# Roubo Workbench



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*Getting Started*

*The Predecessors*

One of the first projects that I made when I first started woodworking in 2010 was a workbench for the garage. All 2×4 construction with a 3/4" thick top of white pine. I made all the cuts on my newly acquired miter saw and actually assembled the thing in the living room. Here's a picture.










It was a decent garage/general purpose bench, but too tall and light to be a woodworking bench. I ended up cutting the length down and put it in the laundry closet where I keep a lot of my tools. Now it holds a tool box and a general purpose vise . . . and collects clutter fabulously.

My second bench was really an outfeed table for my table saw. It had a 5/4 MDF top with formica and lots of storage underneath. It also had casters and a wood vise, or at least what Harbor Freight calls a wood vise. Nevetherless, it was pretty heavy, large (60" x 30"), and could take a beating. Here are a couple of photos (from the Moxon vise post).



















On the downside, the bench was too high (it was an outfeed table after all), and the casters made it move around on me while planing (even when they were locked). Plus, it wasn't designed to be a proper workbench and so the vise set up was not really thought through. I'm glad I had it to get me where I am now, but it surely made me realize how much I needed a good woodworking bench.

*The Criteria for a New Bench*

Having those two previous benches helped me figure out what I wanted in a new bench. Some of the basic criteria included the following:

Thick top for dogholes
Heavy materials
Sturdy and solid construction (through tenon joinery)
Well-conceived vise layout aligned with dogholes
Be able to work the edges, face, and ends of boards
Lower height for hand planing
Nice aesthetic

I'm sure there were more. I had been leaning on building a Roubo bench because of its aesthetics, but I still needed a little more guidance since I didn't want to have to build another bench for many many years to come. The wife got me Chris Schwarz's 2007 book on workbenches, which featured plans for building both the French (Roubo) and English (Nicholson) benches, plus it contained a lot of other fun things to read. If you're about to build a bench, I'd highly recommend it. Reading Schwarz's book really solidified the choice to make mine a Roubo style bench and gave me numerous helpful tips along the way. I didn't follow his plans exactly, but they were very influential on my design. I also decided not to incorporate a crochet because I think it was superfluous with the leg vise, and the planing stop, but I can always add that later if I choose. I decided that the dimensions would be around 63" by 26" and about 34" high. Yet the issue that perplexed me most was how to decide on what wood to use. That will be the topic for the next blog.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


This is like a friggn trailer to a movie. We all know you've got the bench built and in use. :^\

The anticipation. I like it. Looking forward to the next installment.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


I beg your pardon, by my crochet is not superfluous. And his feelings would be hurt if he knew your said so… 

Looking forward the build reports!


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


Brandon,

Nice post.

I'll try to take a look at Schwarz's older book and see what's not in the new one. [For anyone confused, Brandon posted on my blog about the same topic and I'm replying on his.]

Good luck on the build.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


Sorry for such harsh words, Smitty. I just don't see myself using the crochet if there's a leg vise. They look cool, don't get me wrong. Actually, I'd be interested in hearing why you like both-I definitely do have the room to add one. I just figured I'd keep getting my belt loops caught in it or something.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


Thanks jmos. Actually the build is complete, as of today. Now I'm just going back and blogging about it. I'll add the bench as a project soon.


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


Great blog Brandon. Way to keep us in suspense! Retrospectively is the best way to blog. Personally, I don't mind the wait at all as long as there aren't 100 episodes.


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


I agree. I am looking forward to seeing your bench come about.


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


looking good


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## saddletramp (Mar 6, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


To crochet or not to crochet, 
That is the Question.
Whether tis nobler in the mind 
to take the hook against a sea of wool 
and by opposing afghan it ….......... *OOPS*, wrong crochet!! :-O

Nice bench BTW


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


Brandon I cant wait to see the outcome. Now as far as the wood type. The question I would have for myself is are you going for durability or functionality? I recommend this podcast to watch and give you some more ideas on the wood type. http://www.logancabinetshoppe.com/podcast-the-workbench.html 
Bob makes you think about it in a different way.


