# My new Roubo



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Legs...lots of sweat, lots of shavings*

I first got into woodworking a year ago when my wife and I bought our first house. At the time, my son and I built a makeshift workbench using 2×4s, plywood, hardboard, and a $20 vise from Lowes. It's served me well in building some cabinets for the house, but it's seriously lacking in a lot of ways.

Being a big fan Christopher Schwarz's books, DVDs, and blogs, I've been wanting to build a Roubo-style bench for months. I finally got a break in my honey-do projects and started working on it this weekend. I don't own a power jointer or power planer, so all of my dimensioning and flattening is done using hand planes.

I bought a bunch of SY pine a few months back, cross cut / ripped it all slightly over-sized for the final pieces, and stickered it so that it could equalize in my shop.

The first pic shows the last leg clamped up with the first 3 laying on my old bench in front of it. My bench isn't going to be an exact replica of Schwarz's version; as shown here my legs are made solid and I'll be cutting the tenons later - as opposed to the way Chris made his tenons in the lamination process.










In this second pic, you can see my hand planes. My jack plane is a modern Stanley #5. Both my jointer (#7) and smoothing (#4) planes are vintage corrugated sole Stanleys that were bought off of eBay. It took a few days of tuning them up, but I absolutely love them.










I'm going to start working on the top laminations tomorrow. My current bench is only 48" long. The small size of my shop dictates that my bench can't be any longer than 60"; which is fine considering that I primarily make small boxes, cabinets, and coffee tables. Flattening / dimensioning 60" long boards on a 48" long bench is going to be a challenge, but figuring out how to overcome obstacles is one of my favorite things about woodworking.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Legs...lots of sweat, lots of shavings*
> 
> I first got into woodworking a year ago when my wife and I bought our first house. At the time, my son and I built a makeshift workbench using 2×4s, plywood, hardboard, and a $20 vise from Lowes. It's served me well in building some cabinets for the house, but it's seriously lacking in a lot of ways.
> 
> ...


Nice start.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Working on the top*

One of the things I'm most thankful for about this project is all the lessons I'm learning, relearning, and getting a new appreciation for. Dimensioning the boards for the top 100% by hand has proven to be a lot of work, but I'm loving every bit of it.

Planing these boards has been a real challenge considering that they're a foot longer than my current plywood + hardboard bench top. I've had to be creative and to attack that problem; finally coming up with a good system. Facing challenges and finding new ways to tackle them is one of the things that attracts me the most about woodworking.

The picture below shows tonight's glue up, adding the 6th board to the previous 5 laminations. Because I'm hand planing them all and I only get a few hours a night to work on them, I'm only able to dimension 1 or 2 boards per day. With the 6th board added today, I'll have the first 8" or so of the top laminated. That's about a 3rd of the finished width of 24".


----------



## Walnut_Weasel (Jul 30, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Working on the top*
> 
> One of the things I'm most thankful for about this project is all the lessons I'm learning, relearning, and getting a new appreciation for. Dimensioning the boards for the top 100% by hand has proven to be a lot of work, but I'm loving every bit of it.
> 
> ...


Nice work so far Jason. I am going through a similar process right now by making a massive roubo by hand without a proper holding system. I have blogged a bit about it at walnutweasel.wordpress.com. Unfortunately I have had a several challenging non-working issues that have prevented me from completing it. But I hope to have it complete before winter is completely over. Keep at it! It is a painfully long process but as you say, the amount you learn is huge. Learning to flatten a full 6" board quickly was a huge hurtle for me!!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Working on the top*
> 
> One of the things I'm most thankful for about this project is all the lessons I'm learning, relearning, and getting a new appreciation for. Dimensioning the boards for the top 100% by hand has proven to be a lot of work, but I'm loving every bit of it.
> 
> ...


James, thanks for the encouragement. I hope to get some time this evening to read through your blog. I skimmed through it this morning and it looks like we both learned a lot of the same lessons the hard way. 

Hopefully, you'll be able to get back on track and get your bench finished before the summer gets here!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Laminating the top (part 2)*

Still hard at work putting the top together. I recently upgraded the blade in my vintage Stanley #7 jointer plane with an IBC Pinnacle blade / chipbreaker. This made a HUGE difference in dimensioning the boards and getting the faces flat for glue ups.

I decided to glue it up in 3 sections each 8" wide. Then one final glue up of those 3 sections for a final full width of 24". The pieces being glued up for the top top are 61"; which will be trimmed to 60" after the entire top is glued up.

I'm taking a few vacation days next week to give me a 5 day weekend over the Christmas holidays. I'm hoping to get the top completed over that time. If everything works out, I should be able to get the entire bench finished by New Years Day or, at the latest, by the end of the first week of January.

Here's a pic of the 2nd 8" section of the top laminations glued and clamped up for the night:


----------



## smitty22 (May 1, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Laminating the top (part 2)*
> 
> Still hard at work putting the top together. I recently upgraded the blade in my vintage Stanley #7 jointer plane with an IBC Pinnacle blade / chipbreaker. This made a HUGE difference in dimensioning the boards and getting the faces flat for glue ups.
> 
> ...


Hi Jason, I'm following your Roubo bench blog with interest since I'm pretty sure that I'll start mine as my next major project after Christmas. Hand planes are going to have to work for me too! 
thanks.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Laminating the top (part 2)*
> 
> Still hard at work putting the top together. I recently upgraded the blade in my vintage Stanley #7 jointer plane with an IBC Pinnacle blade / chipbreaker. This made a HUGE difference in dimensioning the boards and getting the faces flat for glue ups.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the pressure, Dale! 

Seriously, the blogs were mainly a way for me to track my own progress as a motivational tool Knowing that someone is keeping up with it with plans to build their own inspires me to stay on track and do an even better job.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Final glue up of the bench top*

There were points in this process that I didn't think I'd get this far. I took some vacation time and spent the past few days trying to get the top finished up. My goal was to have it completely glued up before the first of the year.

I'm glad to say that despite a few set backs, I'm a week ahead of my goal. Not only is it a big motivational factor in a long bench building process, but it'll also allow me to take a few days off to let my achy planing / sawing muscles (ie: my entire body) heal up and get some much-needed rest.

At this point, the bench top is 61" long, 24-1/2" wide, and 4-1/4" thick, with a little extra left to get it flat and square with final dimensions around 60" x 24" x 4".

Here's a picture of the completed bench top glued and clamped up for the night:










I filled one of these big contractor bags up with shavings roughly every two days. Once a bag is full, we dump it into the fire pit in the back yard, and burn them.










Here's a picture of my old bench. It was built when I had been doing woodworking for a grand total of 2 weeks. My son and I built in one evening. It's a haphazard, thrown-together 2×4, plywood, and hardboard monstrosity. It's over 36" tall, weighs next to nothing, and can be a pain to work on. The vise is a $20 face vise from Lowes. Now, you can see why I'm so motivated to build a "real" bench.


----------



## DrewM (Mar 10, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Final glue up of the bench top*
> 
> There were points in this process that I didn't think I'd get this far. I took some vacation time and spent the past few days trying to get the top finished up. My goal was to have it completely glued up before the first of the year.
> 
> ...


