Small Roubo Workbench WIP [Completed]

[paininthe]

A very well presented and inspirational tutorial, very well done.

What he said

 

[head clansman]

hi

well done , really nice bench and a really good WIP been nice to follow this one , it's a shame it has to go into a corner and cant be place central to be able to work around the bench to get the most from it . hc

 

[Chris Knight]

It's a great looking bench indeed and a very nice construction article.

Like you I am limited in space and although I have a tail vice, I can't really use it. I therefore got myself one of these (in addition to wonder dogs etc.) and it works a treat.

 

[tulsk]

I concur with the above, looks a crackin bench. Thanks for taking the time to produce the WIP, I'm sure it will provide an excellent resource for others wishing to build their own bench.
John

 

[xy mosian]

A bench to be truly proud of. Well done. I'm sure it will inspire you to some fantastic work.

A question if I may. The lower end of the deadman seems to run in a groove in the rail, does this mean that you often have to fiddle around shifting shavings and sawdust? I thought a tongue on the bottom rail might get around this.

xy

 

[OPJ]

Very nice, Boz, you must be pleased to have a decent 'bench in your newly-organised workshop, now! :wink: I'm sure it won't be long before you find a need for more dog holes! Oh, and try not make a habit out of dumping two much stuff on to the lower shelf... Otherwise, you won't be able to use that lovely sliding board jack!

 

[Boz62]

Thankyou for all the positive comments

What are you planning to put underneath?

At the moment it's just a store for boxes and trays of Stuff. I'm intending to make a benchtop router table that will store under there in the future. The shelf is also sized and strong enough to store a portable thicknesser as well, if I ever get that far. As Olly says, it's very tempting to use it as a dump and just end up blocking the deadman

it's a shame it has to go into a corner and cant be place central to be able to work around the bench to get the most from it

At least I can squeeze enough space around it to get clamps down the back, which was my main concern. Just not enough space to pull it forward unfortunately. I can always use my folding layout table in the garage for large stuff I need to work all the way around - it's colder out there however

I therefore got myself one of these (in addition to wonder dogs etc.) and it works a treat.

I eyed the Surface Vice with interest when it was launched, but it ain't cheap. As I have been getting on very well with a Wonder Dog, for now, I decided to put the £££ towards the new pillar drill instead :shock:

The lower end of the deadman seems to run in a groove in the rail, does this mean that you often have to fiddle around shifting shavings and sawdust? I thought a tongue on the bottom rail might get around this

I decided a tongue would be too vulnerable to my sliding heavy equipment onto the bottom shelf (I'm clumsy as well) and would just get badly bashed. I've got a shop vac next to the bench so decided that "shavings in the groove" syndrome was the lesser of two evils

Boz

 

[xy mosian]

Boz, good point! Again Well Done, great bench


xy

 

[Triggaaar]

Very nice, well done. Another thread I hope to find again when the time comes

 

[Giff]

Hi Boz

Great bench and if you don't mind I am going to copy it..
A couple of questions did you use the Beech worktop or the Prime Beech worktop from Worktop Express. Why did you laminate the 4x2 for the legs.Was this for strength or easier to source ?

I am not sure if mine will look as neat as yours but here goes.
Thanks for a really good article and illustrations.

Giff

This is my first woodworking bench after many years of making do . The design is heavily influenced by Chris Schwartz's Workbenches book, and its' downloadable appendix [PDF]. I like the Roubo approach but I only have space for a 1.5m long bench and there is no space for an end vise. So I will use a Veritas Wonder Dog instead and for the front vice a 9" Quick Release vice. I did seriously think of making a leg vice instead, but wasn't keen on the need to constantly adjust the parallel guide at the bottom of the leg when using it (dodgy back issues).

In an earlier thread I explained how I'd cheated to make the raw slab for the worktop. In summary [click thumbnails to zoom]:


Full details are here.

This had given me a very solid, surprisingly flat, smooth, laminated beech slab, 1498mm x 629mm x 81mm and 52Kg weight. At this stage it had one coat of Hard Wax Oil to seal it. I was now ready to make it look more like a workbench.