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## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


I too would like my workbench to be my outfeed table….I'm about 6 foot 3 tall so I think the height would not be an issue. If you say how tall you are maybe that would explain to me why the outfeed height is to high for you.


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## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


disregard the height question…I found your finished product and that answered it. What a fabulous job you did!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Getting Started*
> 
> *The Predecessors*
> 
> ...


Thanks Justholler, if you're planning on making the workbench your outfeed table, I would just recommend not using casters and overbuilding it. Do you plane on doing a lot of hand planing? If not, the height shouldn't even matter as much. Best of luck to you!

Superdav, thanks for the link to the podcasts. I watched a few of them and found them helpful.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*Choosing the Material*

I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.

Chris Schwarz really advocates using SYP in his workbenches book and even uses it for his 2005 Roubo bench. The advantages of SYP is that you can purchase it from your local home center (in many parts of the States) and it's relatively inexpensive compared to other woods. Another advantage of SYP is that it is pretty darn stiff-more stiff than most hardwoods. I think it would make for a good wood for the bench, however, its softness, weight, and even its appearance really turned me off. I wanted a bench that was super heavy and hard. I didn't want to have to worry about excessive dings and scratches since I plan on having this bench for many years to come. Plus, unless the lumber is quarter-sawn, SYP isn't something to look at, and since I'll be using this bench for who knows how long, I want it to be attractive.

White oak was at the top of the list because it is both fairly hard and pretty heavy. That said, it's sort of expensive where I shop and I'm not sure if the tannins would be an issue. Yet, can you imagine how wonderful an Arts & Crafts workbench would be? Maybe for the next bench build.

Red oak is cheaper and much more plentiful. I came very close to scraping together half of the materials from my garage for a red oak bench, but I really wanted something nicer. I did use some red oak for the stretchers and the shelf, but that's for another blog post.

Cherry was an option simply because that would be one beautiful bench and common cherry can be fairly inexpensive. Ash is another good option, which I probably should have considered more. Maple is also great and most benches built in the states use maple as far as I know.

I ended up going with something a little more traditional--European beech. The argument against European steamed beech is that it's expensive. Chris Schwarz writes:


Most European benches were built using beech, and sometimes fine-grained steamed European beech. And so a significant number of woodworkers go to lengths to purchase precious beech for their workbenches. After all, who wants to argue with several hundred years of tradition? I do, European apprentices, cabinetmakers and joiners didn't choose beech because of some magic quality of Fagus sylvatica. They chose it because it was dense, stiff, plentiful and inexpsensive. In the United States, beech is dense, stiff, hard to find and (sometimes) a bit spendy. You can, of course, use it to build a bench (it's your bench, not mine), but you will pay for the privelege. And it will have no demonstrable advantage over a bench built from a cheaper species. (Christopher Schwarz, Workbenches from Design and Theory to Construction and Use, 2007, p. 14).

Schwarz doesn't condemn the use of European steamed beech for a workbench, but he does argue that there is no specific advantage of it over other sources (maple etc.) and that it is going to cost an arm and a leg in the States. This bit of information made me discount beech as a viable option. Yet when I went to the lumber yard (Peach State Lumber in Kennesaw, Georgia) I found that European steamed beech imported from Germany was actually cheaper than red oak! After learning this, I knew what I was going to use. I've always liked the appeal of beech (even before woodworking), and it is such a traditional material that it would be quite suitable for my traditional-style bench. Did I mention that I have German heritage? Beech it is! They had a virgin pallet full of this stuff and I was able to pick out the exact sizes that I needed. After a nice discount I got 61 bdft of planed 8/4 stock for only $4 bdft. Still, my budget stopped me from obtaining everything I wanted. I purchased enough for the top, legs, and tail vise chop. For the stretchers and the shelf I would use oak I already had on hand.

