Workbench... finally done!

[Augusto Orosco]

Well, it has been a couple of years in the making; mostly a few minutes at night every now and then, but it's finally done! I did a lot of the dimensioning of the top by hand, except for the initial ripping (circular saw) and for using the planer for thicknessing. For the base I cheated and used a J/P combo (I really wanted to speed some things up so I could move on to other projects). And a bandsaw was also involved at some points... and.. oh well.. the point is that I did use and learn a lot about hand planes, chisels and handsaws. Mike Allen: Your saws were used extensively in this project ... you made me a convert!

The last step was flattening the top with my LV BU jack and a #8, which was a breeze (took me perhaps 60 minutes, but no complications; so that qualifies as a breeze in my book). I based the build on C.S. plans ("The Workbench Book"), and took a ton of advice from this forum, either indirectly from others' build threads or from some questions I posted here that many of you answered very generously. So thanks!


It's mostly soft maple, except the last lamination in the front (which sandwiches the dog holes and takes the most abuse), the end cap and the leg chop, which are hard maple. And the shelf is just construction douglas fir. It's a little shy of 7' long and 24" wide. The height something around 34" or 35" I think ... I didn't really measure, after all that hand-planing and sawing and mortising on various surfaces, I had a good feeling of what felt right to me and acted accordingly when cutting the legs. The hardware is Benchcrafted, which is a splurge, I know, but if I am going to be making a project a year, I rather indulge in stuff that works wonderfully (and this really does), and is nice to look at!

[Kyle DuPont]

Fantastic looking bench! Congratulations on the completion.

[Jim Koepke]

Well, it has been a couple of years in the making; ...

and is nice to look at!

Very nice to look at.

Makes me feel a bit of embarrassment. Mine has be a few more years in the making. It seems something else keeps coming up every time some of my bench wood is set upon to work.

jtk

[Pat Barry]

Very nice work on this project. I'm curious though about the long cantilevered end and if that is going to be a problem over time due to lack of support? Did it need to be that way because of the wagon vice design or was there some other reason for doing it that way?

[Augusto Orosco]

Very nice work on this project. I'm curious though about the long cantilevered end and if that is going to be a problem over time due to lack of support? Did it need to be that way because of the wagon vice design or was there some other reason for doing it that way?

Thanks!

It was mostly due to the wagon vise design. I also wanted to have a dog hole very close to the end of vise, but was too lazy to dig a dog-hole (square) on top of a leg. Had I done that, I would have been able to move the leg perhaps 4" inches closer. The other option would have been to move the dog holes farther from the front, so I could place the leg anywhere without interfering with the vise travel, but I didn't want to do so, because it would make some operations (like using a plow plane, or making mouldings -some day!- harder) In addition, I would have liked a little more symmetry on the other side, but I can't fit a bench longer than 7' in the shop and moving the other leg closer in would have looked odd (and made the shelf space too narrow).

I am betting lack of support won't be a problem. The top is thick (4") and very stiff, so the 18" or so of overhang shouldn't be a problem with support (I think). Everything is also very heavy, and the bench stays perfectly put when doing heavy planning, for instance. Also, I have tried to tip it by leaning on the cantilevered side and you have to put all your weight and some to so so, so I don't think tipping will be a problem either, unless I decide to put an engine on the unsupported side. I guess time will tell!

[Glen Johnson]

Beautifully executed! You will smile every time you walk up to work on it.

[Patrick Harper]

Nice work. I'm finishing up my build. I just have to complete the dead-man and shelf. Now, I understand why finished benches are so expensive.

[Phil Stone]

Nice work. I'm finishing up my build. I just have to complete the dead-man and shelf. Now, I understand why finished benches are so expensive.

Me, too (just finishing a bench, that is). I just shaped the chop last night. Augusto, very nice bench! I would love to have used all soft maple like you did, and I think the result is beautiful.

[Frederick Skelly]

Sure looks like she was well worth the time, treasure and effort you put into it! Congratulations!
Fred

[Brian Holcombe]

Very nice work!

[Shawn Pixley]

Very noce bench! I am jealous.