First step was to make the cutout for the QR vice. As I'm clumsy , I wanted to have easily replaceable wood vice jaws, the rear jaw being flush with the edges of the worktop. I made a cutout for the (to be made later) beech jaw using a series of router cuts with guides and end stop, going as deep as I could with my diddy router. Then hand sawed the remaining web of wood, and chiseled it flush:


An oak offcut I would be making the vice spacers out of was clamped to the worktop and the vice was then clamped in place over it. This left the vice jaws 14mm below the worktop surface. The outline was then marked with the usual 1.5mm clearance at the top. This was routed out, as far as the router would reach, in two stages to maintain router stabilty, reversing the guides in between. Then the remainder was chiseled out:


The final coat of Hard Wax Oil was then applied all round, before any drilling of the top.

I prefer to use through-bolts for a vice as it makes any future adjustment and maintenance simpler. I drew out a full-scale paper template for the vice mounting hole layout, and marked through this with an awl, into the top of the worktop. I also made some blocks with guide holes, drilled square with the pillar drill. I centred a guide block over the awl marks, using a Forstner bit as a "centre finder". I then drilled with a flat bit (a Forstner burned beech in tests) to 13mm deep using a stop, the guide block making it easier to keep things vertical(ish). Using the centre mark left by the flat bit I could then drill 10.5mm holes, for M10 bolts, all the way through using a twist bit. I used another guide block to keep things square, and a backing piece of scrap was used to keep the exit clean. The vice was then bolted on to check alignment. With some minor hole fettling, it fitted :


I wanted 3/4" round dog holes for the Wonder Dog along the front of the worktop and also another set behind the dog on the front vice. I also wanted a single dog hole centrally at the back, based on where I often seem to put a clamp as a stop when working on a bench without dogholes . Extra dog holes can always be added later, anyway :wink:. After the success of the vice mounting holes, I decided I could probably mark out the hole positions as accurately as I could make a jig, so out came pencil, straightedge, rules and calipers. To drill the dog holes I used an Axminster 3/4" sawtooth cutter on a slowish drill speed with lots of stops to clear the waste and let the bit cool. This bit came out best for non-burning and cleanest finish in testing against a flat bit and a Forstner. It does need a fair amount of weight behind it, but at least I felt in control at all times. And it stayed sharp for all 18 holes :shock::


The hole bores were smoothed with a strip of 120g backed by a length of dowel. Then the hole edges were, very carefully, rounded using a fine half round file and then sandpaper strips. The holes were finally given a couple of coats of Hard Wax Oil using a toothbrush, to seal them.

I had decided to use Chris Schwarz' suggestion of using large diameter dowels to locate the tops of the legs to the worktop. So it was flipped over and four 25mm diameter blind holes were drilled with a flat bit. Also a groove was routed between the front leg holes as the top runner for a sliding deadman:


I then lifted the worktop onto my too-low folding wooden work table which has been my stand-in workbench for the last year . With suitable blocks, this would enable me to work out a good working height for later leg cutting, and to regain some floor space.

At this point I discovered that although the aluminium dogs fitted, if a bit tightly, the slightly larger diameter Wonder Dog would only fit in the only two holes I'd previously tested it in . In all the others it jammed part way in :evil:. So it seemed the holes were not quite straight. Luckily I had a suitable parallel hand reamer in the tool cupboard. This worked surprisingly well in beech, despite being designed for metalwork, producing a nice smooth finish. Re-applying two coats of Hard Wax Oil didn't effect their diameter either. Dogs of all breeds now fit, and seem to work well. It was lovely to do the final work at bench level in the workshop, and not grovelling around on the garage floor as I have done for the rest of the worktop preparation :


This has completed the worktop. I will now use it, without the vice, for a few weeks/months and find the best working height for me. Meanwhile I can get some timber (probably just clear softwood) in stock and settled, ready for the base. To be continued once I restart...

