My Roubo

[David Myers]

I finished my bench a few months ago. And since I used up more than my fair share of my wife's patience I got right to work on making some things for her and never got around to photographing it until today (that's the WW Magazine's Stickley Magazine Stand on the benchtop; hope you enjoy it, honey).

The bench was based on Chris Schwarz's "French Workbench" from his first book. I followed his method fairly closely but there were a few differences. I used ash, and my raw lumber was thicker than his dimensional SYP. So the legs are a little thicker, and there are a few less boards in the top lamination.

The most significant construction difference was that I don't own an electric jointer. Ok, to be accurate, I don't own one that works. My father in law gave me a HF/CM 6" jointer that has a bad switch (bad as in you push the 'on' button and sometimes it comes on and sometimes it doesn't. Likewise, once running you push the 'off' button and sometimes it turns off and sometimes not). A buddy of mine has me storing his HF/CM which does follow the basic rules of electrical circuits but when fully seated in the cutterhead the knives taper nearly 1/8".

Given the above, I flattened/jointed all the stock with my handplanes. Frankly, neither of the electric jointers mentioned above could handle the size of the workpieces, and moving 8' sections of ash (getting heavier with each glueup) would have been unwieldy/dangerous. And I suspect I saved more stock this way; the top is 4 3/16" thick after flattening. I would make the concession that a better approach to this build would have been to get wider slabs of less thickness similar to Schwarz's recent '18th Century Workbench'. And for the record, the workhorses in this effort were all vintage Stanleys: Sweetheart Era #5 and 7, and a type 8 (I think) #8. They're convalescing on the lower shelf.

Last but not least, I splurged and got the Benchcrafted vises. Since I built this project at a deliberate pace (some might use the word 'snail' in there) I was able to save up and buy the hardware several months apart. Somehow that made it less painful. And all pain from the cost subsided as soon as I put them to work. "Effortless workholding" indeed. Thanks Jameel.

[David Gendron]

Good work on the bench and of cours on the project, I'm sur she'll forgive you... For now!!

[Shawn Stennett]

Really nice bench!!!

[Shawn Stennett]

David, where did you get the ash, and if you don't mind sharing how much did it run you?

[george wilson]

I'd never build a bench with such SCRAWNY legs.



:)

[David Weaver]

WOW! fabulous bench!

[Terry Beadle]

That's a beauty! Color me green and add a few "you sucks" to your stocking.

Really nice !

[David Keller NC]

David - A very nice, clean design & build. One thing that might interest you is that you've built Chris' "Best Bench Never Made" in the back of his newest book on Workbenches, with the exception that he specified maple as the construction material instead of ash. But that bench does incorporate the 2 Benchcrafted vises, a Roubo-like substructure and a thick top.

A couple of questions that inquiring members will want to know - what are the dimensions of your bench (how long/wide is the top, how high is the working surface off of the floor, how thick are the legs, etc...)

[Dave Houseal]

wow, beautiful bench! Someday I'll build my dream bench too :D

Though it seems you have no problems living without that joiner working, I recently repaired a CM belt/disc sander that had the exact same switch problem.

It was pretty easy and cheap. You can replace the switch with a double pole light switch from the borg. It's important that you get the double pole, I think that it was like $3 or $4. I drilled a couple holes in the back of a standard metal switch box and mounted it to the machine using the screws that held the old switch in place.

[David Myers]

Thanks for the nice comments.

Shawn:
I purchased most of the lumber at Wood World (TI Blvd & 635). They are open on saturdays. The boards were S2S, which made final prep easier. I'm a big fan of their selection and staff. Currently their price is $5/bf.

After I got a batch home I saw "Lone Star PO # . . . " written on one of the boards. Turns out there is a place called Lone Star Hardwoods in Dallas near Harry Hines and Walnut Hill. They will sell to the general public but are only open on weekdays. I showed up, asked to see the ash, and the next thing I know a guy with a forklift was in the parking lot with about 100 bf of lumber for me to pick through. This stock was very rough, not even S1S. But they were thick (true 8/4+) and wide. The bulk of the top of the workbench was from this batch. I called them today, and their current price for 8/4 ash in the rough is $2.52/bf.

My guess is that all told lumber cost for the bench was $800 (with a good bit of leftovers). Obviously I could have saved a great deal more had I discovered Lone Star sooner. The tradeoff besides cost is obviously time spent prepping the stock and finding a weekday off to get to Lone Star.

You might also try BC wood works in Houston. I was there for the LN event in October; they had some impressive slabs of various species. And I'm sure there's a hardwood dealer somewhere in the heart of east Texas that might be as close. Maybe Crockett or Lufkin?

David:
The bench is 8ft x 2 ft. The legs are about 5.25" square and the work surface is about 33" from the floor. The tail vise cavity is the full 18" to maximize the BC capactity. I have yet to drop my holdfast holes in the bench. I wanted to use it first and get a feel for where I'd need them the most.

[Shawn Stennett]

Thanks David, that is where I wil probaly go if I can't find better price.

[john brenton]

Left handers do the best work.

I say that as a right hander. ):

[Steven Wahlert]

Nice work David!

I've been planning something similar for a while.
Now I'm inspired to get to it.

Steve

[Erik France]

David, where did you get the ash, and if you don't mind sharing how much did it run you?
I've heard good things about M&G near Huntsville, I've never used them though. http://www.mgsawmill.com/product.htm

[Garrett Ellis]

Shawn:
I purchased most of the lumber at Wood World (TI Blvd & 635). They are open on saturdays. The boards were S2S, which made final prep easier. I'm a big fan of their selection and staff. Currently their price is $5/bf.