Looking good so far, cant wait to see the final results. Those large glue-ups can be tricky to accomplish.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Final glue up of the bench top*
> 
> There were points in this process that I didn't think I'd get this far. I took some vacation time and spent the past few days trying to get the top finished up. My goal was to have it completely glued up before the first of the year.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Drew. No doubt, they can be tricky for sure. Just moving the sections around the shop was a work out and a half. The total top weighs about 130 lbs. Moving the individual sections around (about 65 lbs each) was a challenge.

65 lbs isn't all that heavy….except when it's stretched out over 5 feet and you're trying to move them around in a small shop without smacking everything around you.


----------



## bigike (May 25, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Final glue up of the bench top*
> 
> There were points in this process that I didn't think I'd get this far. I took some vacation time and spent the past few days trying to get the top finished up. My goal was to have it completely glued up before the first of the year.
> 
> ...


nice work


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Final glue up of the bench top*
> 
> There were points in this process that I didn't think I'd get this far. I took some vacation time and spent the past few days trying to get the top finished up. My goal was to have it completely glued up before the first of the year.
> 
> ...


I hear you on the unwieldy top issue. I had the same problem. Thank god I had a few sawhorses to keep the thing off the floor.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Final glue up of the bench top*
> 
> There were points in this process that I didn't think I'd get this far. I took some vacation time and spent the past few days trying to get the top finished up. My goal was to have it completely glued up before the first of the year.
> 
> ...


The top looks good.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*A minor set back, but happy to have it*

After getting the 3rd 8" section glued up to complete the bench top, I went to bed, letting it sit in the clamps all night. The next morning, my son and I moved the top onto my old bench so that I could start flattening it. That's when I realized that the glue-surface face of the last section, while flat, was angled. I was in such a rush (ie: excitement) to get it clamped up that I didn't realize the problem when I glued it up. Part of the problem was that I didn't flatten the individual 8" sections before gluing them up; so the angle wasn't very noticeable when I first clamped them up.

This was a major problem because while I left a little extra when milling, it wasn't enough to compensate having to take flattening the top / bottom with this new angle. It would have left my bench top thinner than the 4" or so I was shooting for. So, I ripped the last 8" section off. Then, I flattened the bottoms of the two sections (16" and 8") individually. After that, I jointed the mating edges making sure they were 90 degrees to their respective bottoms.

To be honest, I'm not upset at all about the set back. I'd much rather do it right than have problems after the bench is together. The way I see it, this is just another opportunity for me to learn a lesson and improve my woodworking skills.

Btw, my Christmas gift came in today: a Veritas LA jack plane! My other planes are vintage Stanleys that I got off of eBay and tuned up. I'd never used a modern "premium" plane before. All I can say is WOW! Right out of the box, I was taking gossamer shavings the full length of 60" pine board. My vintage Stanley #7 is great, but after using the LA jack, I'm definitely going to start saving up to get a Veritas BU jointer some time next year.










I'm going to get them glued up tomorrow. I took a small break from working on the bench over the past two days to make a couple of much-needed clamp racks. My shop is small, so storage space is at a premium and being organized is VERY important. Unfortunately, I didn't have anywhere to put my pipe clamps and hand screw clamps.

When I first set my shop up, I installed a series of French cleats around the walls. I built racks for my chisels, bar clamps, etc back when I first set up shop (about a year ago), but I picked up some pipe clamps and hand screw clamps over the past few months. So, I made a couple of simple racks to hold them using 1x and 2x scrap along with 3/4" Baltic birch plywood. The thing I love about the French cleat system is that I can move things around to different places if I find better ways to set up my work flow, etc.


----------



## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *A minor set back, but happy to have it*
> 
> After getting the 3rd 8" section glued up to complete the bench top, I went to bed, letting it sit in the clamps all night. The next morning, my son and I moved the top onto my old bench so that I could start flattening it. That's when I realized that the glue-surface face of the last section, while flat, was angled. I was in such a rush (ie: excitement) to get it clamped up that I didn't realize the problem when I glued it up. Part of the problem was that I didn't flatten the individual 8" sections before gluing them up; so the angle wasn't very noticeable when I first clamped them up.
> 
> ...


Keep on chuggin'

Kudos to you for making it right.
I probably would have take the easy way out.


----------



## Tim29 (Oct 10, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *A minor set back, but happy to have it*
> 
> After getting the 3rd 8" section glued up to complete the bench top, I went to bed, letting it sit in the clamps all night. The next morning, my son and I moved the top onto my old bench so that I could start flattening it. That's when I realized that the glue-surface face of the last section, while flat, was angled. I was in such a rush (ie: excitement) to get it clamped up that I didn't realize the problem when I glued it up. Part of the problem was that I didn't flatten the individual 8" sections before gluing them up; so the angle wasn't very noticeable when I first clamped them up.
> 
> ...


Nice work.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *A minor set back, but happy to have it*
> 
> After getting the 3rd 8" section glued up to complete the bench top, I went to bed, letting it sit in the clamps all night. The next morning, my son and I moved the top onto my old bench so that I could start flattening it. That's when I realized that the glue-surface face of the last section, while flat, was angled. I was in such a rush (ie: excitement) to get it clamped up that I didn't realize the problem when I glued it up. Part of the problem was that I didn't flatten the individual 8" sections before gluing them up; so the angle wasn't very noticeable when I first clamped them up.
> 
> ...


Looks good!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Beefing up the legs*

Originally, my legs were going to be 3-3/4" x 4-3/4". After I got my top glued up, I decided that I wanted a little more beef in the legs. I had enough lumber left over that was already acclimated to my shop. I spent a little time yesterday dressing up the legs and put in a bit of time tonight getting the new pieces planed true and ready to add to the leg laminations.

Because of my limited number of clamps, I was only able to get 3 of them glued up so far. Taking a break to watch the Sugar Bowl now, but planning to have the last leg glued and clamped up before bed tonight. That way, I'll be able to start working on the tenons tomorrow.

One thing that I'm doing differently from Chris Schwarz's instructions is that I'm gluing my legs up with all the pieces being the same length and cutting the tenons after they're all glued up. Mortise-and-tenon joinery is the first "real" wood joint I ever learned (besides screws+glue butt joints). I enjoy cutting them and wanted to take the challenge of cutting tenons this big; all my past experience has been 1/4" thick tenons on 3/4" face frames for 4 different cabinets that I've built.

I got a 38-degree blade for my new Veritas LA jack plane and it has made planing SYP go from a chore to a dream. Even in the instances where I can't avoid a knot, the 50-degree angle plows through them with very little (if any) tear out; even when taking a heavier shaving.

I also spent some time this week picking out the wood for my leg vise chop. I have enough pine for it, but from what I've read, pine tends to bend a bit under the pressure of the vise at times. The only hardwood that I have in my rack is some hard maple that is 13/16" thick x 8-1/2" wide x 80" long and some red oak that is about 7/8" thick x 9" wide x 48" long.

I want my chop to be between 1-3/4" to 2" thick. So, even with cutting the maple in half and laminating the two pieces, I won't be able to get away with either piece by itself.; not a problem though. I've used oak and maple together in the past to make a mallet and really like the contrasting look of the two woods together. So, I'm going to laminate them together; maple on the outside - oak on the middle - maple on the inside. Even though red oak isn't as "stout" as maple (from what I've read), I don't foresee any problems with it being laminated in between two 3/4" thick pieces of hard maple.