Here are a couple of photos of the raw materials. 8/4 of various widths and all a little over 8' long.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


sweet. I think you went with a good choice. the white oak with the tanin acids and your sweat (not that you would ever sweat of course) while working would make for a bad combination - I was walking with black palms for a week after a similar experience.

I think wood selection really boils down to what's available and cheap where one leaves, for Chris it is SYP, for people in the north east it's Maple, for people in the west coast it's FIR, and so on and so forth. people put too much focus on this and try to use what the 'other guy' was using when they are in a completely different geographic location and notice how the prices are so much higher. so whatever works - works.

As for the asthetics - I like a nice looking bench, but if you think you'd hate seeing a SYP bench get dented, I can assure you you would have a much harder time seeing that same dent happen on a maple topped bench. just accept the fact that your bench WILL get ddents and dings, no way around it… but that's what it's there for

looking forward to seeing this build.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Great comments, Sharon. I agree that in a large sense it really does boil down to what's available-in my case I didn't even know that beech was affordable, but it was. With respect to the dents and dings--it's a workbench and it will suffer its fair share of those, but I do think a nice hard wood would be able to do it more gracefully than a softwood and that's partly what kept me away from SYP, which is plentiful here in Georgia.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Beech is a great choice for a workbench, good call. This is going to be a fantastic workbench, post pics if you have the time.


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## TLA (Jan 10, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Good luck with the bench. I'll be watching you progress as I want to build a Roubo bench as well.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Sounds like a good score on the Beech wood. Look forward to watching this bench progress. I was working w/white oak the other day, and I agree, the "blackened hand" is not cool.


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Nice choice! How thick a top are you shooting for?


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Jmos, it's about 3.5" thick, but I'll get into the details on the next blog post.


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## btle310 (Aug 26, 2008)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Looking good

Now I have to head over to Peachstate to check out to buy some more wood.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Brandon,
I have a very strong suspicion that my bench will be very similar to yours. My thought process parallels yours. In fact, with such a comprehesive and detailed blog about your bench build, once I post my bench as a project I'll just reference your blog.

"For details of the design, materials and construction of my bench please just read Brandon's blog entry *here*"

It will save me alot of time ;^)

Remember, imitation is the sincerest (sp?) form of flattery.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


btle310, yeah Peach State is a great place-there's another place I go to in Suwanee, but they don't have nearly the selection that Peach State does.

Scott,

That would be hilarious! I'm sure, however, that once you see my completed bench you'll find that you think about some things differently. Have you started the bench build? Have you decided on a material?


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Nice planks Brandon. You won't be disappointed with beech. It will look even better after a few years.


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## btle310 (Aug 26, 2008)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Brandon I got to Suwanee most of the time too. Peachstate is a drive from Cumming but you are dead on they have a better selection most of the time. I also started getting some stuff from CAG lumber in gainesville the guy there always has interesting domestic stuff.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


My lumber guy quoted hard maple at $4 bf. I've talked to him about SYP and he just shakes his head and says "don't - if you are going to go through the trouble….."

Have any of you really looked at the 2×12" SYP at Lowes like Schwarz suggests. I have glanced at the stacks several times when I have gone to Lowes for other reasons. Thinking the day will come when would have to sort through them. What I saw was not encouraging.

So, my plan is to go with a hard maple top at 24" wide, 3 1/2" thick and 7' long. Aesthetically, I would like to contrast the legs with the top with the legs being slightly darker. I haven't decided what wood for the legs yet but have considered SYP with a stain. Staining seems unnatural though.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


I actually like the reverse aesthetic--darker top and lighter support. Sort of like seen here:

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/workbenches/take-a-look-a-roubo-for-2010

I would definitely not want to stain the workbench. If you want darker, try cherry perhaps-I think it would be a good contrast that isn't too strong--I think Walnut would be too stark of a difference.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Right exactly opposite of that bench. I dont want the top darker. I want the light on the top for stuff like sighting down the sole of the plane while advancing the iron etc.

agreed on the stain.

agreed on the subtle contrast and the walnut.