After I got a batch home I saw "Lone Star PO # . . . " written on one of the boards. Turns out there is a place called Lone Star Hardwoods in Dallas near Harry Hines and Walnut Hill. They will sell to the general public but are only open on weekdays. I showed up, asked to see the ash, and the next thing I know a guy with a forklift was in the parking lot with about 100 bf of lumber for me to pick through. This stock was very rough, not even S1S. But they were thick (true 8/4+) and wide. The bulk of the top of the workbench was from this batch. I called them today, and their current price for 8/4 ash in the rough is $2.52/bf.


Woodworld is nice and convenient, but fairly expensive in my experience. I've been by Lone Star Hardwoods once but didn't buy anything. Did seem like a good place to get rough lumber in bulk though. I have also been to Hardwood Lumber Co and I love going there. They have a good selection of cutoffs (cheap) and are really nice people.

http://www.hlcdallas.com/ (not affiliated)

[Mike Brady]

S4S 8/4 ash for my bench was $3.25 bf in Illinois. That was a great price for this quality. I like ash as bench material very much. The only drawbacks are the large pore structure, which catches dust and gets "dirty", and the tear-out from hand planing. I ended up running my top through the power planer. There is just too much grain change in these long boards, even if you are careful about orientation. A good bench is a revelation....you just don't know until you finally have one. The workholding is so user-friendly.

The bench above is superbly done. In fact, your whole shop looks very inviting and bright....good job.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Since you went with the Benchcraft hardware, did you consider their split top design?

[george wilson]

I made a nice bench,but can't photograph it because it is always full of stuff!!

Your bench looks very nice,and so does the rest of your shop.

I got lucky and found a solid piece of beechwood 5 or 6" thick,2 feet wide,and about 9 feet long. It was laying in the yard of a sawmill. I bought it for $10.00. It had a piece of barbed wire running through 1 end. I drilled it out,and made a boat shaped plug. Left it to dry for several years in my heated shop at work. Eventually,it became the top of my workbench.

Previously,I had bought a beechwood log,and had it custom sawn into 4"X6" beams,from which the rest of the bench was made.

Some day I'll have to clear it off and shoot it.

[Kevin Fitzsimons]

I was just going to ask if you are a lefty. Must be with vise placement.

[David Gendron]

C'mon George, just push that stuff of the edge and take a few pics... ;)

[Leigh Betsch]

Great looking bench! I like the mass and the BC hardware.

Come on George knock that stuff off and take a pic for us. What could you possibly have on your bench anyway? Probably a harpsicord, a guitar, a pair of 19C saws, small dovetail plane, a couple of cross cut saw handles, a bronze drill, maybe a cider press or two......
Without a pic all we can assume is that you do all your work on a Workmate!;)

[george wilson]

My bench is such a clutter that you would not like the looks of it. Besides,this is not my thread.

Many would not like my bench as the legs don't go down the sides flush so you can edge plane long boards. I have never been concerned with making furniture much,though,just instruments,so never required the flush legs.

Now,my wife woke me up at 4:30 AM taking the dogs out,and I can't go back to sleep.

[David Myers]

Rest assured that my shop has looked that clean exactly once this year. I spent most of the day Sunday cleaning it up and getting things hung on the wall and off of the work surfaces. There's usually a mess on every surface. And I keep having to find new places to put small cutoffs that I can't bear to toss. And the kids' things keep migrating from their side of the garage to mine.

George, I say take a photo of your bench as-is; I always like to see the implements that an accomplished craftsman like yourself use in their natural environment.

[Zahid Naqvi]

David, that's a really nice bench, I think I need to visit you before your shop acquires the "lived in" look :D
I have to make a bench myself, just don't have any free weekends till after Dec 18 (the 8-5 job gets in the way of the really important stuff in life). I have most of the lumber (Ash) and hardware.

[Steve Branam]

Very nice! I was on again, off again in trying to decide if I should do a wagon vise in my Roubo. I ended up not doing it and going with the Veritas Wonder Dog. I figured it would be good to learn how to do without. That way I know how to use more primitive setups, such as my portable Underhill bench. But no question, you've got a nice setup!

[Izzy Camire]

Wow, nice bench. You did a great job.

[Mike Brady]

Steve, I'm trying to understand your thinking on the end vise or wagon vise. You have built a Roubo, but are doing without any end vise? The wonder dog is a handy little device at times but useless on stock that is thinner than 1". The nut for the screw protrudes over 3/4" so you can't work the face of a common 4/4 thickness board without your plane contacting that steel nut.

A QR vise with a simple wood chop and a bench dog, mounted on the end of your bench, would offer a great work-holding opportunities for working unobstucted on your bench top. Four screw holes in the underside of your benchtop and you're in business. Unless you are on a journey toward replicating 18th century techniques, it seems you are limiting the use of that nice bench you built without some type of end-vise.

[Zahid Naqvi]

got to see the bench in person this weekend (thanks David for taking the time to meet up). It is really much nicer than what it looks like in the pictures, and the bench crafted hardware is unbelievably smooth. You give the wheel a good spin and just watch it keep going. We just need to find some more neanderthals in the greater Dallas area and set up some scheduled meet and greet type sessions.

[Jake Rothermel]

Oooo, pretty...

[bob blakeborough]

Very nice bench!

[David Myers]

Zahid I really enjoyed your visit. And I appreciate you taking the time to share some of your experience with me.

Hopefully I can visit you when you complete your bench.

[Darin Kauffman]

Gorgeous bench. My next bench will be something similar, but hopefully around 10' long.

Good work!