----------



## HungryTermite (Jan 19, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Beefing up the legs*
> 
> Originally, my legs were going to be 3-3/4" x 4-3/4". After I got my top glued up, I decided that I wanted a little more beef in the legs. I had enough lumber left over that was already acclimated to my shop. I spent a little time yesterday dressing up the legs and put in a bit of time tonight getting the new pieces planed true and ready to add to the leg laminations.
> 
> ...


This series has been great so far… very encouraging! I am going to start my own Roubo in the next month or so and it's nice to follow one in progress. Keep up the great work!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Continuing to work on the legs, 1 step at a time*

This past week was very busy for me and I only managed an hour a night at best in the shop. I spent most of this early evening cutting a few sheets 3/4" plywood and putting it down as flooring in my attic over the new insulation I put down last weekend.

I spent most of my shop time after climbing out of the attic cleaning up and sharpening a few plane blades (just got my first waterstones in from UPS today). I didn't want to close up for the night without getting at least something small done to keep the bench progress pushing forward.

All 4 legs have been milled up a little over sized. They are 32-1/2" long now, but only need to be 32" when it's all said and done. Also, they're a bit wider / thicker now than the minimums I'm shooting for; which is around 4-1/2" - 4-5/8" square).

So, I grabbed the newly laminated legs and started to true them up. I planed the best face side flat. Then, planed the best edge side to a 90-degree angle to the reference face side. After those two sides were flat and 90-degrees to each other, I marked them and went on to the next leg. I got all 4 legs trued up on 2 sides tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going to measure them all up to get the maximum available width and thickness. Then, I'll mark that width / thickness on each leg and plane them down 4-square and all matching sizes.

After that, I'm going to trim about 1/8" off the bottom of each leg to square it up to the 4 sides. Finally, I'm going to measure 30" from the bottom up to mark the shoulders for the tenons. Depending on if I have anymore honey-do's pop up this weekend, I'm hoping to have the tenons cut on all 4 legs before the weekend is over.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Starting on the joinery*

Because I train and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu between 4 - 6 nights a week, I don't get as much time in the shop as I'd like some times. We had a 3-day weekend this past weekend, but I wasn't able to get any time in the shop on Saturday. Our head instructor came down from Hattiesburg for a seminar and that is an all-day affair with us all going out to eat afterwards and spending the evening hanging out around a fire in the back yard.

I did get to put a good bit of time in on Sunday and this evening after I got back from the gym. I got all four legs 4-squared, trimmed the bottoms, cleaned them up with my LA jack, and finished the evening by marking / cutting the first leg tenon.










This is the first time that I've ever cut a tenon this big with saws this big. Not what I was used to with my only past experience being cutting small tenons for cabinet face frames with small dovetail and carcass backsaws. I'm hoping to get one leg done per day over the next few days between work and training this week.

If I can manage to do that, I'll be able to cut their matching mortises out this weekend. After that, I just have to get the stretchers done and I'll be able to start using the bench to finish itself (leg vise, shelf, planing stop, dog holes, hold fast holes, etc). If everything goes according to plan, I'm hoping to get the bench completely done by the middle to end of February.


----------



## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Starting on the joinery*
> 
> Because I train and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu between 4 - 6 nights a week, I don't get as much time in the shop as I'd like some times. We had a 3-day weekend this past weekend, but I wasn't able to get any time in the shop on Saturday. Our head instructor came down from Hattiesburg for a seminar and that is an all-day affair with us all going out to eat afterwards and spending the evening hanging out around a fire in the back yard.
> 
> ...


Looks good!


----------



## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

JasonD said:


> *Starting on the joinery*
> 
> Because I train and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu between 4 - 6 nights a week, I don't get as much time in the shop as I'd like some times. We had a 3-day weekend this past weekend, but I wasn't able to get any time in the shop on Saturday. Our head instructor came down from Hattiesburg for a seminar and that is an all-day affair with us all going out to eat afterwards and spending the evening hanging out around a fire in the back yard.
> 
> ...


A bit of a different experience cutting bigger joints!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Starting on the joinery*
> 
> Because I train and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu between 4 - 6 nights a week, I don't get as much time in the shop as I'd like some times. We had a 3-day weekend this past weekend, but I wasn't able to get any time in the shop on Saturday. Our head instructor came down from Hattiesburg for a seminar and that is an all-day affair with us all going out to eat afterwards and spending the evening hanging out around a fire in the back yard.
> 
> ...


@BWW, thanks!

@Dez, you said a mouthful right there! My next two projects after this bench is done is a couple of coffee tables and thinking about the milling / joinery for them seems like it's going to be nothing compared to the work I've had to do building this workbench. 

I got to sneak some extra shop time in at lunch today. I got the tenon cut on the 2nd leg and got the tenons marked out on the last two. I also got the shoulders knifed / chiseled on the last two. So, all I have to do tonight is to cut them off and clean them up.


----------



## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Starting on the joinery*
> 
> Because I train and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu between 4 - 6 nights a week, I don't get as much time in the shop as I'd like some times. We had a 3-day weekend this past weekend, but I wasn't able to get any time in the shop on Saturday. Our head instructor came down from Hattiesburg for a seminar and that is an all-day affair with us all going out to eat afterwards and spending the evening hanging out around a fire in the back yard.
> 
> ...


I was about to call you a name and challange you to a fight… but Jiu-Jitsu? Maybe not! I do have a black belt, but it's leather and has a couple of extra holes poked into it. I am enjoying your blog, though!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Starting on the joinery*
> 
> Because I train and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu between 4 - 6 nights a week, I don't get as much time in the shop as I'd like some times. We had a 3-day weekend this past weekend, but I wasn't able to get any time in the shop on Saturday. Our head instructor came down from Hattiesburg for a seminar and that is an all-day affair with us all going out to eat afterwards and spending the evening hanging out around a fire in the back yard.
> 
> ...


lol, no worries there, Jim. I only fight in competition / sanctioned fights and in-class sparring. Feel free to call me all the names you want; my skin is pretty thick. 

Thanks for checking out the blog.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Leg tenons done*

I got the leg tenons cut throughout the week and got them trued up tonight. I don't own a shoulder plane, but I have a Stanley rabbet plane that did the job.










I'm going to start working on the stretchers tomorrow; short ones first, then the long ones. I can't believe that I'm finally getting close to being able to assemble the main structure.

Don't know how much shop time I'll get over this next week. One of my students has started scheduling regular private lessons once a week on Thursdays. I've begun doing Big Brother mentoring / tutoring on Fridays. Add to that the fact that we're testing in Karate later this week, which means I'm going to put some extra training in early this week. So I'm hoping to get a lot done next weekend.


----------



## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Leg tenons done*
> 
> I got the leg tenons cut throughout the week and got them trued up tonight. I don't own a shoulder plane, but I have a Stanley rabbet plane that did the job.
> 
> ...


Wow those look great. Its really coming along nicely. Dude…your shop has A/C?


