Roubo Bench glue-up...

[Harold Burrell]

OK...I kind of asked this in another thread...but apparently I didn't make myself clear, because...well...it really didn't answer my question.

Please allow me to restate it simply...

I am building a Roubo. HOPEFULLY (if it ever gets done) it will look sort of like the one below (except mine will be made entirely of pine...and won't have a wood screw vise...nor a cool old end vise...but you get the idea).

The thing has some VERY beefy mortise and tenons. I plan to draw bore them. I also plan to glue it all up. HOWEVER...assembling this thing is time consuming (to say the least). I need something with a very long open time AND something that would be rather flexible once it is dried (Chris Schwartz says he uses "Construction Epoxy", whatever that is.)

So...what I am asking is...what should I use? I need brand names, where-to-buy, etc. (It is always best to keep in mind, when you are answering my inquiries, that I am not very smart.)

And...BTW...I don't have much money.

[Prashun Patel]

There are two products I've used for extended open time:

Titebond Extend has an opentime of more than 15 minutes.

System 3 T88 Epoxy. This has an open time of about 45 minutes. (the small size ~$20 should be enough for your bench)

You can get both from Woodcraft or Amzn.

Personally, I hate glueups of more than a couple joints at a time. Can you do it in stages just to save yourself the sweat?

[Matthew N. Masail]

I planing about the same thing as you, all pine, no money, no fancy vises. I will use regular wood glue for the M&T joints, maybe a white PVA if I feel the need for longer open time,
it's plenty strong if you also drawbore it.

[Derek Cohen]

I pinned rather than drawbored the mortice and tenons for the top. The reason was that I can removed the pins if I need to take off the top, while it will be a tough job with a drawbore. I doubt that you will get extra rigidity with drawboring if your joints are a good fit to start with.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[John Walkowiak]

Liquid hide glue has the most open time of any glue I know of, but it is not as cheap as the others. Perhaps if you found an online seller that offered it in a gallon size it would be less expensive. You will have to leave the clamps on at least 12 hours, and yes it is as strong as any other glue. As with other glues it does have an outdate, so check the date on the bottle. Good luck with it!

[Jim Matthews]

Titebond II Extend would be my recommendation.

****

Regarding long open times,
if your concern is in getting things
aligned as you go, cauls are your friend.

They could be made from the leg stock,
to laminate your table top first and
then cut to the proper leg dimensions.

I recommend laminating legs from the same batch of lumber
used to make the top. Leave a "space" where you want the mortises.

Leave the leg stock long, where you want the tenons.

This is accomplished by inserting a "spacer" piece wrapped in wax paper or plastic
where you want the hole during glue up.

Have a browse through this page, to see a practical application.

[Christopher Charles]

I used titebond ii when I built mine and pinned the top to the base as Derek said. I'd strongly recommend only gluing 2-4 pieces at a time, building the slab up in stages. Way less stressful.

Good luck!

[Phil Stone]

I used titebond ii when I built mine and pinned the top to the base as Derek said. I'd strongly recommend only gluing 2-4 pieces at a time, building the slab up in stages. Way less stressful.

Good luck!

Pardon my ignorance, but by "pinned" do you just mean staight doweled (as opposed to the offset used for drawboring)?

[ken hatch]

OK...I kind of asked this in another thread...but apparently I didn't make myself clear, because...well...it really didn't answer my question.

Please allow me to restate it simply...

I am building a Roubo. HOPEFULLY (if it ever gets done) it will look sort of like the one below (except mine will be made entirely of pine...and won't have a wood screw vise...nor a cool old end vise...but you get the idea).

The thing has some VERY beefy mortise and tenons. I plan to draw bore them. I also plan to glue it all up. HOWEVER...assembling this thing is time consuming (to say the least). I need something with a very long open time AND something that would be rather flexible once it is dried (Chris Schwartz says he uses "Construction Epoxy", whatever that is.)

So...what I am asking is...what should I use? I need brand names, where-to-buy, etc. (It is always best to keep in mind, when you are answering my inquiries, that I am not very smart.)

And...BTW...I don't have much money.

Harold,

The bench I built before this last one was a Roubo based bench made of construction grade SYP, most of my work benches have been/are made of SYP. It makes a very good bench. Also the last bench had no glue in the joinery, just draw bored joints. With draw boring there is no need for glue, if it is a simple glue up I will sometimes use liquid hide glue but not often. once the glue up become complex I lose the glue. Then it is a simple no stress putting together a set of tinker toys, draw boring each joint as you go.

I hope this helps,

ken

P.S. another advantage of draw boring is you do not need clamps nor do you need to wait for the glue to set.

[Harold Burrell]

Thanks guys.

Once again, it appears that I have not been clear...

My bench is, for the most part, built. I have the top and the legs and the stretchers made. I have the mortises and the tenons cut. All I have yet to do is drill the peg holes. Basically, I am ready for assembly.

I would LOVE to assemble it in stages. However (unless I am missing something) I don't see how that would be possible. Not only are there HUGE tenons at the top of the legs that go thru the top, but there are also HUGE mitered tenons on the stretchers going into the legs about 3" from the bottom.

[Phil Stone]

Thanks guys.

Once again, it appears that I have not been clear...

My bench is, for the most part, built. I have the top and the legs and the stretchers made. I have the mortises and the tenons cut. All I have yet to do is drill the peg holes. Basically, I am ready for assembly.

I would LOVE to assemble it in stages. However (unless I am missing something) I don't see how that would be possible. Not only are there HUGE tenons at the top of the legs that go thru the top, but there are also HUGE mitered tenons on the stretchers going into the legs about 3" from the bottom.

Harold, I don't quite understand. It sounds like you're finished with the laminations (top, legs, stretchers), and now you're putting it all together. If so, you've done the tricky gluing, and can do all the rest with drawboring, no?

EDIT: sorry, rereading your OP, I see that you want to drawbore it AND glue it. I guess it's not helpful to say (I'm building a Roubo-inspired bench as well) I would forget about the glue. Drawboring is plenty strong, and has none of the stress associated with a complex simultaneous glue-up.

[Matt Knights]

I didn't glue or drawbore mine, the top is mortised and is just sat on the tenons. no racking on my bench. This way if i ever need to move the bench e.g from one house to another I can remove the top to lighten the load a little.

Matt

[Phil Stone]

I didn't glue or drawbore mine, the top is mortised and is just sat on the tenons. no racking on my bench. This way if i ever need to move the bench e.g from one house to another I can remove the top to lighten the load a little.

Matt

I have the same goal, but don't want the top to lift off accidentally if I try to move the bench a little. I originally planned to use long bolts through the top and the leg tenons, but now I'm thinking of maybe using Miller dowels, two driven in from the outside, and one driven through the middle of the tenon from the inside. I think that will hold pretty well, and still be knockdown-able.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Proper sized draw bores should be plenty sturdy without glue, so that doesn't hurt. As far as assembling in stages, why isn't that a possibility? If you're using draw bores everywhere, you simply attach the stretchers to legs, draw bore to secure it. Then attach the two leg assemblies, draw bores to a secure it, and then finish with the top. That's how I did my bench. (Although I didn't draw bore, pin, or even glue the top on mine, but it seems plenty secure at this point. It was going to happen - but, well . . . it hasn't.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

To further not directly answer your question, I would use PVA glue in a tenon joint because it will swell the joint. Epoxy will not as much swell the joint, although it will make assembly easier (because it is slippery).