Roubo Bench - Weeks #1 & 2

[Shamrock]

1st question : What comes 1st the chicken or the egg?
Woodworking translation: How do you build something flat with no flat surface to build it on? So my 1st task was to build some torsion boxes to glue the laminations for the top/legs/stretchers:

2nd question : Is finding quality southern yellow pine from the BORG's as easy as Christopher Schwarz leads you believe in his Woodworking magazine article and Workbench book? -- well not so much here in the Charlotte area- Went to 3 Home Depots and 3 Lowe's just to find enough wood for the bench:

Total cost for wood ~$180
Then I measured the moisture content of each board and cut them up into rough sizes and let them sit awhile:

After awhile I began to flatten the top boards in 4 board sections:

once flat I glued them up in 4 board sections-about one section every day I had off:


then 4 board sections into 2:

and finally all the sections into the top:

3rd question: Is my shop big enough for this project? I know I should've asked this before starting but the answer is not really. Once the top was glued up I moved it off the outfeed table and onto some sawhorses as i needed the outfeed table to start on the legs. As my wife was helping me to put the HEAVY top onto the sawhorses she says:
4th question : "You sure these sawhorses can hold this?" My answer - yeah sure, no problem (I am a man after all).
So I flattened the boards for the legs and glued those up, cutting the 2 inside boards at 32" and the 2 outside boards at 30" to give me 2" tenons:

4th question repeated: "You sure those sawhorses can hold this?" Correct answer: No....

As I was trimming the ends of the top square the sawhorses kicked the bucket... so as of tonight I've got all the legs ready to go and the top is sitting on the floor. Next week I'll build some proper sawhorses and figure out how to get the top up onto them-then I'll continue the building process. More updates to follow......

:BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:clamps-clamps-why do I never have enough clamps

 

[TracyP]

Great progress report so far. I am looking forward to the remainder of the project. Keep the narrative and the pictures coming.

 

[woodArtz]

Very good progress... nice pics! :icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum

 

[WoodWrangler]

Looking great man ... boy do I need one of those benches!

 

[Travis Porter]

What is a "Roubo Bench "? I have never heard of that one.

 

[WoodWrangler]

The Roubo is from the one of the latest "Woodworking Magazine" articles. It's a 200 year old bench plan, or something. Looks very solid and heavy.

 

[Travis Porter]

Is that the one Robert Lang just did?

 

[Shamrock]

Travis-
The Roubo workbench is actually something Christopher Schwarz found in an old woodworking book called "L'art du Menuisier" (The Art of the Woodworker 1769-1775) written by Jaques-Andre Roubo. The workbench was pictured as one of the photo plates in the book and in the current day Mr. Schwarz took the picture and developed a "re-creation" of the bench, and because it came from Roubo's book it got the nickname of the Roubo bench. All I can say is it's HEAVY! The plans are in the Autumn 2005 issue of Woodworking magazine and also part of Christopher Schwarz's book called appropriately enough "Workbenches"

Oh, and to answer the other question-it's not quite the same as the one Robert Lang built in this past issue of Popular woodworking but some of the concepts are similar (flush legs with the top-sliding dead-man type rail on the front)

:BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:clamps-clamps-why do I never have enough clamps

 

[PeteQuad]

Very nice Mike! That top looks great!

 

[froglips]

Mike, first thanks! We talked at the crawl, and I was really looking forward to your progress reports.

Sorry bout the loss of the saw horses A good lesson for those of us who will follow in your footsteps.

I recall your shop from the crawl, where are you planning to put your bench?

How long did you decided to make the top?

Whats your take on Mr. Schwarz's book now that you are putting it into action?

That torsion box idea was really slick, did it work to your satisfaction?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[cpowell]

That brings back memories of my own workbench adventure.

You are off to a great start. :icon_thum

Keep the pics coming. Everyone loves looking at workbench WIPs and writeups.


Chuck

 

[Shamrock]

Jim,
My top is going to end up ~94 inches-I planned on 96" but ran into some problems with the end trimming (i.e. sawhorse collapse).
I'm actually going to replace the out feed table with the bench as the bench is 34" and that's the height of my table-saw also. I will place it about 16 inches from the back of the tablesaw and build a small table that I can easily remove to place in between the back of the saw and the bench. That way, when I need to, I'll be able to access all 4 sides of the bench.
As for the book, its good quality information, but for just the Roubo plans the issue of Woodworking magazine has everything you need. In the book there are a few more details but I've got them both and the construction details are almost exactly the same. The book does have alot of other info on bench accessories and uses and such, as well as complete construction details of the "English Workbench"

Let me know if you've got any other questions!

:BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:clamps-clamps-why do I never have enough clamps

 

[Tarhead]

Nice work Mike!

Have you seen Jameel's French/German bench?
http://oudluthier.blogspot.com/2008/07/bench-3-finis.html

He starts his documentation on his May 27th blog entry here:
http://oudluthier.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

I like the inset rollers he used to support the bottom of the leg vice to keep it parallel to the top.

Here's an option for a no-sag tail vise:
http://benchcrafted.com/vises.htm

I'm sure based on what we saw in your shop during the crawl that yours will be just as nice.

 

[flatheadfisher]

I am sorry about your saw horses! It is bad when a good horse goes down. :gar-La;

That is going to be a nice bench.

 

[LeftyTom]

You are off to a great start on the bench. You cold build hefty sawhorses, and use the wood on the floor as a lower shelf. Just an idea! (I ain't saying it is a good idea)

 

[Gotcha6]

Looks like it'll be a sturdy workbench when you're done. I frequent BORGs & always try to look at the SYP 2x8s there thinking I'll buy the heart cuts & bust 'em in two to get QS 2x4s for a top.
As for the saw bucks, in construction we used to have a new hiree 'carpenter' build a set of saw bucks for us to see if he was any good. It usually took a few tries for us to get a good one. You'll do better on your next set.:icon_thum

 

[BigJohn]

Love the bench. Hope to start mine soon. Dont know where I am going to build it or put it when finished though.

Keep the pics coming!

John

 

[Bas]

I've had my SYP workbench for almost a year now, and it's held up great. Sure, it's got a couple of nicks and dings, but nothing major. But it's not nearly as long as yours, 96" is awesome! And heavy.....

For anyone else contemplating this type of bench - buy SYP during the week, not during the weekend. The contractors will take the good boards and leave the twisted, knotty warped ones for the homeowners to buy during the weekend. Tuesdays are best.

 

[Trent Mason]

Looks good Mike! :icon_thum Can't wait to see the rest of the process and the finished product.

 

[DIYGUY]

Just curious - why did you choose SYP for your bench? I like it and have used it for the porch rails on my house. I sourced it at my local 84 and the price/selection are fair. I think it is a bit soft for a work surface, which is why I wonder what made you want to use it instead of a more traditional hardwood for a workbench, such as beech, red oak, etc.