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Leg tenons done*
> 
> I got the leg tenons cut throughout the week and got them trued up tonight. I don't own a shoulder plane, but I have a Stanley rabbet plane that did the job.
> 
> ...


Thanks, guys.

@Rachet, yep. Just a small window unit for the summer time. I don't usually have it on, but during the summer, I'll put it on for a few minutes when I first get into the shop to bring the temperature down a bit. South Louisiana summers can be miserably hot.

It's unplugged now and even when I do use it, it's only about 5 minutes per day for a few months during the summer.


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Leg tenons done*
> 
> I got the leg tenons cut throughout the week and got them trued up tonight. I don't own a shoulder plane, but I have a Stanley rabbet plane that did the job.
> 
> ...


Ripping a 92" slab of walnut in in 90 degree weather by hand takes a different kind of person (bat s$% crazy is a term that comes to mind) welcome to the Luddite club.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Twisty stretchers, sore shoulder*

After a very busy week, I finally got some time in the shop tonight to start on the stretchers. The 4 boards that make up the two short end stretchers were fairly flat to start. It didn't take too much work to get them flattened and glued up. I injured my right shoulder early this week. So, I was pretty excited to find those boards to be flat to begin with.

Well, that excitement was short lived. The boards for the long stretchers were twisted pretty bad. Not too bad to toss in the scrap pile, but bad enough to mean I was going to be working my tail off tonight between my jack and jointer planes. So much for letting my injured shoulder heal up. 

This was a real test for me and my hand planes. Through out this project, I've hand planed a ton of board feet worth of SYP, but this was the first time I've ever encountered a board that was twisted this bad. I guess I'd just been very fortunate that the other boards I've used so far didn't move too much after I milled them up.

The stretchers are in the clamps, glued up for the night, and will be waiting for me to start cutting the tenons in the morning. I'm going to throw an ice pack on my shoulder, get something to eat, hit the shower, and crash for the night.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*The base is COMPLETE! (with pics)*

FINALLY!!! After several weeks of little to no shop time each day, I finally hit another major milestone. The base is complete; glued up and sitting in the clamps for the night. The past few weeks have been crazy for me: new projects at work, a battle with the flu, getting 15 of my students ready for a competition, etc. I was able to manage about 30 minutes of shop time every other night at best.

It was 14 days of knocking out one little task after another until it all came to fruition. I had to:
- measure and cut all the tenons for the stretchers
- mark off and chop out all the tenons in the legs for the stretchers
- drill out the hole for the leg vise screw and it's rear collar
- cut the mortise for the leg vise parallel guide
- drill out the holes for hold fasts on the front right leg
- drill out and mark all the holes for to drawbore the stretchers to the legs
- chamfer the bottoms of the legs
- clamp up and drawbore the entire base

Oh, and I realize that most people skip clamps when drawboring joints, but I'm one of those better-safe-than-sorry guys and I had clamps big enough to handle it. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt.

*Drilling out holes in the front right leg for the hold fasts










*That leg sitting on top of my sawbench










Most of the time was spent fine tuning the mortises for a nice snug fit with the stretcher tenons; which I finished up tonight. I've got a busy day tomorrow coaching a bunch of my students in a jiu-jitsu tournament. So, I made a big push today to get the base together.

My next move is to finish flattening the bottom of the bench top; which should only take about an hour. 
Then:
- put the base upside down on the top
- trace out the mortise locations from the tenons
- chop out the mortises
- cut the mortise / slot for the sliding board jack
- drill out the holes for the hold fasts in the bench top (have to do this when it's upside down, because they have to be wider at the bottom than the top in order to work with my hold fasts)
- and finally drawbore the top onto the base

At that point, my son and I are going to completely clean out my shop, lay anti-fatigue mats down in the entire shop (right now they're only around my old bench), move my old bench into the corner to be used for sharpening and finishing, and finally put the new bench in place in the middle of the shop. After that, I'm going to use the new bench to finish itself (leg vise chop, sliding board jack and track, shelf, planing stop, bench holes / dogs, etc).

*Here's the completed base, clamped up for the night


----------



## Eagle1 (Jan 4, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *The base is COMPLETE! (with pics)*
> 
> FINALLY!!! After several weeks of little to no shop time each day, I finally hit another major milestone. The base is complete; glued up and sitting in the clamps for the night. The past few weeks have been crazy for me: new projects at work, a battle with the flu, getting 15 of my students ready for a competition, etc. I was able to manage about 30 minutes of shop time every other night at best.
> 
> ...


Wow!! I don't think I could drill with that brace. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see it complete.


----------



## Rob200 (Sep 21, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *The base is COMPLETE! (with pics)*
> 
> FINALLY!!! After several weeks of little to no shop time each day, I finally hit another major milestone. The base is complete; glued up and sitting in the clamps for the night. The past few weeks have been crazy for me: new projects at work, a battle with the flu, getting 15 of my students ready for a competition, etc. I was able to manage about 30 minutes of shop time every other night at best.
> 
> ...


all that works pay with nice bench


----------



## Hoakie (May 8, 2007)

JasonD said:


> *The base is COMPLETE! (with pics)*
> 
> FINALLY!!! After several weeks of little to no shop time each day, I finally hit another major milestone. The base is complete; glued up and sitting in the clamps for the night. The past few weeks have been crazy for me: new projects at work, a battle with the flu, getting 15 of my students ready for a competition, etc. I was able to manage about 30 minutes of shop time every other night at best.
> 
> ...


Nice work can't wait to start my bench this spring.

@Eagle1 - My Dad gave me a couple of bit&brace + augers from my Grandpa's old shop. I was amazed at how easily they were to use. Yest it takes some effort but a lot less than I would have imagined.


----------



## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *The base is COMPLETE! (with pics)*
> 
> FINALLY!!! After several weeks of little to no shop time each day, I finally hit another major milestone. The base is complete; glued up and sitting in the clamps for the night. The past few weeks have been crazy for me: new projects at work, a battle with the flu, getting 15 of my students ready for a competition, etc. I was able to manage about 30 minutes of shop time every other night at best.
> 
> ...


Looks great. What does it weigh?


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Base + top = bench*

The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.










After the chop was in the clamps, I moved on to the final flattening of the bottom of the bench top. This didn't take too long (maybe 30 minutes or so) with my vintage Stanley #7. Once it was flat, I squared the front edge to the bottom. Next, I put the base onto the top upside down, got it lined up with the front and square, and finally traced out the placement and size of the leg tenons.

I chopped out about the first 1/2" of each leg mortise. Then, I used my brace and auger bit to drill out the corners of each mortise before going back with my biggest mortise chisel (3/4") and chopping out the bulk. I used my largest paring chisel (1") to clean up the walls; using a small combination square to make sure the mortises were the proper depth and that the walls were square. Next, I drilled out the holes for the draw bore pins, put the base in place (had to do this twice because I had to clean up one of the mortises better), and marked the location of the hole centers. I removed the base and drilled the offset holes, put the base and top back together, then finally hammered my draw bore pegs in to join the base and top.

