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Thread: What I really Realized - Roubo Me

  1. #1

    What I really Realized - Roubo Me

    A while back I posted a thread about milling curly maple neander style. I appreciate all responses from that thread. A few planes later I realized I was missing something to help out milling neander style. Probably as important as the planes. Thanks to The Schwarz.

    Bench.jpg

    I am always a chicken to take in flight photos because I worry about screwing up. So this almost complete picture is all I have of the journey. The missing shelf board and sliding deadman is next to come.

    My gym called me and asked where I have been for the last 2 months.
    Last edited by Todd McDonald; 03-10-2010 at 9:29 AM. Reason: Chop--- We dont need no stinking chop..

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Escondido, CA
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    That is one classy looking beast!
    Veni Vidi Vendi Vente! I came, I saw, I bought a large coffee!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    Colorado Springs, CO
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    Oh man! I love it. I have a European bench that I really like but after reading Schwarz's book I certainly see the limitations in it. I've made several modifications and jigs for clamping as a result. I never really thought about it until I read his book. Would love to make one of these. Great job!
    With skill and tool we put our trust and when that won't do then power we must.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Great looking bench. Is that Douglas Fir?

    jim
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Parkersburg,WV.
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    Todd, you done good. I really like it. It looks like it will stand anything.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
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    Great work on the bench, you will certainly enjoy it!

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Great looking bench. Is that Douglas Fir?

    jim

    The lumber for the bench is SYP #1 Dense. I used 15 2X12X12. THe chop and shelf is ash and the end vise is popular, had both of these laying around, well not enough ash hence the missing board. Maybe I will just call that the expansion slot

    The final dems: 4.25" X 24.5" X 94"

  8. #8
    You sure it's sturdy enough? Looks kinda wimpy.

    I need to make a real bench...

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
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    I'll be spending my next 6 months of free time working on re-finishing the upstairs on our story-and-a-half house. But after that I plan to build that bench as well.

    How do you like the leg vise? I bought a Jorgensen vise that I planned to use as a face vise. My thought was to extend the top a bit farther on the left and put the vise just left of the leg.

    How was the glue up of the top? Did you have access to a jointer and a planer? I don't have access to either of those, but I do have a #7 that I got to use to flatten the top. I don't have much of a workbench right now (an old door on a couple of sawhorses), but I was thinking about using the #7 to try and flatten and square each board before glue-up. It'd take some rigging to hold the boards, but I fell confident I can figure something out. But do you guys think a #7 will accomplish the task?

    The drawbored joints look great, how was that experience? Did you use a dowel plate to make your own dowels or did you use pre-dimensioned dowels?

    Sorry if these questions seem ridiculous. I'm a newbie. But once my upstairs is done then I can finally build the woodworking shop in my basement that I've always wanted. The bench is going to be the last phase of that project. I'm just brainstorming ways to build Schwarz roubo bench without a jointer or planer.
    Last edited by Dan Sink; 03-10-2010 at 11:55 AM.

  10. #10
    Great job Todd! Looks perfectly flat too. I know what you mean about getting a workout. I'm currently building one myself....heavy lifting.
    It's hard to see the dog holes in your picture....did you go with round or square?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Sink View Post
    I'm just brainstorming ways to build Schwarz roubo bench without a jointer or planer.
    I building a Roubo-ish top right now. Turned 5 2x12s into 15 2x4s and I just started glueup this past weekend. Doing 4 boards at a time leaves me with a workable 3 1/4" x 6" x 90" slab. I've been stealing small chunks of time during the week to make it more flat with a number 5. This weekend, I'll do up another 4 boards. The weekend after, another 4 boards. Then I can slap the 3 sections together, flatten the whole thing with my 7 and 8, and get to work on my doghole strip. Already have the pieces laid out, but I need the bench mostly done so the dogholes don't match up with the legs.

    I don't have a powered jointer or planer. I specifically started down this hand plane slope because I didn't want them.

  12. #12
    That is one fine looking bench. I'm noticing a lot of these on the forums as the result of the Schwarz Workbench Book. I have started thinking more seriously about building one but was stopped short by the nearly $1000 material cost using white ash and a couple of good vices. I figured about 130 bf of 8/4 wood (ash here is $3.25 /a bf); and adding another 10% for waste makes the wood total about $500. The vices, if you use, twin screw plus a wagon or end vice add another $500. SYP is not available in Chicago and I don't know if I would be happy with the other softwood construction lumber species. Does the $1000 cost sound typical?

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Brady View Post
    That is one fine looking bench. I'm noticing a lot of these on the forums as the result of the Schwarz Workbench Book. I have started thinking more seriously about building one but was stopped short by the nearly $1000 material cost using white ash and a couple of good vices. I figured about 130 bf of 8/4 wood (ash here is $3.25 /a bf); and adding another 10% for waste makes the wood total about $500. The vices, if you use, twin screw plus a wagon or end vice add another $500. SYP is not available in Chicago and I don't know if I would be happy with the other softwood construction lumber species. Does the $1000 cost sound typical?
    Schwarz recommends construction grade douglas fir in his book for those of us that live in the midwest. That's what I plan on using. I'm going to rip 2x10s or 2x12s from the Home Depot. I haven't priced out the wood yet, but I don't imagine it being more that $200 or $250. I'm only going to put a front vise on it for now and will add a tail vise later as finances permit. The Jorgensen I bought was about $140, so I'm hoping to do the whole thing for about $400 in initial materials cost.
    Last edited by Dan Sink; 03-10-2010 at 4:24 PM.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Madison, WI
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    345
    My total is coming in well under $100. If I recall correctly, I spent the following on lumber. Granted, mine is more english trestle base instead of a true Roubo, but still.

    Top: 5 2x12x8' @$8. = $40
    Legs: 2 4x4x8 @$10 = $20
    Stretchers: 1 2x12x12' = $16
    Total: $76

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Wixom, Michigan
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    363
    Nice bench Todd. I built one about 6 months ago and love it. Never knew what I was missing until I had this and can't imagine life without it.

    Mike, I built mine using construction grade lumber from Lowe's. Granted I sorted through about 100 different boards to find the best ones (quite a workout!!) but the overall cost really is quite low.

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