Why and What?
Twenty-five months ago I built my Roubo workbench based on plans in C. Schwarz' first Workbenches book. I read the cautions to keep the underside of the benchtop clear of anything that would impede clamping, protruding holdfasts, etc. and finished the base with a simple shelf. I did add a small, single drawer to the underside about six months later, based on examples in Roubo illustrations, but nothing else.
About a year ago I was fortunate to come across a traditional cabinetmaker's workbench that came out of an organ factory nearby. It has a chest of drawers underneath (four wide drawers and a hinged cubby on its right side) that I use for all the things that don't fit in the Roubo's small drawer (and that's lots of my most commonly used hand tools). When I picked up the Stanley SW 750 set my problem came to a head - where to put my now complete chisel sets (Everlastings, SW 750 Re-Issues, cats and dogs, etc.)? A wall / bench rack or in a drawer? I think sometimes that a couple of low-profile drawers at the bottom of the Roubo would be a very good thing, because what's down there now isn't used at all or simply gets covered in dust and shavings. I do not want to fill the space with a cabinet; I don't work that way and don't want a kitchen cabinet with a thick top. I use my hold fasts and use the bench as a total clamping tool, so the bottom has to stay essentially clear. Isn't there middle ground here? Maybe something like this?
It'll be an all-drawer cabinet, unless the right side is a door, like what's in the traditional bench cabinet. But a door wouldn't work in the Roubo because there is a sliding deadman on the underside of the bench that would hinder the door's ability to be used freely. But the thought is my #45 (and others) need a home / large drawer rather than the far away shelf it's sitting on now.
Sounds like I have a project on my hands.
Twenty-five months ago I built my Roubo workbench based on plans in C. Schwarz' first Workbenches book. I read the cautions to keep the underside of the benchtop clear of anything that would impede clamping, protruding holdfasts, etc. and finished the base with a simple shelf. I did add a small, single drawer to the underside about six months later, based on examples in Roubo illustrations, but nothing else.
About a year ago I was fortunate to come across a traditional cabinetmaker's workbench that came out of an organ factory nearby. It has a chest of drawers underneath (four wide drawers and a hinged cubby on its right side) that I use for all the things that don't fit in the Roubo's small drawer (and that's lots of my most commonly used hand tools). When I picked up the Stanley SW 750 set my problem came to a head - where to put my now complete chisel sets (Everlastings, SW 750 Re-Issues, cats and dogs, etc.)? A wall / bench rack or in a drawer? I think sometimes that a couple of low-profile drawers at the bottom of the Roubo would be a very good thing, because what's down there now isn't used at all or simply gets covered in dust and shavings. I do not want to fill the space with a cabinet; I don't work that way and don't want a kitchen cabinet with a thick top. I use my hold fasts and use the bench as a total clamping tool, so the bottom has to stay essentially clear. Isn't there middle ground here? Maybe something like this?
It'll be an all-drawer cabinet, unless the right side is a door, like what's in the traditional bench cabinet. But a door wouldn't work in the Roubo because there is a sliding deadman on the underside of the bench that would hinder the door's ability to be used freely. But the thought is my #45 (and others) need a home / large drawer rather than the far away shelf it's sitting on now.
Sounds like I have a project on my hands.