Here's a pic of the bench before I cut the draw bore pegs flush:










Earlier this week, I was only able to get half an hour or so of shop time each night, but I didn't want to slow down. So, I spent that time working on some of the bench "accessories" as seen in the picture below: red oak planing stop, red oak parallel guide (before drilling holes, shaping, etc), and SYP vise handle (not joined yet).










I don't have a lathe, but I wanted to do something different than the octagon with dowels at each end as shown in the book. So, I took a cut off from one of the boards that got glued into the top, cut it to 1" square, then used my block plane to work it into an octagon. From there, I planed off the sharp edges of the octagon and continued this path until I had a "fairly" round handle. I didn't really want it perfectly round; I like the little facets that are created from hand planing square stock into round stock. I did the same thing with some of the offcuts from the long stretchers to make the end knobs. I attached the first one with glue and a dowel. I have the dowel glued into the second side, but I haven't glued the second knob on yet. I'm going to do that after I get the chop installed (hopefully tomorrow).

Of course, it wouldn't be right to hit a major milestone in this bench build without making at least one minor screw up. I got the base and top attached, but forgot to drill / chop out the trench for the sliding board jack to ride in. I thought about drilling out the draw bore pegs, removing the top, and cutting the trench, but I decided against it. Yes, it will be a little more difficult to do this with the base attached, but not impossible. I'm just going to flip the bench over, climb in the middle of the base, and get to work.

My to-do list from here is:
- cut out the sliding board jack trench
- finish shaping the vise chop
- cut the hole for the vise screw and chop the mortise for the parallel guide in the chop 
- install the vise screw and parallel guide onto the chop and finally install the vise
- flatten the top
- cut the mortise out for the planing stop and install it
- drill out the dog holes and hold fast holes
- build and install the shelf cleats and boards
- build and install the sliding board jack and the "V"-rail for it to slide on top of
- cut the ends flush / square

I'm hoping that I can get the first half of that list done (at least up to flattening the top).

When it's all said and done, my new bench will be 24" wide, 34" high, 61" long, and weigh well over 200 lbs (closer to 300 lbs, actually); a major improvement (for a hand tool guy like myself) over my current 75 lb, 24" x 36-1/2" x 48" plywood and 2×4 bench.


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Base + top = bench*
> 
> The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.
> 
> ...


dang it look good 

Dennis


----------



## Raskal (Jan 18, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Base + top = bench*
> 
> The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.
> 
> ...


I just read through your blog tonight… wow…. you've encouraged me to build a better bench for myself.

thanks!


----------



## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Base + top = bench*
> 
> The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.
> 
> ...


It's looking good Jason. Thanks for the blog, I'm really enjoying it.


----------



## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Base + top = bench*
> 
> The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.
> 
> ...


The roubo is my absolute favorite and I do believe you have my bench. When will it be ready? jk

great job!


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Base + top = bench*
> 
> The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.
> 
> ...


Thanks, guys. It's funny that I started this blog as a way to keep myself in check. I figured that if I put the build out in public, then it would help hold me accountable to keep making progress. My life is ridiculously busy between family, work, our gym, and my new woodworking hobby. So, any extra ammo I could have to keep me plugging along was gladly needed.

Anyway, I started this blog for me and it blows my mind that other people are enjoying reading it; much less the handful of people who've said they were inspired by it.


----------



## bigike (May 25, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Base + top = bench*
> 
> The day started with me cutting the vise chop into shape. I cut the straight cuts with my rip panel cut (as seen in the first pic below). Then, I cut the curved cuts and glued the chop together. I didn't have any 8/4 stock, but I did have some 4/4 hard maple and red oak left over from previous projects. So, I hand planed them flat / square and decided to cut the shapes out before the glue up. After letting it sit in the clamps over night, I'm going to clean up the sides of the chop with a block plane, spokeshave, and a rasp.
> 
> ...


oh man this bench came out great, I want to build the twenty century workbench from finewoodworking I like how it's set up.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Knocked several items off the list today*

I didn't quite get as far as I'd hope today, but I did make some good progress. I set a goal of getting through my list up to flattening the top, but I decided to put that step off for another day; partly because I put in almost 12 hours of shop time yesterday and my body is HURTING today.

My son and I flipped the bench back upside down. Then, I marked out the location of the sliding board jack trench, grabbed my drill and chisels, and got to work. It wasn't hard, but it took a little while. Once that was done, I got to work shaping the leg vise chop. I got the chamfers done on both sides, drilled out the hole for the screw, marked the location for the screws that will attach the screw to the chop, and got the location of the mortise on the chop to attach the parallel guide.

I thought about flipping the bench over to flatten the top, but I was so sore and I've got to teach two classes at our gym tomorrow night…nah, I'll flatten it in a few days….lol

I took advantage of the bench being upside down and applied two coats of finish; a mix of 1 part polyurethane, 1 part boiled linseed oil, and 1 part paint thinner as recommended by Chris Schwarz. I also put two coats on the 3 outside faces of the leg vise chop.

To finish the night off, I swept up my shop and sharpened the plane blades, chisels, and card scraper that I used today.

My *almost* finished leg vise chop. I didn't bother doing the final shaping on the top, because once I flatten the bench top, it'll affect the final height of the vise chop.










The sliding board jack trench drilled / chopped out.


----------



## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Knocked several items off the list today*
> 
> I didn't quite get as far as I'd hope today, but I did make some good progress. I set a goal of getting through my list up to flattening the top, but I decided to put that step off for another day; partly because I put in almost 12 hours of shop time yesterday and my body is HURTING today.
> 
> ...


Ok the Roubo elves must be out today. This is the 3rd one I have seen. This is great progress Jason. It is looking very nice. And when your finished with the elves send em to my shop. I could use a nice new bench just like yours.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*

It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.

My next major task for the workbench was to flatten the top. This shouldn't be too hard. For one thing, the boards were fairly close to lined up when the top was glued up. I purposely didn't spend time jointing every one of them then, because I knew I'd have to flatten it eventually at the end. Secondly, I had just flattened the bottom of the bench top.

It made no sense for me to be worried about it….but when the time came to get started on it, I froze; at least, subconsciously. I started coming up with excuses: I'm too sore from putting in a lot of shop time this weekend. I need to wait for my son to have time to help me flip the bench. I don't want to flatten it during the week because it'll wear me out before I have to go to the gym. You name it, I was trying to find a reason to put it off.

This morning before work and after mulling over it for a bit, it finally hit me. I was staring at this elephant. So worried about it's size, that I was too afraid to take the first bite. So, I very carefully managed to flip the bench back upright onto it's legs. This was no small task for a bench of this weight; especially considering that, as I mentioned, I did it CAREFULLY and slowly to prevent any damage to the bench.

Then, I grabbed my straight edge (3/4" aluminum angle iron) and marked the high spots across the width for the first 4" - 6" of the length of the top. Next, I grabbed my "scrub" plane (a cheap, modern Stanley #5 with a HEAVILY cambered iron) and got to work. Take a few swipes, check with the straight edge, lather, rinse, repeat.

Within a just a minute or two, I was ready to reach for my LV LA jack (set to take a fine shaving) and was easily planing full-width shavings across that section. Slapped the straight edge down and it confirmed a nice flat 6" of bench top across the entire width.

