Finally. This project has taken me entirely too long, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.
Nothing really new or different here from the many other split-top Roubo benches that have been posted here -- it is all SYP, except a strip of white oak for the front lamination and hickory for the leg vise chop. Except, this one features one of the new Veritas sliding tail vises. I have not seen this particular vise used on a Roubo style bench, so I thought I'd post it here for those of you that are thinking of building a Roubo and considering which end vise to select.
I had originally thought I would install a Benchcrafted wagon vise, and that is undoubtedly a fantastic vise and would be an excellent choice. But, when Lee Valley announced this vise, I was intrigued by the quick release sliding feature.
This Veritas vise is robust, smooth, and easy to install. Those who wondered whether it would be strong enough need not worry -- it is many, many times stronger than anyone would ever need it to be. If you cranked and cranked on it, I suspect the wooden vise chop would split and break off before the vise itself would be damaged.
With this vise, the Veritas twin screw, and the Benchcrafted wagon vise, we really have some incredibly good choices for our end vises. I thought of all 3 of those options, and am glad I finally settled on this one.
Oh, one other thing. I also had originally planned to build this with a solid top ala Schwarz. But, I really liked the idea of the split top. If nothing else, I think the split top is worthy of consideration because it makes certain aspects of construction much easier. For example, because each half of my bench is about 11" wide, I was able to pass them through my planer prior to final assembly, which made flattening the assembled top a breeze.