metal-halide lights lighting my shop. I think that makes a difference. Thanks Chris. :rolleyes:

[Burt Clarke]

Jim, that is an amazing work of art! Incredibly, I just discovered the Roubo workbench myself yesterday while surfing the web, and saw that it was exactly the bench that I wanted to build. I ordered a book and DVD so I could drool for a while. You have certainly set the mark. If my bench ends up looking half as good as yours (when I get around to building it), I would be ecstatic. I actually discovered the Roubo bench via a link at http://www.lakeerietoolworks.com/ (http://www.lakeerietoolworks.com/) when I was looking for large wooden screw vises. Great job! The engraving really sets it off.

[Paul Steiner]

I am jealous. After see this I have to add a bench to my list.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Wow...that's a powerful lookin' bench. No carburetter rebuilding here.
Jeff :)

[Bill Wyko]

You are a blessed man among mere mortals. That is an incredible bench. Congratulations on your success. 500 years from now someone will still be looking at the date with a big grin on their face. :D

[Pat Barry]

I love the look of this bench. Particularly the finish on the ash. Curious what was used here? Whatever it was doesn't seem to have yellowed or darkened the ash at all. By the way - thanks for the reference Michael.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

2 coats Minwax Tung Oil Finish and 1 coat butchers wax. I have it all documented step by step over on TalkFestool forum

[John Petsche]

Great looking bench, thanks for posting.

[Ben Martin]

Jim,

Can you post an update on how the UHMW are holding up, and if you still like them? I have a concrete slab shop and it tends to wick moisture, I need to do something to prevent that from hurting the legs of my bench. I would also like the ability to move it around every so often if I want to.

Thanks,
Ben

[Mark Valsi]

Very nice indeed, great job !

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Jim, Can you post an update on how the UHMW are holding up, and if you still like them? I have a concrete slab shop and it tends to wick moisture, I need to do something to prevent that from hurting the legs of my bench. I would also like the ability to move it around every so often if I want to. Thanks, Ben

Sorry, late to the game. I have no regrets whatsoever with the UHMW feet. Would do it again in a heartbeat.