I don't know why, but it seems like one of the first skill we all master as woodworkers is the ability to over think simple things. If we're not trying to come up with some Rube Goldberg-esque jig to handle a simple task, we're worrying too much about getting in there in the first place. Granted, I've only been working wood for a little over a year, but the more I'm exposed to, the more it seems that I'm not alone in this bad habit.

Anyway, I decided then and there, that regardless of what my schedule calls for, I'm going to flatten the top over the next few days. Even if I only manage to get 30 minutes of shop time each night, I'm going to flatten about 6" of real estate at a time. If I can get halfway across in one night or only manage one 6" section, I'm going to take the progress and be happy with it.

Oh, by the way, I was so excited about my new "epiphany", that I got motivated and knocked out two other small tasks: I got the mortise chopped out in the vise chop for the parallel guide and I got the holes drilled in the parallel guide, as well as getting the decorative curvatures shaped into the end of the guide. I don't have my camera with me now, but I'll try to get some pics uploaded at lunch time today.


----------



## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


And here I thought I was to only one that did this. Good to know I have company. Now I don't feel so alone. lol


----------



## donjohn24 (Oct 15, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


Oh! How I understand what you were feeling! - I am the same way before beginning *ANY* job.
I procrastinate - using similar excuses to those you mentioned - and keep shying away from starting.
Paradoxically, when I do eventually get started, I hate to stop!
So, I think I'm a representative of Newton's First Law of Thermodynamics:
'Any body will resist attempts to change its state of apparent rest or apparent motion'.

I'm not sure if there is another Law that would apply, but usually I start off convinced that I won't make a very good job of what I'm trying to do, but usually end up thinking , "Well, that's not bad - even if its not the best one ever made!"


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


I also like, "I can't start that until I get a proper xxxxx". I know what you're talking about.


----------



## Woodbutchery (Aug 1, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


I'm SO there with you.

I always find myself at the point in the project where the next step could really screw things up, and then it's finding paper-clips to count, vacuuming the eaves, stringing spider-web together, anything to avoid that next crucial step.

Then I finally realize what I'm doing and just start, and find out just how hard it wasn't.

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


Thanks, guys. I don't know why we do this, but it definitely seems like a trait we all share. It doesn't matter if we're hand tool users, power tool users, cabinet makers, wood turners, carvers, or whatever…we all seem to get that "uh-oh" right before we take the next step in a project. I remember a funny quote (don't remember where from) that basically said "what are you worried about? this stuff DOES actually grow on trees…worse case, if you mess up, grab a scrap piece and repair it. if that's not an option, just get another piece of lumber and get to work".

Here is a picture of the work earlier today on the vise chop and parallel guide. I cut the ogee shape in the end with a coping saw, then finished shaping it with my spokeshave:


----------



## BallardPops (Mar 4, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


Hi Jason - First let me say what a great job you have done on this project, and all with hand tools ta boot! Great solution on the vise chop and it looks good too. I really know what you mean about findiing excuses to not start a critical part of our project. For me it's that I have usually spent so many hours on everything up to that point, that I don't want to screw it up and start over. Then I realize that is part of what draws us to this hobby or job and if we are careful and use are skills we will get the job done and be satisfied. I started woodworking in 1960 (I know, long ago!) and still have yet to build a "real" workbench, all the reasons you stated and more. I hope to get mine started (European style ala Frank Klausz) by this June. I was injured 2 Jul, 2007 and am just now recovering from back surgery and am able to work a little, 30 to 60 mins a day. You have inspired me to get off my duff and get started. I've rambled on long enough. Thanks for your updates.

Pops


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Pops! Can't wait to see your finished bench. I'd love to use a shoulder vise one day. I'm thinking about making a smaller "bench-on-a-bench" with a shoulder vise; kind of like Moxon's twin screw, but with a shoulder vise.


----------



## BallardPops (Mar 4, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Thankful for small victories...or how to eat an elephant one bite at a time*
> 
> It's funny that no matter how many hurdles I've tackled so far in building this bench, I still find myself "paralyzed" with fear when I come fact to face with a big new task….even if it's a task that I've already accomplished in the build.
> 
> ...


Hi Jason - I think that is a great idea, you would get the best of both worlds by having a removable shoulder vise. There are a few bench top vises on this workbench part of the projects tab, one by Jordan who is in high school! His is on page? 5, Jordan's benchtop workbench. I look forward to seeing what you come up with! Hope your shoulder healed up and you are once again making shavings with your awsome handplanes. I'm going to make a set of planes (smoother, jack and jointer) to flatten my benchtop when I get to that stage. Take care.

Pops


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Mon Roubo est complet!!!*

What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.

Well, things went great at the gym (I got promoted!  ) and came home pretty pumped up. So, I got busy with my #7 jointer plane and before I knew it, the top was flat. I finished up the final shaping on the vise chop and its parallel guide, got the guide and the vise screw installed and voila!!!










I still have a few things to finish up (drill / chop out the mortise for the planing stop, drill the dog holes, and make / install the shelf), but it is for all intents and purposes a serviceable bench. It is finally at the stage where I can use it to finish building itself.

It's taken 2 months and 4 days of hit-or-miss shop time, trying to grab whatever time I could working around commitments to family, work, and my gym. It's been a lot of blood, sweat, and *almost* tears (a few times), but I have a real sense of satisfaction having done this on my own with hand tools.

At this point, I'm going to take a few days off from working on the bench to clean my shop up completely. I'm going to move my old bench into the corner to use for sharpening, glue-ups, etc.

I've definitely learned a TON and am thankful beyond words to many people, but most of all to:
- Chris Schwarz for his books, inspiration, and knowledge
- Roy Underhill for his inspiration and knowledge.

I've learned pretty much 99% of what I know about hand tool use from Chris' books, DVDs, and articles; and Roy's show, books, and articles.

Thanks also to everyone here at LJ. When I was fighting the flu a few weeks back and couldn't work in the shop, I'd browse through projects and blogs here and get so much inspiration and knowledge. This is the first major woodworking project I've completed using hand tools and for the first time since I started a year ago, I feel like I can justifiably call myself a "woodworker". I know I still have A LOT to learn, but I'm happy to have such a major milestone accomplished.

Here are a few pics of the vise chop being finished:

Pilot holes? Who needs a drill when you've got auger gimlets? 










And here's a picture of the chop with the screw installed and the finished parallel guide glued into its mortise:


----------



## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


Man I am so jealous. Very nice.


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


Phenomenal. Nearly the exact bench I'd build.


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


uuuuh realy a great looking bench 
and done unplugged …is fantastic 
great work you can be very proud of yourself 
finish the rest of it and take a single malt to celebrate 
but only one glass ….there is still projects ahead of you 

thank´s for sharing it has been a pleassure to follow

take care
Dennis


----------



## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


Nice build. You are to be commended.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


Thanks, everybody!

superdav, I knew you'd appreciate the finished bench. Your encouraging comments on my blog have been an extra push of motivation at times.

Dennis, I don't drink alcohol, but I did celebrate with a tall glass of orange juice after getting the chop installed last night.


