Project Information
I completed this Benchcrafted/WoodWhisper version of the Roubo workbench a while back and have been working on it enough to get a better feel for it so thought it might be a good time for a project. This is the forth bench I have built and owned starting with the one Norm built in season 1 of New Yankee Workshop up to the one before this which was a "temporary" bench made of 4X6's and mortised legs in our old house. This is by far the largest, heaviest and more enjoyable of the lot I have used. There is no racking at all in the bench and it seems like it's planted in the ground when you work on it. I went with the split top design for two main reasons. One the main demise of my past benches has not been because they didn't function it was that they couldn't be broken down easily into parts small enough to be moved. I wanted to move them but in the rush to find space on the truck they always lost out to other things given their size. This bench is designed to break down into two top halves that one person can move (barely), two end leg assemblies and two leg stretchers plus some Misc parts. When I move next time I should be able to accommodate moving the bench. The second reason is one I have not really used much which is the ability to clamp down the middle of the bench. I don't know if I will ever use this or not but It's nice to know it's there.
The Benchcrafted vise hardware is a joy to use. I bought the Roubo bench kit which included plans, bench bolts for the attachable legs and both vises. I can not recommend Benchcrafted as a company highly enough as their customer service is top notch. They responded to my email questions quickly and clearly and I found the whole experience a refreshing change to how customer service is so often approached by companies these days. The vise hardware itself feels solid all the way around and both vises function as smooth as silk. They are luxury vises there is no question about it but when you can move a face vise from closed to fully open in one good swipe of the handle it makes everything you do on the bench much more enjoyable.
I didn't even count the number of hours I put into this bench but it took me about 45 days of working after hours and weekends to finish it. The benchcrafted plan's helped a lot here as did The WoodWhisper Roubo build project I bought a while back which served as both inspiration and a step by step how to video series.
Overall I am really enjoying this bench and it's capabilities. Between the two vises and the holes I have in the bench it has been able to tackle anything I have thrown at it so far and there isn't anything I regret about it. The thing I wish I could have done was made it a foot longer but my current garage shop just won't allow that.
Thanks for looking
Richard
The Benchcrafted vise hardware is a joy to use. I bought the Roubo bench kit which included plans, bench bolts for the attachable legs and both vises. I can not recommend Benchcrafted as a company highly enough as their customer service is top notch. They responded to my email questions quickly and clearly and I found the whole experience a refreshing change to how customer service is so often approached by companies these days. The vise hardware itself feels solid all the way around and both vises function as smooth as silk. They are luxury vises there is no question about it but when you can move a face vise from closed to fully open in one good swipe of the handle it makes everything you do on the bench much more enjoyable.
I didn't even count the number of hours I put into this bench but it took me about 45 days of working after hours and weekends to finish it. The benchcrafted plan's helped a lot here as did The WoodWhisper Roubo build project I bought a while back which served as both inspiration and a step by step how to video series.
Overall I am really enjoying this bench and it's capabilities. Between the two vises and the holes I have in the bench it has been able to tackle anything I have thrown at it so far and there isn't anything I regret about it. The thing I wish I could have done was made it a foot longer but my current garage shop just won't allow that.
Thanks for looking
Richard