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## WoodLe (Sep 29, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


That Beech looks like it will make a fabulous top. I got a 4 inch thick one-piece slab of spalted maple that I squirreled away for my roubo bench when I get time. I also am really inspired with the chris schwarz bench.


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## ItIsRocketScience (Jan 12, 2012)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Brandon,

I'm trying to get together the materials to build my modified Roubo (I bought Schwarz's book and have been obsessed with it ever since) but I was really surprised to see you only bought 61 bdft. Was that all that you used, or was there another stash you added in? I was mapping it out and was planning on buying at least 100 bdft (granted, my top is going to be slightly longer and wider).

lysdexic,

I don't know what it's like for Brandon, but here in the Northeast it's somewhat difficult to source SYP. Lowe's/Home Depot certainly don't carry it, and when they do, it's pressure treated. There are a couple lumberyards around here that import it, but then it's not much cheaper than other options.

Hell, I'm considering Hickory as I can get 100 bdft for $489. It's stiffer than SYP (E = 2.16 vs. 1.93), heavier (0.72 vs. 0.67), and much more resistant to dents (Janka 1820 vs. 690).


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


IIRS,
Brandon is in northern Ga and I am in central NC so our lumber selection should be similar. However, my lumber guy doesn't list beech on his web site. But I will definitely inquire.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


WoodLe, a big slab of 4" spalted maple--now THAT is a workbench. Seriously can't wait to see how that turns out.

RocketScience, yes I had more wood, but that's all the beech I could afford to buy. I imagine 100 bdft would be pretty close to what one would need. Hickory would make for a great bench-too expensive here, though.


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## vonhagen (Dec 5, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


beech would be my only choice


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


Ive got quite a bit of left over treated decking that I could use for the top. Plus, I can get some creosote railroad ties for the legs real cheap.


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## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Choosing the Material*
> 
> I considered a lot of different materials for my bench. At the top of the list were southern yellow pine, white oak, red oak, ash, cherry, maple, and beech. Really, I think you can get away with a number of species, but it generally comes down to a few issues: availability, aesthetic (at least for me), price, and of course suitability for the purpose.
> 
> ...


This was some great info. I'm glad you took the time to post all of this. 
Thanks
angela


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*Some Design Considerations*

Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.

That said, I decided the width and length of the top based on my needs, shop space, and the best use of material I had. I knew I wanted it to be around 26" wide (it ended up being 26 1/8"). I chose 26" because I like a slightly wider bench for cross-grain stability, but not too wide that I couldn't easily reach across it (my former outfeed table/workbench was 30"). The length was a trickier issue because I wanted a large bench but my one-car garage said No. I decided that 60" was good, but after adding the end caps it turned out to be 63 1/8" and another 2" for the tail vise. I'm not complaining.










The spacing of the legs was done solely by what looked good. I drew some pencil lines then rounded the lengths to integers to make measuring go easier. Once I cut out the mortises on the bench the spacing was set in stone. Or wood for that matter.

Not all the legs were the same size. I would have liked to have made four 5" wide legs but I didn't have enough material and I wasn't about to purchase more. So I made three legs 3 1/2" wide which is plenty for this bench because they're made of beech. The fourth leg is actually 6" wide and sits behind the leg vise. I made this leg thicker to give better clamping support for the leg vise.










I dry fitted the legs in place and then made measurements for the stretchers. Also, my design called for through tenons in the stretchers, a design that I particularly like and so I had to make the stretchers that go lengthwise on a different height than those that went from the front to back. See photo.










One significant difference between the Schwarz Roubo and mine was how the sliding deadman was attached. Since my stretchers were not flush with the legs and the face of the bench, I had to attach the deadman by making a wooden bracket on the back, not on the bottom of the deadman. This turned out fine.










I also didn't go with a crochet because I'm still waiting on Smitty to convince me that it's useful in cooperation with a leg vise. My leg vise design follows closely to Schwarz's dimensions. The tail vise is another matter. Schwarz retrofitted a wagon vise on his 2005 Roubo, but I just used a Lee Valley front vise as a tail vise and I think it's a great option because it adds a little more versatility than a wagon vise. I wouldn't have minded a Veritas twin screw vise, but that wasn't in the budget.