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


it´s okay as long as you remember to celebrate and pad yourself 
and having fun is what its all about and I can see you have a lot of it

Dennis


----------



## Byates (Mar 30, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Mon Roubo est complet!!!*
> 
> What can I say…when the bug bites, it bites hard! I had about 1-1/2 hours after work before I had to be at the gym for Karate. I got busy with my "scrub" plane (heavily cambered iron in an a modern Stanley #5). I spent about 45 minutes in the shop, got the bench almost entirely roughly flattened, and still had enough time to clean up and get to the gym on time.
> 
> ...


Great Job Jason! I'm in the planning stages right now and your blog has inspired me to get moving on the building stage. If mine turns out any where near as nice as your I'll be happy!

Thanks for sharing this one with us all.

Brian


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Tools used in the bench build*

Here's list of the main tools I used in this bench build:
- a "scrub" plane (a cheap modern Stanley #5 that I heavily cambered the iron on)
- a pair of cheap modern Stanley block planes (LA and regular)
- a cheap modern Stanley bullnose rabbet plane
- a vintage Stanley #7 Jointer plane that I bought off of eBay
- a LV LA Jack plane that I got for Christmas this past year
- a cheap Great Neck brand crosscut panel saw
- a cheap Putsch brand rip panel saw
- a cheap modern Stanley coping saw
- a cheap Great Neck brand brace
- a set of Irwin auger bits
- a 1/4" Diefenbacher mortise chisel
- a 3/4" Diefenbacher mortise chisel
- a 1/2" Diefenbacher paring chisel
- a 1" Diefenbacher paring chisel
- a maple and red oak mallet that I made myself
- LV auger gimlets
- a pair of Groz 8" dividers 
- a card scraper
- a rasp

I just wanted to show that you don't necessarily need "Tool X" to get the job done. We can easily convince ourselves that we can't start a particular project unless we have a certain special tool; instead of just trying to figure out a way to get the job done with the tools we have.

When I started this bench, if I could have gotten a power planer and jointer I *probably* would have. But I didn't have them and couldn't afford them, so I used what I did have.

I didn't use hand tools to build this bench because I loved hand tools, but I have ABSOLUTELY grown to LOVE hand tools after building this bench using them. Yes, I want to eventually replace some of my cheaper tools with high quality versions, but I honestly don't ever see myself buying a power planer, etc. The reason I posted descriptions like "cheap modern Stanley" is because I wanted to show that you can achieve positive results with less-than-premium hand tools. No doubt, this would have been a lot easier with more high quality hand tools, but I was happy to have what I had.

Call me crazy, but I actually ENJOY milling lumber by hand now. Half the fun of building this bench was 4-squaring the individual boards with hand planes. I could put some music on low in the shop and get to work; enjoying the sweet "swish" sound of the plane cutting a shaving from the board.


----------



## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Tools used in the bench build*
> 
> Here's list of the main tools I used in this bench build:
> - a "scrub" plane (a cheap modern Stanley #5 that I heavily cambered the iron on)
> ...


A fellow handplaner understanding what you're saying. Learning to use average quality tools only makes you appreciate that tuned vintage Stanley 64 all the more. When my shop's filthy with router purge, I can't rest easy until I clean up (OCD). If my floor's covered with shavings, it doesn't seem to bother me!


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Tools used in the bench build*
> 
> Here's list of the main tools I used in this bench build:
> - a "scrub" plane (a cheap modern Stanley #5 that I heavily cambered the iron on)
> ...


well spoken 

take care
Dennis


----------



## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Tools used in the bench build*
> 
> Here's list of the main tools I used in this bench build:
> - a "scrub" plane (a cheap modern Stanley #5 that I heavily cambered the iron on)
> ...


I have the same issue Bertha and I can hear my radio while I work.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Continuing the "accessories"...*

I spent the evening cleaning up and rearranging my shop the night that I got the top flattened and the leg vise installed. For the first time since I moved into this shop, it actually feels and looks like a work shop. Everything is actually in the proper place, as opposed to being thrown randomly some where in the hectic scramble to get our house remodeled so that we could move in last year.

After getting everything cleaned up and organized, I started working on some of the remaining accessories for my new bench. It's so awesome to have the bench available to finish building itself. All of the tasks are so much easier with this bench compared to my old one.

The first thing I did was to put the planing stop (2"x2-1/2"x12" of red oak) down on the bench top to trace out its profile. I made sure it was square by lining it up with a try square against the front edge of the bench top. After it was traced out, I used my largest mortise chisel (3/4") to chop out about 1/4" of the mortise. Then, I used my brace and 3/4" auger bit to drill out the bulk of the rest of the waste and cleaned up the walls with a pairing chisel.

It was a REALLY tight fit at first; requiring way too much effort. I figured it would be easier (and much safer) to reduce the size of the planing stop than to widen the mortise. Chiseling out the mortise could be dangerous; whereas hand planing a few fine shavings off the planing stop itself was absolutely safe. I could easily adjust the fit by a thou at a time. I planed a little off, hammered it back in to test, planed a little more off, etc about 3 or 4 times before I got the fit that I was after.

Before chopping through the bottom of the bench top, I crouched down under it and chop out about 1/8" depth of the mortise on the opposite side to prevent any blowout. Obviously, this would have been much easier if I would have made this mortise before attaching the base and the top, but it wasn't anything too difficult.

I also glued a piece of vegetable-tanned leather to the top 6" or so of the leg vise chop. I didn't have any wax paper to put between the vise chop and the bench top. I did, however, have a large scrap of 1/4" luan plywood and some 4" painters tape. So, I covered the luan with tape, grabbed my Titebond glue, and clamped it all up.

Here's a pic of the leather clamped up in the vise. You can also see the installed planing stop here.










When I made the bench top, I cut about 4-1/4" from each side of a 2×12. This gave me fairly stable lumber for the top and left the pith portion of scrap to be used for "utility" stuff. One such use was the 1" x 1" cleat that I installed inside the stretchers for the shelf. I glued the cleats in place, then drilled pilot holes, and nailed them in place with small brads.

I crosscut, ripped, and resawed some scraps from the original lumber that was cut to build the bench so that I could have the shelf pieces themselves. The boards were 1-1/2" and fairly straight. So, I was able to resaw and plane them down to about 5/8" thick. To join them, I used my bullnose rabbet plane to cut rabbets to make shiplapped joints.

I'm cutting a 1/8" chamfer into the mating edges where the shelf boards join. So far, I've only gotten two of the board installed so far. In his book, Chris recommends nailing each shelf board down with single brad in the middle of each side. I like the idea of being able to easily remove the shelf boards to clean up under the bench, etc.

Here's a picture of the first two shelf boards installed:










I also got the locations for the dog holes marked out across the front of the bench top; about 2-1/4" from the front edge. I would have liked to have it about 1/2" or so closer to the front edge, but I had to put them where I did to make sure they weren't too close to the sliding deadman trench below the bench top.

Here's a pic of the bench in its new home:










I also made a proper "pin" for my leg vise chop. You can see it in the pic above. I bought some 3/8" steel rod and 1" hardwood dowel. I shaped the ends of the dowel a bit with chisels and rasps, then drilled a 3/8" diameter hole about 1-1/2" deep into one side. I used a hacksaw to cut about 6" off the steel rod and polished it up with some sandpaper (320, 400, and finally 600 grit). Then, glued the rod into the dowel with polyurethane glue. It works great and saves me from using my burnisher. 

