Has anyone here built a Roubo-style Workbench?
- Thread starter MPOWERD
- Start date
Angelfire
Well-known member
Haven't built one but it's on my short list of ones to build when I finally get back home and can get my shop in order.
Joseph36
Active member
I did build that type of bench , it was in a great book called the workbench book by Scott Landis.
Todd.Brock
Well-known member
Look up member mjzefow, I think..... He was working on one.
turbowoodworker
Well-known member
I agree. This Landis book is fantastic for planning a bench. I will try to post pics of mine when I get home. I stared at books and plans (Lon Scheinling, taunton press) for months if not years and what I found was that I liked little pieces from each style. Tage frid's bench (european) is OK and has good features too. But plan it and take all the features yopu want and need and make it fit your work type.
Search: Tage Frid, Lon Scheinling, Garrett Hack, R. Fortune, Schwartz (can't remember his first name. He was the editor of Popular Woodworking and has some good ideas and is a true Roubo fanatic. I do not like the Roubu bench hook and prefered a large face vise instead, but that was my personalization.
Fun but involved project especially if you do handcut dovetails for the aprons.
Jon_E
Well-known member
I don't have a decent bench and that style will be what I build for my new shop. I have seen versions with drawers underneath, will add extra weight to the bench, and still work with the removable sliding support piece. I have a large pile of 8/4 white oak and walnut that is going to be my bench, with some purpleheart accents.
Obviously not much use if you are not a serious woodworker.
@turbowoodworker: Christopher Schwartz is the name you are looking for.
There are a lot of Roubo-style benches featured in recent issues of Fine Woodworking and their Tools & Shops special editions. Unless you have a radically different style of work, this seems to be the best of the bunch - especially with that excellent Benchcrafted hardware.
Obviously not much use if you are not a serious woodworker.
@turbowoodworker: Christopher Schwartz is the name you are looking for.
There are a lot of Roubo-style benches featured in recent issues of Fine Woodworking and their Tools & Shops special editions. Unless you have a radically different style of work, this seems to be the best of the bunch - especially with that excellent Benchcrafted hardware.
Last edited:
turbowoodworker
Well-known member
Yah, JonE has it. Christopher Schwartz, often a guest on the PBS show on hand tool woodworking. Eccenmtric guy to say the least.
Lots of good hardware available from Rockler, Lee Valley/ Veritas now days.
I placed a Veritas twin screw on the end and an oversized end vise as a face on the left front (from Rockler)
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41637,45114
http://www.rockler.com/12-quick-release-end-vise
Lots of good hardware available from Rockler, Lee Valley/ Veritas now days.
I placed a Veritas twin screw on the end and an oversized end vise as a face on the left front (from Rockler)
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41637,45114
http://www.rockler.com/12-quick-release-end-vise
turbowoodworker
Well-known member
Yah, JonE has it. Christopher Schwartz, often a guest on the PBS show on hand tool woodworking. Eccenmtric guy to say the least.
Lots of good hardware available from Rockler, Lee Valley/ Veritas now days.
I placed a Veritas twin screw on the end and an oversized end vise as a face on the left front (from Rockler)
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41637,45114
http://www.rockler.com/12-quick-release-end-vise
Lots of good hardware available from Rockler, Lee Valley/ Veritas now days.
I placed a Veritas twin screw on the end and an oversized end vise as a face on the left front (from Rockler)
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45114&cat=1,41637,45114
http://www.rockler.com/12-quick-release-end-vise
minerfarmer
Well-known member
Thanks for all the responses and great info guys... One of my garages in the new house will be a dedicated wood and metal shop so I am planning on building a bench like this for the woodworking side.
My Dad has something very similar to this bench back in the farm shop when I was a teen...
My Dad has something very similar to this bench back in the farm shop when I was a teen...
Interesting idea using a trailer jack. I haven't seen that before.
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
Build one? I've never even HEARD of one. Of course, I do less than no woodworking, so that's probably why...
It's beautiful!
Tommy
It's beautiful!
Tommy
Just saw an advanced version of one of these being built right now over on owwm.org forums. Has internal drawers as well as all the other options...
http://owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=73020
http://owwm.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=73020
bczygan
Well-known member
Damn this thread...........!
I have enough things to do.
But I have that workbench book somewhere.
Drooled over it a few years ago.
Closest I've gotten is to prepare the hardware for a Moxon table top twin screw vise.
Bill
I have enough things to do.
But I have that workbench book somewhere.
Drooled over it a few years ago.
Closest I've gotten is to prepare the hardware for a Moxon table top twin screw vise.
Bill
turbowoodworker
Well-known member
So as promised here are some pictures of my bench. I built it five years ago. I used salvaged pine beams from an office building I was remodeling for the base. The top is a salvaged 2" thick maple top from a friend's kitchen. I added 6 inch tall walnut aprons machined to accomodate the Veritas square bench dogs, held together with handcut dovetails.
I added round bench dogs on the left side. The left vise is actually a Rockler end vise that I used as a face vise because I wanted something wider. The end vise on the right is the Veritas twin screw. I used 2 1/2" thick walnut to make a cover for the chain and gears. I actually got the idea looking at all the cool valve covers on GJ cars. The material for the vise faces are jatoba, very heavy, very hard.
On the left is a pop up planing block and a pullout deadman support for planing long boards.
I added the cabinets from some alder I had laying around and fashioned slots to hold my try square, framing square and the Starrett square.
The bench is currently up on dollies as I have not decided exactly where I want it in the shop yet. As mentioned in an earlier post, I stole ideas from lots of different people and books but the overall plan comes closest to Lon Scheinling's with some heavy modofication. So not a true Roubo but some features are present.
I added round bench dogs on the left side. The left vise is actually a Rockler end vise that I used as a face vise because I wanted something wider. The end vise on the right is the Veritas twin screw. I used 2 1/2" thick walnut to make a cover for the chain and gears. I actually got the idea looking at all the cool valve covers on GJ cars. The material for the vise faces are jatoba, very heavy, very hard.
On the left is a pop up planing block and a pullout deadman support for planing long boards.
I added the cabinets from some alder I had laying around and fashioned slots to hold my try square, framing square and the Starrett square.
The bench is currently up on dollies as I have not decided exactly where I want it in the shop yet. As mentioned in an earlier post, I stole ideas from lots of different people and books but the overall plan comes closest to Lon Scheinling's with some heavy modofication. So not a true Roubo but some features are present.