I apologize if this was just rambling. In the next post I'll get into some construction details.


----------



## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Brandon,
It is hard to tell from the pics. Does your dead man attachment still ride on a "V" shaped ridge on the stretcher?


----------



## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


WTH Brandon…I just went to your home page to see pics of this snazzy bench and your setup. But there were no pics, and no details! I couldnt even post a smart a$# comment. What gives? Lets see some pics of the beast in action.


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Scott, it's not a V-shaped ridge, but it does slope. I hope to address this in a later post, but basically since the bracket attaches from the back of the deadman I sloped it so that gravity would pull the bottom of the deadman tightly against the stretcher (if that makes sense). Here's a quick and not-to-scale drawing of how it works. The black outline is deadman. The red is the stretcher. The Blue is the bench top.










You see the deadman bracket sits on the stretcher in a way that gravity pulls it toward the stretcher, but it still has a enough vertical room to be moved around easily.


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Shane, are you talking about my "workshop" page? I didn't want to post pictures because my shop is messy.


----------



## NateX (Mar 13, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Wow, that looks like a beautiful bench. Lets see some more pictures of that thing.


----------



## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


I look forward to this blog Brandon. All I can do is dream of my bench at the moment, so blogs like yours help with the pain of having to make do with my crappy Workmate. I like the French cleat idea for the deadman.


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


NateX, there are plenty of pictures on my projects page: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/59460

I'll be posting more as the blog progresses.

Thanks, Brit. I don't know how you do it with just a Workmate!


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


I am learning a lot from this. Thanks for the right up….the rambling is fine too.


----------



## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Because it holds one end of a longer piece being worked 'on-edge' (this one is 28"),









and,

It looks cool.










Aw, heck, you won't add one so it doesn't matter what pics are posted.  Enjoy your bench!


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Thanks Ryan!

Smitty, great photos! I do love the aesthetics of it. I may actually install one-we'll see.


----------



## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Smitty and there was I thinking it was just somewhere to hang your coat.


----------



## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Some Design Considerations*
> 
> Plans-they're useful I'm sure, but I hardly ever use them. Sometimes I'll sketch a few things down on graph paper, or other times I'll actually use plans from a book, yet most of the time I tend to wing it. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had Christopher Schwarz's blue book which actually had plans for a Roubo bench. I think if I had purchased SYP and tons of it for a bench then I would have followed Chris's plans pretty closely. Yet I was making a slightly different bench and decided to look at Chris's book more for ideas and general measurements than for detailed plans.
> 
> ...


Well, there's that benefit too… ;-)


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*Constructing the Top*

My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.

First I ripped the boards into six pieces each between 3 1/2" and 4" wide. The total width of the six boards were just over 22".










I arranged the boards so that the wood grains would alternate. This would keep the bench from wanting to bow, or at least minimize it. If the picture isn't clear, there's also a crude drawing of the patterns.



















Before gluing them, I cut a bunch of 5/8" dowels just under 3" long. Then I rounded the corners on the benchtop belt sander. Worked like a charm!



















The dowels will help reinforce the glue joints and even help with alignment. I've glued together enough cutting boards to know that it's hard to keep those boards aligned when gluing. When making the layout for the dowel holes I always measure from the same face of the board and from the same end so that the holes line up nicely. Drilling the holes in the boards with a 5/8 forstner bit.



















Adding the dowels. I basically hammered in the dowels half way in one board, then lined it up with the next board and used my dead blow to get the dowels in halfway in the second board. After the dowels were in at least a 1/2" or so on either side, I closed them up tightly with a number of pipe clamps.



















I only added on piece at a time so that I can make sure they matted well-I didn't want to have any gaps between the boards. It all went together nicely. Here's part of the top being glued together.










