# Building a roubo workbench in my apartment



## brklnguy (Feb 13, 2010)

*Making the top*

I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.

This is my first project with hand tools. I worked as a cabinetmaker for 6 years, and then moved to NYC 3 years ago and changed careers. I've been wanting to get back into building furniture, and after a few months of reading everything Chris Schwartz has written and pretty much every other hand tool blog on the internet, I feel like I know everything about handplaning without ever even using one. 

I bought a LV LA jack plane, a LV LA block plane, a whole pile of sharpening supplies, I love the LV MKII sharpening jig. I watched ebay for a few weeks, and got some pretty good deals on a few planes and and saws.

I have a 7' space in between the kitchen and the living room that I can put a bench, and after getting approval from the wife, I decided to build a 6' roubo with a leg vise. I plan on putting a 7" quick release vise on the end later.

There's no southern yellow pine in NYC, but I picked some up when we were in Georgia for Christmas. The top is made from 4 2×12 x12' ripped in half and cut to 6'. The legs are pressure treated 6×6's and the lower rails are treated 4×6's. All the wood was under $120.

So far, I think the single hardest part about building a bench is building it without a bench. I decided to build it without using any power tools, just so I would get some experience. I have nothing against power tools, I just want to see how they used to do it…










this step took the most time, I cleaned up every glued face to get rid of the cupping and milling marks. I really missed the thickness planer for this, its easy to get each face flat, it's a little trickier to get them parallel.










this is an old saw I got for $5 on ebay, I think it's from an old miter saw… it seems like the length makes it cut really fast.










pre-drilling the holes for the nails that keep everything lined up for the glue up. Got the drill for $5 on ebay










Gluing up, I left gaps now to make mortises, I think this will save a lot of time later.










I wish I could have had at least 4 more clamps










Glue up #2, 4 boards at a time, any more and the glue on the first board would be dry before the clamps get put on.




























The Veritas low angle jack plane with the A2 blade. I can't say enough about this guy, the only trouble I had was edge retention with the stock 25deg blade. I went up to 30 and it helped a lot, but it still kept chipping. I finally sharpened the micro bevel to 35 and I could plane all day without having to sharpen and without any chipping.



















Final glue up, if I would have kept everything lined up better, it would have saved a lot of time later when I had to flatten it.



















Flattening the top… The LA jack can take paper thin shavings as well as thick, almost 1/16" shavings.



















this is where I wish I had a bench or some saw horses, it's hard on your back to plane a top thats only 20" off the ground.










I don't know how I ever got my wife to let me do this in the living room, but I don't think she expected this… lol.










you can see the low spot I accidentally made in the top during the glue up.










The finished top surface, once I get the leg tenons through the top, I'll hit the whole thing with a smoother.










I got this #7 on ebay with 5 other planes for $40… It took a little work to fix it up, and about 2 hours to flatten the back on my diamond stone, but now it's a keeper. I've never used a bedrock or a LN, but I don't know how they could do any better of a job…










notice the clamps that brace the top against the wall, I had to use these for pretty much every step, I can't wait till I have a bench to work on. The hardest part about using hand planes without a bench is keeping the piece from moving.










the finished bottom




























This weighed over 190lbs before I started flattening the top… 15lbs of shavings!!!










the almost finished top, I think I 'm going to wait to trim the ends till after its on the base. The final thickness ended up right at 5", I had to take off almost 1/2" because of the bad alignment during the glue up.










the cat is fascinated with the shavings, when I'm planing she'll sit next to me and watch the whole time.










It's hard to believe that all of these shaving were made by me pushing a 8lb plane back and forth, this is all so new to me…










next step: open up the mortises in the top to the finished size and get started on the base…

thanks for looking, any comments or tips would be appreciated!


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


very good job, keep it up. I can't wait to see it done


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## Ecocandle (Jan 2, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


That is awesome, you get extra points for including the cat photos!!!


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Hey it will serve many purposes in a small apt.service table, dinning table, work bench , and futon for extra guest…great build and blog…wood is in your blood my friend, I like you spirit … Oh and by the way nice work on your plane and the biggest difference with a Bedrock is the frog set up rock solid , it hold the blade so stiff that the shaving just fly out the throat.Blkcherry


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## brklnguy (Feb 13, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


haha, thats sorta what I was telling my wife, "We can just put a table cloth on it and you wont even know its there"...


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Wait till it done and she won't let you put any more tools on her table…LOL


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


great blog thank´s for sharing
I like you do it unplugged
and it looks like this will be
a great bench i´m looking
forward to see the rest
and welcome to L J

Dennis


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## RvK (Nov 22, 2009)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Awesome!!


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## Timbo (Aug 21, 2008)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Very cool, thanks for showing us.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


You have posted a well documented blog on the bench's construction. And your wife must be a very patient and understanding woman. I can guarantee you that if I even asked to do something like this it would not be a pretty sight at all. I get yelled at for tracking sawdust into the house if my wife sees sawdust on the floor of my shop. 

