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Thread: My Roubo

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Lewisville, Tx
    Posts
    158

    My Roubo

    I finished my bench a few months ago. And since I used up more than my fair share of my wife's patience I got right to work on making some things for her and never got around to photographing it until today (that's the WW Magazine's Stickley Magazine Stand on the benchtop; hope you enjoy it, honey).

    The bench was based on Chris Schwarz's "French Workbench" from his first book. I followed his method fairly closely but there were a few differences. I used ash, and my raw lumber was thicker than his dimensional SYP. So the legs are a little thicker, and there are a few less boards in the top lamination.

    The most significant construction difference was that I don't own an electric jointer. Ok, to be accurate, I don't own one that works. My father in law gave me a HF/CM 6" jointer that has a bad switch (bad as in you push the 'on' button and sometimes it comes on and sometimes it doesn't. Likewise, once running you push the 'off' button and sometimes it turns off and sometimes not). A buddy of mine has me storing his HF/CM which does follow the basic rules of electrical circuits but when fully seated in the cutterhead the knives taper nearly 1/8".

    Given the above, I flattened/jointed all the stock with my handplanes. Frankly, neither of the electric jointers mentioned above could handle the size of the workpieces, and moving 8' sections of ash (getting heavier with each glueup) would have been unwieldy/dangerous. And I suspect I saved more stock this way; the top is 4 3/16" thick after flattening. I would make the concession that a better approach to this build would have been to get wider slabs of less thickness similar to Schwarz's recent '18th Century Workbench'. And for the record, the workhorses in this effort were all vintage Stanleys: Sweetheart Era #5 and 7, and a type 8 (I think) #8. They're convalescing on the lower shelf.

    Last but not least, I splurged and got the Benchcrafted vises. Since I built this project at a deliberate pace (some might use the word 'snail' in there) I was able to save up and buy the hardware several months apart. Somehow that made it less painful. And all pain from the cost subsided as soon as I put them to work. "Effortless workholding" indeed. Thanks Jameel.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
    Posts
    1,148
    Good work on the bench and of cours on the project, I'm sur she'll forgive you... For now!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Buffalo, Texas
    Posts
    239
    Really nice bench!!!
    Shawn Stennett

    My favorite quote "Letz go in shop to fixz DaDa" My son

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Buffalo, Texas
    Posts
    239
    David, where did you get the ash, and if you don't mind sharing how much did it run you?
    Shawn Stennett

    My favorite quote "Letz go in shop to fixz DaDa" My son

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Williamsburg,Va.
    Posts
    12,402
    I'd never build a bench with such SCRAWNY legs.



    Last edited by george wilson; 11-29-2010 at 1:12 PM.

  6. #6
    WOW! fabulous bench!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Marietta GA
    Posts
    1,120

    Great Bench....

    That's a beauty! Color me green and add a few "you sucks" to your stocking.

    Really nice !

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    2,854
    David - A very nice, clean design & build. One thing that might interest you is that you've built Chris' "Best Bench Never Made" in the back of his newest book on Workbenches, with the exception that he specified maple as the construction material instead of ash. But that bench does incorporate the 2 Benchcrafted vises, a Roubo-like substructure and a thick top.

    A couple of questions that inquiring members will want to know - what are the dimensions of your bench (how long/wide is the top, how high is the working surface off of the floor, how thick are the legs, etc...)

  9. #9
    wow, beautiful bench! Someday I'll build my dream bench too

    Though it seems you have no problems living without that joiner working, I recently repaired a CM belt/disc sander that had the exact same switch problem.

    It was pretty easy and cheap. You can replace the switch with a double pole light switch from the borg. It's important that you get the double pole, I think that it was like $3 or $4. I drilled a couple holes in the back of a standard metal switch box and mounted it to the machine using the screws that held the old switch in place.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Lewisville, Tx
    Posts
    158
    Thanks for the nice comments.

    Shawn:
    I purchased most of the lumber at Wood World (TI Blvd & 635). They are open on saturdays. The boards were S2S, which made final prep easier. I'm a big fan of their selection and staff. Currently their price is $5/bf.

    After I got a batch home I saw "Lone Star PO # . . . " written on one of the boards. Turns out there is a place called Lone Star Hardwoods in Dallas near Harry Hines and Walnut Hill. They will sell to the general public but are only open on weekdays. I showed up, asked to see the ash, and the next thing I know a guy with a forklift was in the parking lot with about 100 bf of lumber for me to pick through. This stock was very rough, not even S1S. But they were thick (true 8/4+) and wide. The bulk of the top of the workbench was from this batch. I called them today, and their current price for 8/4 ash in the rough is $2.52/bf.

    My guess is that all told lumber cost for the bench was $800 (with a good bit of leftovers). Obviously I could have saved a great deal more had I discovered Lone Star sooner. The tradeoff besides cost is obviously time spent prepping the stock and finding a weekday off to get to Lone Star.

    You might also try BC wood works in Houston. I was there for the LN event in October; they had some impressive slabs of various species. And I'm sure there's a hardwood dealer somewhere in the heart of east Texas that might be as close. Maybe Crockett or Lufkin?

    David:
    The bench is 8ft x 2 ft. The legs are about 5.25" square and the work surface is about 33" from the floor. The tail vise cavity is the full 18" to maximize the BC capactity. I have yet to drop my holdfast holes in the bench. I wanted to use it first and get a feel for where I'd need them the most.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Buffalo, Texas
    Posts
    239
    Thanks David, that is where I wil probaly go if I can't find better price.
    Shawn Stennett

    My favorite quote "Letz go in shop to fixz DaDa" My son

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    savannah
    Posts
    1,102
    Left handers do the best work.

    I say that as a right hander. ):

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Chicago suburb
    Posts
    46
    Nice work David!

    I've been planning something similar for a while.
    Now I'm inspired to get to it.

    Steve

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Fort Worth, TX
    Posts
    221
    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn Stennett View Post
    David, where did you get the ash, and if you don't mind sharing how much did it run you?
    I've heard good things about M&G near Huntsville, I've never used them though. http://www.mgsawmill.com/product.htm

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    216
    Quote Originally Posted by David Myers View Post
    Shawn:
    I purchased most of the lumber at Wood World (TI Blvd & 635). They are open on saturdays. The boards were S2S, which made final prep easier. I'm a big fan of their selection and staff. Currently their price is $5/bf.

    After I got a batch home I saw "Lone Star PO # . . . " written on one of the boards. Turns out there is a place called Lone Star Hardwoods in Dallas near Harry Hines and Walnut Hill. They will sell to the general public but are only open on weekdays. I showed up, asked to see the ash, and the next thing I know a guy with a forklift was in the parking lot with about 100 bf of lumber for me to pick through. This stock was very rough, not even S1S. But they were thick (true 8/4+) and wide. The bulk of the top of the workbench was from this batch. I called them today, and their current price for 8/4 ash in the rough is $2.52/bf.
    Woodworld is nice and convenient, but fairly expensive in my experience. I've been by Lone Star Hardwoods once but didn't buy anything. Did seem like a good place to get rough lumber in bulk though. I have also been to Hardwood Lumber Co and I love going there. They have a good selection of cutoffs (cheap) and are really nice people.

    http://www.hlcdallas.com/ (not affiliated)
    Last edited by Garrett Ellis; 11-29-2010 at 5:17 PM.

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