This process really tested the limits of my pipe clamps. I actually broke the cast iron of one of the Harbor Freight clamps-I'll be returning it since it's supposed to have a lifetime warranty. 

In the next post I'll address how I added a some thickness to this top and how I attached the end caps.


----------



## ItIsRocketScience (Jan 12, 2012)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Very nice. I'm at the same tenuous stage. I have two sets of 4 boards jointed flat, only waiting to pick up some denatured alcohol to prep the surface before the glue up. I wasn't planning on doweling them together, but I suppose it could only help!

Great work. I'll be on the lookout for the next installment.


----------



## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


So it was lumber quantity that factored into using the face vs. the edge grain. I had wondered about that aspect of the build. Did Swartz mention, or are there inherent advantages in one over the other?


----------



## jcwalleye (Dec 26, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the pics. It makes a great narrative.


----------



## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Get to the part where u add the crochet, already! 

Nice blog, Brandon!


----------



## ItIsRocketScience (Jan 12, 2012)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


ShaneA: Schwarz basically went with what Roubo had written in his original work - (paraphrasing) "A workbench can't be too thick or too long, but it can be too deep or too tall". Turning it on edge is just the best/easiest way to gain thickness. There's no inherent structural advantage to it beyond that, assume all of your stock is plainsawn.

In fact, I believe that the English Workbench (the other workbench he builds and provides plans for) build the benchtop exactly as Brandon has here.


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Right, RocketScience, that's the advantage-nothing innate to the wood makeup itself. My bench, however, is not like the English style, which we'll see in the next post. I still wanted a thick bench without stretchers and so I made some modifications to the design.


----------



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


nice.

so you were actually able to break a pipe clamp??? impressive… didn't know thats even possible


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Purplev, here are some photos.


----------



## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Good idea with the dowels, I'm gonna have to use that one.


----------



## wcndave (Jun 29, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *Constructing the Top*
> 
> My workbench does not have a traditional laminated top. Rather than gluing the main planks on their faces, I opted to glue them on their edges mainly because I didn't have enough lumber and didn't want to go purchase more. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend gluing the faces to give you a nice thick bench.
> 
> ...


Looking forward to the next installment. Particularly curious about the oak handle thing you have underneath and what it's function is…


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*The Legs and Stretchers*

I have neglected this blog, but I still have tons of photos of this build, so I thought I should post them. Since we all like pictures more than text, I have a good photo-to-text ratio. 

Each of the legs is constructed by laminating two 8/4 pieces of beech together. I knew that chiseling out the mortises was going to take considerable work, so I decided to make four of the mortises by cutting dados in the the pre-laminated legs on the table saw. Here's a photo of the dado/mortise.










Cleaning up the dados/mortises with a vintage Stanley 2" chisel










Now to glue the legs together.










I also made the tenons for the legs on the table saw. You'll notice that one leg is bigger than the others. This is because I wanted the leg at the leg vise to be beefier.










Okay, completed legs, with all the mortises chiseled/sawn and the hole for the leg vise.










I chamfered the bottoms of the legs using the router and my moxon vise.










Now to make the stretchers. I also cut the tenons on the table saw.










Attaching the stretchers to the legs; you can see that I also used drawboring to hold them firm. I used dowels for the pins and just cut them to length and sharpened the front end with a utility knife



















And here it is-- the legs and stretchers ready for the top. Wow, look at all the sawdust on the floor! Now all I need to do is attach the top.










FYI, You can see the completed bench here.


----------



## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Legs and Stretchers*
> 
> I have neglected this blog, but I still have tons of photos of this build, so I thought I should post them. Since we all like pictures more than text, I have a good photo-to-text ratio.
> 
> ...


Pretty cool man, Did you drawbore the tenons into the tops too? Also, how did you attach the end caps?


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Legs and Stretchers*
> 
> I have neglected this blog, but I still have tons of photos of this build, so I thought I should post them. Since we all like pictures more than text, I have a good photo-to-text ratio.
> 
> ...