I also enjoy seeing the build done with hand tools. I could not do this but respect the abilities of those who have taken the time and put in the effort to develop their hand skills. I am looking foward to seeing the next installment.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


You is off to a great start!


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


You've got a real keeper there hang on to her. ( The wife, you can always build another bench) I also want to see the pictures of moving the bench the next time you move.


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## Kacy (Dec 14, 2009)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


That is a fantastic bench and wife-even beats mine, who didn't complain when I was drilling and chopping mortises at the kitchen table last night because my back was killing me.


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## RandyMarine (Mar 5, 2009)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Wow I am envious! I could never build something like that by hand…where did you get your handtool trainging or did you just pick up a plane and the rest is history?

My woman would be right there with the cat and a dust broom…but she'd let me do it.

Nice work on everything welcome to LJ's!


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## brklnguy (Feb 13, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


RandyM:

I picked one up and the rest is history… lol I used to be a "machinist" woodworker to the worst degree, my favorite shop tool was my Starrett 6" dial caliper. It isn't hard at all to use hand tools, it just takes a completely different mindset. The thing I keep reminding myself is that almost every bit of furniture built before WWII was built this way. You should get a LV LA jack and practice squaring up some lumber, its a lot easier than you think.

Autumn:

I don't know if I'll ever be that good, but reading about his shop last fall was one of the main inspirations to put a bench in my apt. Well, actually I came across this guy first: Matt Paldy, but I knew that the noise and dust from the machines wouldn't go over very good with the wife or landlord.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


now that you have a new dinning room table ,

maybe you can start getting rid

of some of that furniture ?

and make some ' bookcases ' for the planes ,

and some ' end tables ' for sawhorses .

keep the wife !


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## notalentwoodworker (Feb 25, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Great Blog Adam! This is very interesting and I am anxious to see the finished product. By the way, in case you couldn't tell from my sign in, this is James… Since my last experience with woodworking was in high school and included more putty than actual wood, I figured this was a fitting username! LOL Mr. Yoder has never forgotten how much putty I used on that end table I made!


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Strong will, dedication and patient. I'll be following the progress.

P/S; if i make that kind of mess in the room, I think I would have been thrown out of the window long ago!, LOL…


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## jim1953 (Nov 18, 2007)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Great Lookin Job


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## Prisirie (Mar 1, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


This is very nice and inspiring work.


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## FrankCarson (Mar 7, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


I second the previous comment. This ia a great inspiration to me. Thank you. I am in south Brooklyn, an apartment and considering undertaking a workbench project using only handtools as well. I may have to journey down south for some lumber or consider an alternative. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this project, brklnguy.


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## brklnguy (Feb 13, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Thank you everyone for all the kind words, I should be ready to post part 2 in a week or two…

FrankCarson:

It's not as hard as it looks! Send me a PM if you would like to come over some time and check everything out in person, I'm in Prospect Heights by the A,C train. It would fun talk shop with a fellow woodworker.

You should check out Tools for Working Wood if you haven't already, it's the only hand tool store in NYC.

-Adam, Brooklyn, New York


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## DoctorDan (Feb 22, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


That is some seriously top progress. You must have a very understanding family. 
Look forward to the progress.


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## grumpycarp (Feb 23, 2008)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Shooz dude, shooz!

Great looking top! Do an old guy a favor though and hide them bare feets for the photos. My elf shoes are curling backwards in horror . . .

;-}


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## brownkm (Feb 9, 2008)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Impressive, by any stretch - took me a couple months to build my bench in the garage, where I could blow shavings all around and didn't have to worry about banging up the other furniture… I don't think I could have done it indoors like you without a major "oops" someplace along the way…

Looking forward to seeing what you build with it!


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## DallasBentley (Apr 13, 2010)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


Inspiring work for your fellow apartment dwellers. It's all about wife management!

I've devised a bench on top of my washer and dryer in the kitchen. I'm still deciding how to put a vice on it (and which kind). I think the Roubo will be the best choice. You seem to be pretty thrifty, are you going to buy a metal screw for the Roubo or dole out the money for a wood screw?

Can't wait to see how this finishes up.


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## cyclops4069 (Jan 30, 2014)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


I take my hat off to you!!!!.....great work in such a confined space…...my wife would have had a coronary if I had attempted this….in ear and eyesight of the kitchen….very impressed and really keen to watch this one evolve!


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## RickRinger (Jan 21, 2013)

brklnguy said:


> *Making the top*
> 
> I never want to hear anyone complain about their shop… anything has to be better than a tiny living room in a 400sqft apartment.
> 
> ...


I really admire what you went through to build this. You are inspirational. I see that this was posted quite some time ago. I'm wondering if you could give us an update?


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