I started this bench a few months back after being inspired by Jameel's Roubo. I am very happy with the way it turned out.
The top is Euro Beech , was cheaper than soft maple? and was my first choice. base is poplar with the rest of the bench being made up of various scraps from around the shop, Pecan , hickory, walnut , birch ,hard and soft maple, zebra wood.
I spent a bit of time tweaking the sliding leg vise and it works quite well. I ended up mounting a 1-3/8" bearing on a 1/2" steel rod through a steel support plate to reduce some of the binding of the screw and nut. I also milled a recess for the bearing into the back of the chop so the vise can close all the way. The parallel guide slides in a groove below the table , this leaves the shelf below relatively clear for a cab with draws below the screw height to be added later.
After many years of not having a real bench this is quite an improvement. I used both power tools and hand tools to build it. The top lamination's are all face jointed and flattened with a #8, Dove tails are hand cut. The joinery for the base is a little over the top, I just love through tenons with wedges as you can see. the tenons are all cut with the band saw, mortises with HCM. The mortises are all flared a couple of degrees with a guide block and chisels with the tenons receiving a slice on the band saw to receive the wedges.The two long stretchers are draw bored as well. The top is secured to the base with angle iron and lags through elongated holes to allow for movement. The metal strips are mortised in above and below the guide slot to minimize marring of the poplar from the pin. thanks for looking.
Tom
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Originally Posted by Thomas love