Yes, I did draw-bore the top in place. It's not going anywhere, even if I wanted it to.  Plus now I have couple hundred pounds of jatoba sitting on the shelf of table because I had no where else to store it.

The caps are attached with dowels and glue. Probably not the most ideal method but I was trying to finish it while on xmas break. Otherwise I would have dove tailed them in place. I don't think wood movement will be an issue, but if it does, I should be able to saw off the caps with relative ease. I have a picture around here somewhere.


----------



## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Legs and Stretchers*
> 
> I have neglected this blog, but I still have tons of photos of this build, so I thought I should post them. Since we all like pictures more than text, I have a good photo-to-text ratio.
> 
> ...


Nothing worng with that Brandon. I think with a laminated top like yours the end caps are just for astetics any way. Its should be very stable.


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *The Legs and Stretchers*
> 
> I have neglected this blog, but I still have tons of photos of this build, so I thought I should post them. Since we all like pictures more than text, I have a good photo-to-text ratio.
> 
> ...


Very beefy.

It's funny, I love the veritas saw when I see it in someone's shop…it's just ugly in the catalog.


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Legs and Stretchers*
> 
> I have neglected this blog, but I still have tons of photos of this build, so I thought I should post them. Since we all like pictures more than text, I have a good photo-to-text ratio.
> 
> ...


RG, yeah, I love my Veritas saws but I do admit they aren't nearly as nice-looking as the classic backsaw design. Still, they cut great! Maybe they should put the saws on the cover of the Lee Valley catalog because whatever is on the cover always looks so sweet!


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*The Leg Vise*

Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.










Now it's time to begin work on the vises. For the leg vise I decided to use some mystery wood that felt super dense. Rather than running through the planer, I used a #5 and #4 to scrub it down, then flattened with a #8 followed by a #4 for smoothing. My plane collection was pretty limited at the time, but now I would have chosen different planes for bringing the rough lumber down to a nice and smooth board.










The shape I chose is basically the one that Chris Schwarz' uses in his workbench book. I found it pleasing enough. I just marked the shaped I wanted with thick lines.










Then I cut the shape on the bandsaw and cleaned up the edges with a handplane. Then I took the router with a chamfer bit and put a healthy chamfer on the outer edges of the chop.










The next step was to drill a hole in the vise for the screw. The tail vise screw from Lee Valley seemed like the perfect fit for a leg vise. And it was! Though hats off to those who use large wooden vise screws, which are pretty awesome.










Now on to the parallel guide, which keeps the leg vise sitting perfectly vertical, otherwise it would just swing around. The parallel guide also is a board with more holes in it than cottage cheese and it is designed to counter vertical racking when tightening the vise. I attached the parallel guide by mortising a small hole in the leg vise and securing it with screws, covered by dowels.










And here's the completed leg vise.










One might notice that the leg vise is a little thin. The board I used was about 5/4" planed down to about 4/4. It worked OK, but it bowed a little when I tightened the vise, and so I replaced it with a thicker board, which I'll point out later. Next up is the tail vise.


----------



## TDog (Apr 17, 2012)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


thats a great looking bench and the leg vice is a nice addition.
I am building a roubo for my next bench to replace my current oak plywood concoction which 
has served me well of course. Nice work!


----------



## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


your doing well.


----------



## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys. I just have a bunch of these photos from the build, so I figure I better start posting them or they'll have been for naught. The bench is working out great so far! I don't know how I got by without it.


----------



## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


I wish i could go with a through tenon on my bench. I like the looks of exposed joinery. Yet, it interferes with the dog hole strip.

Thanks for taking the time to share this.


----------



## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


I like the arts and craft style tenons on the streatchers. Too bad that piece of wood didnt work for the leg vise, that is a sweet piece of wood.


----------



## jjw5858 (Apr 11, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


This is really looking good. Awesome job on the bench and this blog series, thanks for posting it!


