Easy to build bench top router table.
This is a very simple to build router table made from half a sheet of 3/4” plywood and a 1/4 sheet of 1/2” plywood.
Workbench #3: The Build - Top
So I began the build with the top, figuring that I could use it to build the base. The wife bought me a Vika for Christmas so it is my temporary work bench (along with my trusty, old, Workmate and saw horses).As you may have seen in my earlier entry, the top was to consist of two, 8 piece laminations. I face planed them with my #7 to ensure good glue up and glued them at the same time as two separate chunks. Here was my first screw-up (should have planed them four square). This was clos...
SYP Spilt-Top Roubo Workbench #4: Cost & Weight Estimate
I’m sure there are those of you interested in how much this thing weighs and (more importantly) how much it cost to build. A quick volume estimate puts the total amount of wood at ~5 cubic feet. Considering an average specific gravity of about 0.60 (range for SYP is 0.54 – 0.65, and the hickory is more than that), the weight is: (5 cu. ft.)(62.4 lbs/cu. ft.)(0.60) = 187 lbs So, the wood alone is about 190 lbs. Factor in the weight of the vise hardware and the many metal...
SYP Spilt-Top Roubo Workbench #3: (Mostly) Finished Tail Vise
Previously, I had run out of time to complete the tail vise on my workbench: This weekend I finally got the time to remedy that situation. I started off by routing the dog holes in one of the boards, then gluing up the leg vise block. The dog holes are spaced at 3” for versatility. Then I needed to figure out what to remove for the various pieces of the vise hardware. Some time was spent with the adjustable square to figure out the recess locations. Note: the measureme...
SYP Spilt-Top Roubo Workbench #2: Finished Leg Vise
I finally got some shop time this weekend and had a chance to complete my leg vise. After my last building session, I had left it basically functional, but lacking a couple bells and whistles to make it really nice. The first addition was a guide wheel on the underside of the parallel guide. I bought another plastic wheel from Woodcraft and mounted it below the guide. It looks like it could become an ankle biter, but I haven’t run into any problems yet. It’s only pock...
More Tops
A year or so ago I wrote about “Tops”, describing how simple, small, hand-spun tops can be easily made using 1-1/2” diameter wooden wheels and 2” lengths of ¼” dowels (sharpened on one end and chamfered on the other). The tops I made for our toy drive last year and the first fifty or so I made this year, were decorated by applying rings of marker colors to tops spun in a drill..The easiest way to sharpen and chamfer the axle before inserting into the wheel, is to lightly grip it in a drill c...
My Workbench Saga #1: Three tries to get a good bench.
My Workbench Saga I am a relatively new woodworker. I had grand visions of building furniture when I started on this quest nearly five years ago but all I have managed to actually build are storage sheds, animal shelters, and a couple of amateur shelving units that I am embarrassed to show anyone with real skills. My journey toward building an actual piece of furniture I can be proud of has progressed in fits and starts. I have read countless books, magazines, web articles, and forum posts...
2 Top 3's in the 1 Day
I had a great day on lumber jocks yesterday i had got 2 daily top 3’s in the one day with my space saving lumber storage and my small stool made entirely from hand tools, so now i have daily top 3 awards (my other being my homemade table saw). Its great seeing all the encouragement of people and it gives me great inspiration.
Tool Refurb #4: Table Saw Top Cleanup and Belts
I started cleaning up the top to the table saw today. I saw this website where he was working on the same saw as I am so I decided to take his methods. I started with 320 grit wet/dry sand paper then to 400-600-800-2000. I think it turned out alright. Also here is a photo of the belts. So yeah I’m sure I need to replace them.
My First WorkBench Build #3: Flattening the bottom of the top
I haven’t had much time to work on the bench since I did the glue up of the top, but tonight I finished tuning up my jointer plane which still needed the bottom lapped and the back of the blade lapped and sharpened. Then I tuned up my ugliest #5 which will now be reserved for fore plane duty with it’s sharpened 8” radius camber blade that I did tonight. Then I went work flattening the bottom. It’s not 100% perfect, but it’s 99% which is good enough for me for the...
