SYP Roubo Question

[Patrick Harper]

I just purchased a bunch of construction 2x12's for a Roubo project and was wondering the best way to get the boards to rough width. My original plan was to joint and edge and run it through the bandsaw. However, I started wondering if I might be releasing too much tension, in which case, jointing the edge might be a waste of time. Should I just mark a straight line down the center and freehand on the bandsaw? I could then joint that edge and rip the individual halves to width.

The boards are currently at about 11-12% moisture. I don't have a table saw, but do have a track saw. Any wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Matt Evans]

My experience with construction grade pine is that it will move a lot when you run it through the saw. I hate running it though the table saw personally, had too much kickback happen that way. I'd snap a line, freehand on the bandsaw, then joint the edges.

Unless you have better luck than I've had, you'll likely end up with about 25% of the boards that look like some strange rectangular-ish banana, and have to straight line them again, both sides.

[ken hatch]

I just purchased a bunch of construction 2x12's for a Roubo project and was wondering the best way to get the boards to rough width. My original plan was to joint and edge and run it through the bandsaw. However, I started wondering if I might be releasing too much tension, in which case, jointing the edge might be a waste of time. Should I just mark a straight line down the center and freehand on the bandsaw? I could then joint that edge and rip the individual halves to width.

The boards are currently at about 11-12% moisture. I don't have a table saw, but do have a track saw. Any wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Patrick,

I've built several SYP work benches, I have a DF work bench in late construction now. All have been made using 2X construction grade wood either 2X10 or 2X12 and your thinking is correct, it is a waste of time and effort to joint and edge before ripping. I have a heavy duty planer so my work order might not work for you but.....here is how I go about building a slab from construction grade dimensioned 2Xs: I use the band saw fence to rip to working width. After giving the ripped 2Xs time to finish doing their stupid wood tricks I joint and true three sides then face glue into working slabs. I usually build split top benches and have a 20" planer so one slab will be close to 400mm and the other around 200mm. After glue up I true the reference face of each slab with a scrub plane and then run the slabs through the planer reference face down. Once the other face on each slab is true I flip the slabs and clean up the reference faces.

I hope it helps,

ken

[Patrick Harper]

Thanks a lot guys. I'm guessing he best way to mark a long straight line is with string and chalk.

[Patrick Harper]

So, things have been moving a long nicely. I'm almost finished with the top. I ended up laminating the top in 4 separate sections. I have two of the sections laminated together, and I am cleaning up the other two.

For anyone with experience with this, I would like to get your experience. Will it be easier in the long run, to add one section to the existing half, or laminate the two sections into a second half, and then laminate the two halves together?

For anyone interested in the build, I've been documenting it here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/01/04/2015-roubo-build/

[Chris Hachet]

Glad you are going with the Benchcrafted classic, I am very slowly building a Roubo myself and I have the Benchcrafted hardware finally in hand for the project. Also, thanks for the blog...

[Patrick Harper]

No problem Chris. Feel free to comment or ask any questions. The Classic is a nice piece of hardware!

[Andrae Covington]

...Will it be easier in the long run, to add one section to the existing half, or laminate the two sections into a second half, and then laminate the two halves together?...

I think I would glue the other two sections together, and then glue the two halves together. In each glue-up you would have equal clamping pressure on both sides of the glue line.

[Patrick Harper]

Andrae, that's an excellent point about the clamping pressure. I did not even consider that. Thanks!

[Reinis Kanders]

Nice bench build.
I am sort doing the same, but already have two decent bases and I am building two new tops. Went to HD during superbowl and they had amazing Dug Fir 16 ft 2x12's. Some completely knot free and flat. Two planks were from a tree over 100 years old. I ripped most of them on my bandsaw and did not experience any funiness. Will see how it is after it sits in a basement for another week.
I went back and got some more from the same shipment, but not as nice. It was late so those I just ripped and s3s by hand and since they were for my secondary bench laminated them in the morning in 5 ft long 12 inch wide 3.5 inch thick slab, just to have it out of the way. Will see how stable this slab will be. Glue lines were not perfect because it is cold, Titebond extend is my favorite winter glue now:)



So, things have been moving a long nicely. I'm almost finished with the top. I ended up laminating the top in 4 separate sections. I have two of the sections laminated together, and I am cleaning up the other two.

For anyone with experience with this, I would like to get your experience. Will it be easier in the long run, to add one section to the existing half, or laminate the two sections into a second half, and then laminate the two halves together?

For anyone interested in the build, I've been documenting it here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/01/04/2015-roubo-build/

[Patrick Harper]

I had a couple of boards with some built up tension. One jumped off the bandsaw table and hit my guides.

We build large gearboxes where I work, and then bearings often come in large boxes made of SYP. The boards on the boxes are often well over 100 years with very dense growth rings and no knots. However, the boards are only about 32 inches long. When I first started, the housings came on pallets made of white oak 6x6 and 2x material. Unfortunately they used ribbed nails that were all but impossible to remove. The pallets themselves weighed over 800 lbs.

[Pat Barry]

I think at this point, I would proceed to laminate two pieces at a time. Before you do that though, double check that the faces you will be sticking together are at 90 degrees relative to your intended top surface. Its not unusual that somethings may have moved during the course of your lamination process, so verify first because it will be much easier to tru them up now than to try and true up the top afterward. I learned this the hard way.

[Patrick Harper]

Pat, I initially laminated 4 large sections using 4 boards a per glue-up. It would be a little cumbersome to do all 4 of these 50lb sections at once. I do a quick run down for each glue-up, to ensure that everything mates properly.