----------



## GPDMTR25 (Jun 21, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


I see you last posted your project 69 days ago, do you have an update. I recently did a blog on a project and understand it a lot of work and very time consuming but I love you bench so far and would love to see the rest of the construction. Also if it's finished how do you like it after using it? Would you change anything? I really appreciate the first page of the blog about the types of woods you thought about using.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


Thanks Angela! I still plan on adding a couple of more posts--hopefully this week I will get around to doing it.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


The piece of Jatoba you used for your deadman seems a lot darker than the piece I have, mine looks more like your leg vise.

You need to finish this blog series man!


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


Mauricio,

I've had some variation in the color of the jatoba-- see, for instance the lamp I made ( http://lumberjocks.com/projects/54725 ). That said, have you put any oil or finish on it? It will likely darken some more.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


I need to put some mineral spirits on it to see how it will look. Honestly it looks so nice that amlost doesnt need a finish.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Leg Vise*
> 
> Before getting to the leg vise, just a quick note on the tenons on the top. I purposely made the tenons about 1/4" longer than they needed to be so that they would sit proud of the bench top. I did this because it would minimize damage on the ends of the tenons while trying to fit the top to the base. Also, this makes it easy to flush up perfectly once everything is in place. So, once the top was set in place and draw-bored tight, I cut the protruding tenons flush with the rest of the bench top. Then I planed it flush when I flattened the top.
> 
> ...


I'd like to use one of the photos of your vise in an article we're writing about various vise styles for Stumpynubs.com. I'll give you full credit for it. Would that be ok?


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

*The Sliding Dead-man*

I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:










So, to build it I had a piece of jatoba about 5/4 thick which I hand planed and cut to size. Not sure of the exact measurements here, but I could take a tape measurement to them if someone really wants them. Then I cut a rabbet at the top to fit into the groove cut out of the bottom side of the bench top (no picture, sorry).

I then drilled a number of 3/4" holes to hold pegs or holdfasts at various heights. Then chamfered the edges of the holes with a router and chamfer bit. [Mauricio, notice how light the color is before the oil.]










One of the key issues I faced was figuring out how to make the dead-man flush with the front legs when the bottom stretcher was centered on the legs. The following diagram shows how I accomplished this:










As you can see, the bottom stretcher has a sloped top (red color). There is a bracket on the back of the dead-man that is also sloped, so that gravity pulls the dead-man (colored black) tightly against the stretcher. The Blue is the bench top. Because of the open space in the benchtop above the dead-man, I can move the dead-man around easily, but it still sits in place soundly. Here's a photo that shows the wooden bracket on the back of the dead-man:










This is how I built my sliding deadman, but there are certainly other methods. Any questions, comments?


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Way to think outside the box on mounting the deadman. I'm sure the photos done do the jatoba justice, with wood that pretty you dont need any fancy shapping.

You mentioned on the workbench thread that it will hold a holdfast despite being about 1", do you find yourself doing that much?


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## sb194 (Feb 19, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Nice. I like the block on the back of the deadman.

Sean


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


it looks good Brandon. I like the contrasting wood. I still need to make a better one for my bench. I've got a quick and dirty one that works, but doesn't look all that good.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Thanks guys, to be honest I didn't put that much of an effort into the dead-man, although I knew I didn't like most of the shapes or designs I've seen others use. I figured a rectangle would work fine and it does. Like Mauricio pointed out, the nicest thing about it is the wood selection.

In response to Mauricio's question, I do use the holdfasts from time to time, but usually just a peg works fine.


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Good thinking Batman. You didn't fancy steam bending it then? )


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Batman!? LOL, no steam bending for me, that sounds like an awful lot of work, Andy.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


How did you attach the block to the back of the deadman?


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Just a couple of wood screws, if I recall. That way I can remove it if need be.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

BrandonW said:


> *The Sliding Dead-man*
> 
> I don't think I've really covered the dead-man much in this series, so here's a short blog on it. The purpose of the dead-man is to support longer boards that you have placed in your leg vise for edge planing. The design I've chosen for mine is a fairly bland rectangular shape as you can see here:
> 
> ...


Looks good.
I like the 'simple design'.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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