Boz

 

[Boz62]

Great bench and if you don't mind I am going to copy it. A couple of questions did you use the Beech worktop or the Prime Beech worktop from Worktop Express. Why did you laminate the 4x2 for the legs.Was this for strength or easier to source

Thankyou Giff. Go for it! I used the plain Beech Worktop - I'm too mean to go for the posh stuff I used 4x2 as there was a lot more available to choose from. It's not wonderful stuff, but the 4x4 was worse (knotty) and pricey. I also hoped that by laminating them back to back there would be less tendency for them to bend with humidity changes. OK so far!

Good luck

Boz

 

[Giff]

Hi Boz

I have just finished my bench..it doesn't look quite as slick as yours but it
seems to be really sturdy. Thanks for all the pictures and article I couldn't have done it without..I have just ordered a pair of Veritas Wonderdogs..and on their site it seems to say the holes are drilled at 3 degrees ? Did you do that and is it necessary as I am not sure I could get that accuracy. Thanks again

giff

 

[Boz62]

Well done giff! Glad my experiences were of help

I would aim (optimistically) for vertical dogholes, because you may use the Wonderdog "pointing" in any direction depending on what you are clamping.

I struggled to get the dog holes consistently vertical anyway . In practice with "vertical" holes the 3 degrees angle of the Wonderdog means that the jaw is always flush with the benchtop and that the handle at the other end of the thread doesn't "bottom out" first. I always use a packing piece to protect the workpiece from jaw marks anyway.

Good luck

Boz

 

[ByronBlack]

boz - I've just finished reading the entire thread. I have to say, I really like what you have done with your bench, and it makes me think about modifiying my own. I've never been happy with the small size of mine as the narrow base tends to easily 'totter' - so I think i'll blatantly copy what you have done for your base.

I also like the pictures you have used to show how you have mounted the vice. I have the very same one, and have crudely screwed it on from underneath, and have always been annoyed by it, so I think i'll re-face the front of my workbench and re-fit it.

 

[Boz62]

Thanks BB. The base seems very stable. I've now had a Winter of smaller projects with it. I still had to pack under one leg though - the base is dead square, it's the floor that's a bit skew .

I used the flush vice and sliding deadman together in anger for the first time this week, prep'ing the edges of ply for a simple equipment stand. Very effective, and well worth the hassle getting it all lined up. Makes the job so much simpler, and such an advance from needing 3 hands to clamp a sheet into the Workmate and then chasing it round the floor...

Boz

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks BB. The base seems very stable. I've now had a Winter of smaller projects with it. I still had to pack under one leg though - the base is dead square, it's the floor that's a bit skew .

I used the flush vice and sliding deadman together in anger for the first time this week, prep'ing the edges of ply for a simple equipment stand. Very effective, and well worth the hassle getting it all lined up. Makes the job so much simpler, and such an advance from needing 3 hands to clamp a sheet into the Workmate and then chasing it round the floor...

Boz

It's the deadman that I am most interested in adding to my bench, it's very frustrating working with long pieces at the moment. I've even considered have two vices; one at each end on the front, with a long piece going from one to the other to create a full bench width vice.

 

[Boz62]

I've even considered have two vices; one at each end on the front, with a long piece going from one to the other to create a full bench width vice.

Apart from the boredom of drilling all the dog holes in it, the sliding deadman is easier (and cheaper) than another vice

Boz

 

[ByronBlack]

I've even considered have two vices; one at each end on the front, with a long piece going from one to the other to create a full bench width vice.

Apart from the boredom of drilling all the dog holes in it, the sliding deadman is easier (and cheaper) than another vice

Boz

That is a good point, it also looks cool

 

[Blister]

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Now thats just showing off

Wish I could show off like that :wink:


Bloody lubley

 

[Michael_I]

Wow, this is a very inspiring bench, Boz! And beautifully built, congratulations!

I have been contemplating the build of a workbench for some time now, and after extensive studies of the Schwarz book, I have more or less settled for the Roubo. Since I'm rather limited in terms of workshop size, I have to build a shorter workbench in the range of 1.50m to 1.80m, and your beautiful example here just settled the issues that I had...

I'm not quite sure about the top, though. I like the simplicity of your approach, but then, I think, I'd like a split top, and that would probably be easier with some laminations (which I'm rather afraid of). I think I'll pay a visit to the lumberyard this weekend, and see what they have for me.

cheers,

Michael