You can see one of the scrap boards on top marked to be crosscut and resawn to make two more shelf boards. You can also see that I was able to get the entire "working area" of the shop floor covered with anti-fatigue mats. With my old bench, I put them down around the bench but never bothered to move it to put them under it. This was a huge pain when it was time to sweep up the shop.

By the way, I haven't used these mats long enough to be able to say how much they help your back / feet, but I can't say enough about how much I love the protection they give my tools. A chisel got accidentally knocked off of the bench and it barely made a sound when it landed softly on the cushioned mat below.


----------



## carlosponti (Sep 9, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Continuing the "accessories"...*
> 
> I spent the evening cleaning up and rearranging my shop the night that I got the top flattened and the leg vise installed. For the first time since I moved into this shop, it actually feels and looks like a work shop. Everything is actually in the proper place, as opposed to being thrown randomly some where in the hectic scramble to get our house remodeled so that we could move in last year.
> 
> ...


You commented on my bench the other day this is my opportunity to comment on yours. I have followed your build as well. since I started down the path of building a roubo style bench i kept watching this one and others for ideas. You have a great build there. i like the leg vise and the leg storage for the holdfasts.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Continuing the "accessories"...*
> 
> I spent the evening cleaning up and rearranging my shop the night that I got the top flattened and the leg vise installed. For the first time since I moved into this shop, it actually feels and looks like a work shop. Everything is actually in the proper place, as opposed to being thrown randomly some where in the hectic scramble to get our house remodeled so that we could move in last year.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Joe.

The leg storage for the holdfasts is taking some getting used to. I love the fact that they don't take up space on the bench top (with my old bench, I left them sitting loosely in their holes in the bench top when not in use), but I've smacked my right knee on them a few times when planing long boards that are sitting on the bench top.


----------



## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Continuing the "accessories"...*
> 
> I spent the evening cleaning up and rearranging my shop the night that I got the top flattened and the leg vise installed. For the first time since I moved into this shop, it actually feels and looks like a work shop. Everything is actually in the proper place, as opposed to being thrown randomly some where in the hectic scramble to get our house remodeled so that we could move in last year.
> 
> ...


Great Build. I would like to know the weight of what you built.
The first scratch is the hardest.


----------



## carlosponti (Sep 9, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Continuing the "accessories"...*
> 
> I spent the evening cleaning up and rearranging my shop the night that I got the top flattened and the leg vise installed. For the first time since I moved into this shop, it actually feels and looks like a work shop. Everything is actually in the proper place, as opposed to being thrown randomly some where in the hectic scramble to get our house remodeled so that we could move in last year.
> 
> ...


what screw are you using for the leg vise.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Continuing the "accessories"...*
> 
> I spent the evening cleaning up and rearranging my shop the night that I got the top flattened and the leg vise installed. For the first time since I moved into this shop, it actually feels and looks like a work shop. Everything is actually in the proper place, as opposed to being thrown randomly some where in the hectic scramble to get our house remodeled so that we could move in last year.
> 
> ...


Joe, it's the LV tail vise screw


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Completed shelf and sliding board jack track*

Just a quick update tonight. I got the shelf completed and also made / installed the track for the sliding board jack. I chose not to nail the shelf boards down. They are joined with shiplapped rabbet joints; no glue. This way, I can easily remove the shelf to sweep it off, sweep under the bench, etc.

I also decided to forgo screws to attach the track for sliding board jack. I made some v-grooved cauls with 2×4 scraps to clamp it during the glue up. I made the 45-deg chamfers on either side of the track with a block plane. I marked off the base and apex lines of the chamfers on both sides and the top with a pencil.

Then, I hogged off most of the waste taking thick shavings. Once I got to around 1/16" or so away from my pencil lines, I adjusted the plane to take progressively finer shavings until I was able to sneak up to a clean, 45-deg bevel. It didn't take very long at all, was much quieter than using a table saw, and was really relaxing and fun.

I took pictures from a couple of different angles because the light in my shop along with the camera flash made the track a little difficult to see at some angles.



















Oh, I also got about half of the dog holes drilled out with my brace and a 3/4" auger bit. All that I have left is to drill out the last few dog / hold fast holes, make the sliding board jack, and then apply the oil / varnish blend finish to the rest of the bench (I already put it on the bottom of the bench top and the legs when the bench was still upside down last week).


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

*Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*

I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.

To make the V-groove at the bottom, I first made two cuts down the center with a rip panel saw. Then I cut a 45-deg kerf from the front / back that met those first two cuts in the middle. Finally, I chopped out the middle section and pared it flat with a 1/4" chisel and cleaned up the slopes with a paring chisel.

Here's a picture after the first 45-deg cut:










After the second 45-deg cut:










Test fitting the board jack before shaping it and boring the rows of offset holes:










I don't have a bowsaw yet. So, to cut the curves on the sides, I first made a series of cuts down the side with a crosscut panel saw that stopped at different points in the arc. After the majority of the waste was cut out, I cleaned it up with a paring chisel (bevel-down), followed by a spokeshave, and finally a card scraper.










Here's the completed board jack installed on it's track:


----------



## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Finally a picture with wood chips and shavings all over the floor. Oh, and a nice bench too!


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Nice looking bench. What does the top part of the board jack fit into? I assume ther is some play there for installation.


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Dave! lol

Yeah, I kept sweeping the floor before I'd take new pictures for my blog.  But, it's been raining lately, so I haven't been able to dispose of the shaving in my burn barrel for about a week. So, this is the pile that's hiding in the corner out of sight of all my last few blog pictures…


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


RG, I cut a groove in the bottom of the bench top that the "tongue" of the board jack's rabbet slides into. The trench is 3/4" wide by 1" deep. Here's a picture of it before I flipped the bench onto its feet.










I chopped the trench out about 1/8" deep to establish the start of the mortise walls. Then, I used a brace and 3/4" auger bit to drill out the majority of the waste and finally cleaned it up with a wide paring chisel and mortise chisel.


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Cool thanks. I am lucky on the shavings. I have a wood stove for heating, they all go to use. Nice saw-bench, I am building a beefy version (and wondering at the wisdom in that…oh well).


----------



## JasonD (Jul 26, 2010)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


I'd LOVE to have a wood stove. A few of the local hardware stores sell some at good prices, but I just don't have the time / money to tackle remodeling the shop (busting through a brick wall to run the exhaust pipe) right now.


----------



## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Not in the shop, it's in my house. In my shop I freeze like everyone else. Need insulation, want water-stones.


----------



## Cantputjamontoast (Jan 1, 2009)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Thank you
I have very much enjoyed this whole series


----------



## PaBull (May 13, 2008)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Very nice. That was indeed a treat to watch you build this bench.

I am sure you will have a life long joy out of this workbench.

Pabull.


----------



## CartersWhittling (Jan 29, 2011)

JasonD said:


> *Making the sliding board jack with hand tools only*
> 
> I got some time in the shop tonight and was able to get the sliding board jack made and installed.
> 
> ...


Great project build. Great to see someone make an entire workbench with hand tools.


----------

