Introducing Le Roubo

[Josh Bowman]

I made a large leap forward on the bench project. Even though I'm not done, I couldn't resist showing my current progress. If anyone wants, I can post the journey from rough boards to finish.....when I get finished. These benchs are real muscle intensive to build. Men were really men long ago.
Now I just have to figure out how to get it on it's feet!

[Michael Peet]

Looking great, Josh! Looks like you're just about done.

I just spent the weekend prepping some of the rough lumber for the top of mine. I am using a bandsaw and my trusty #7. I am bushed.

Funny, I never tire of a good bench thread.

Mike

[John Schreiber]

I'm sure Monsieur would be proud. By the time it is assembled that far, I was able to flip mine slowly onto lower horses solo, but it's much easier with a neighbor's help.

[David Gendron]

Look ealy good! It would be intresting to have more details on the vises the why and how of your choice!

[Jim Koepke]

Now I just have to figure out how to get it on it's feet!

Looks nice.

My curiosity is likely not the only one wanting to see the full journey.

Not sure about your height from the saw horses to the floor in relation to the legs, but you may be able to roll it over and onto the floor with minimal help.

You may want to take the front jaw out of the vise.

jim

[Bob Jones]

Josh,
I would like more details and pictures of your wagon vise. I am about to order hardware for a roubo myself. Thanks!

[Tri Hoang]

Looking great, Josh. I need to stop planing & start building one soon. I vote for more detailed pics & construction note on the wagon vise as well.

[Lowell Smith]

I made a large leap forward on the bench project. Even though I'm not done, I couldn't resist showing my current progress. If anyone wants, I can post the journey from rough boards to finish.....when I get finished. These benchs are real muscle intensive to build. Men were really men long ago.
Now I just have to figure out how to get it on it's feet!

I enjoy these 'works in progress' threads. It helps emphasize the tremendous amount of work and time that goes into them. It also seems to generate additional comments and questions that might not otherwise arise.

Looks terrific!

[Charlie Gummer]

That's awesome Josh! A Roubo is in my very (hopefully) near future, I too would love to see the complete journey.

[Kevin McMichael]

Canoes and kayaks take up a lot of room. I also suffer from this. Nice bench, I have the wood fro mine waiting for me to purchase glue and some more clamps.

[Josh Bowman]

Josh,
I would like more details and pictures of your wagon vise. I am about to order hardware for a roubo myself. Thanks!

The wagon vise was cheap. I hope it's useful. I used it upside down already to point the dowels used for the drawbore. When I find a longer screw, I'm going to use a garter so the handle does not get so much in the way.
I cut my top boards to length to allow for the vise, so I didn't have to chop them out. I then cut the chop from scrap and it's about 6 inches long. I used a press screw from woodcraft which is about 11 ½” long and some misc hardware from Lowes. The vise moves very well, I noted after I installed the drawer slides that under load the slides bowed some. So I used the window brackets Z shaped piece to brace it. A note about the underneath drawer slides, I only used the bottom part with the bearings. I drilled a hole in the main part of the slide to allow a screw head to pass so the bearing runner could be screwed to the bottom of the chop. Now will be the smoke test, if dirt that collects in the bottom half of the drawer slide gunks it up. I have a plan B if that happens. The first picture shows the wagon vise opening by simply leaving a couple of boards short. The 4th shows the chop before it was planes down level with the bench.

[Josh Bowman]

Doesn't Jr's hold fasts look nice?

[Josh Bowman]

This journey started back in the winter. I was talking about building a Roubo to a friend and told him how I dreaded picking thourgh the lumber at Lowes. He said he had a cousin up on the moutain that had 10 year old maple. So I bought a truck load of rough lumber for 70 dollars.

[Josh Bowman]

I mentioned to another friend that I needed a larger planer.....300 dollars later I had his late fathers Delta 380 clone in my shop. I started milling and glueing up pairs of boards.....unfortunately my jointer was not adjusted correctly nor was I for 8 foot boards! I did a test clamp up and found the pairs did not align well.

[Josh Bowman]

My buddy had me over and we used his 8 inch powermatic and his need for perfection and got all the pairs so they jointed almost without a gap! That made the final top glue up go without a hitch.