Popular Post Charles Clayton Posted June 7, 2013 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 I guess I'm a little behind the bench building curve but I started thinking about building a new bench after a building a couple of tables and really struggling with work holding. At one point I screwed a bit of 2x4 to a 2x6, clamped that to a table and then clamped another bit of 2x6 to that to make the "really poor man's" Moxon vice. It worked ok when it wasn't falling apart. The dovetails came out pretty good, considering they were my first hand cut dovetails but you know there's a problem when the hardest part of cutting dovetails is getting the board to stay still. I started thinking about a Roubo style bench after reading a book on bench building by Christopher Schwarz. Armed with the knowledge of what I wanted to build but not being quite sure how to do it, I did what I find most natural in these situations: I went straight to Google. My Goggling lead me to Benchcrafted, where I discovered their BenchMaker's Package. To be honest, when I go the kit and the plans from BenchCrafted I thought, "ok, I can do this" but going off just the plans was a little intimidating for a (one small step above) novice wood worker like me. So, another trip to Google and, low, I discovered the Wood Whisper's Guild, where I found a complete (and I do mean complete) video production of the entire Benchcrafted split-top Roubo build. I'm saved! A quick email to Marc produced a timely reply and I signed up that very night. That was Mid April and two months of (got to work for a living and keep my family happy but can still sneak in to the garage from time to time) woodworking later and my bench is complete. It was a wonderful learning experience and I have to say that Marc and the Guild made all the difference in the world. There were mistakes but they got fixed. And there were questions but they got answered. The end result is every bit what I expected and I have high expectations. Anyway, I wanted to share my bench building experience and I've attached a few pics of my new bench. Tomorrow I'm going to practice my dovetails or work on the next Guild project. Thanks you, Marc, for making this really terrific service available for aspiring wood workers like myself. -Chuckc 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 That's a sweet looking bench! Welcome to the Guild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 Congratulations on reaching the finish line Chuck! The bench looks fantastic and should serve you well. And thanks for the endorsement of the Guild. I really appreciate the feedback. By the way, I just added your bench to the gallery on the Guild site. https://thewoodwhispererguild.com/members/gallery/split-top-roubo/ Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipwilb Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 I too am a little late for this bench party. Thanks Marc for your toutorials and pleasant way of instruction. I got to put the bench together over three months doing it part time. If you notice those two dowl filled holes in the top near the end vice cap it's because I forgot to turn the top over when I drilled, oh well "if everything went right you wouldn't remember it". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Great looking bench Skip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slachammer Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 some nice benches.... good job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted August 12, 2013 Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 Those look great. Have you noticed that all of us late finishers choose to go with the criss-cross. Personally, I love the criss-cross. I'm curious what you all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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