[Will Boulware]

Nice work! I like it.

[george wilson]

Good work!!!!

[Dean Karavite]

Great job! Knowing your super analytical nature, do you have a weight estimate on the bench? :)

[Stew Denton]

Augusto,

Beautiful bench! I hope to build one as nice some day, but it probably won't be as nice as yours.

Stew

[Matthew Hills]

Very Nice!
Now the trick is to get your next project on there before it turns into a temporary storage surface.

Also, recommend getting a large rectangular trash can to fit in on the left side. (easy to brush your debris off the end of the bench; I like this better than vac, especially for plane shavings)

Matt

[ian maybury]

Lovely job. I'm jealous - i've been putting mine off for a several years as other shop set up tasks took priority - i just knew that if i touched it that the other stuff (dust system, machine set ups etc) wouldn't get done. It's finally under way....

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks everyone. After a couple of hours at the bench, It's really a joy to use.


Great job! Knowing your super analytical nature, do you have a weight estimate on the bench? :)

Dean, I estimate between 320lb and 350lbs, including both vises.

[David Ragan]

Makes my old bench look ratty.

When you finish a project, don't you look back with some nostalgia with all the fun it was?

[Terry Beadle]

You are one lucky bench owner/builder !!! I'd award you a "You suck" but I'm speechless.

[Christopher Charles]

Congrats and looks great. I was reminded this weekend how much of a game changer a good bench is (I finished a roubo 1.5 years ago and approaching the date where i've had it finished longer than i was building it :) ). Had a friend who need a minor mod to a door and what would have been 10-20 minutes of fiddling was reduce to seconds.

Look forward to seeing the projects as they come off the bench.

C

[Julie Moriarty]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=313490&d=1431524159

WOW! Beautiful work!

[Mike Allen1010]

Absolutely beautiful and clearly well executed my friend!! I'm sure you and future generations will enjoying your bench everytime you use it! Thanks for positng the pic. If I had a bench that nice I would be tempted to put it in the house!

FWIW, I think putting the dog holes closer to the edge of bench surface does make plowing and moldings etc easier.

I look forward to seeing the work you'll do and some pictures with a few saw marks, chisel gouges, finish spills etc.

Cheers, Mike

[ian maybury]

Benches are great, aren't they? There's something visceral about large well worked chunks of wood...

[Joe A Faulkner]

Excellent Bench. I still have to make my sliding deadman. It looks like you have a great little nook to keep it in. My guess is that soon you will want more storage along that back wall to keep your most popular hand tools close at hand.

[Patrick Harper]

Augusto, are you using the Bench Crafted criss-cross on the leg vise? I noticed that your front stretchers are draw-bored. I ran into an issue with the front stretcher. I had to make it thicker and locate the tenon further back. Also, I didn't like the idea of draw-boring through the entire leg, so I draw-bored that front stretcher from the rear.

Design details here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/01/17/sketchup-to-the-rescue/

Drawboring modification here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/05/03/roubo-workbench-build-draw-boring-the-base/

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks everyone for all the nice comments !


Augusto, are you using the Bench Crafted criss-cross on the leg vise? I noticed that your front stretchers are draw-bored. I ran into an issue with the front stretcher. I had to make it thicker and locate the tenon further back. Also, I didn't like the idea of draw-boring through the entire leg, so I draw-bored that front stretcher from the rear.

Design details here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/01/17/sketchup-to-the-rescue/

Drawboring modification here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/05/03/roubo-workbench-build-draw-boring-the-base/

yes, I am using the cries cross. The legs are 5.5x5.5 inches, and the stretchers about 3.75 (out of two laminations). With those dimensions, it was pretty easy to fit anything without interference, including the crisscross mortise.

[Patrick Harper]

Thanks everyone for all the nice comments !



yes, I am using the cries cross. The legs are 5.5x5.5 inches, and the stretchers about 3.75 (out of two laminations). With those dimensions, it was pretty easy to fit anything without interference, including the crisscross mortise.

Cool, thanks. Sounds very similar to my setup.