BrandonD Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 So many roubo builds going on right now... thought I'd start my own entry. for it some weeks ago and documented the lumber and vise purchases with pictures if you're interested. This thread will pick up with the actual construction. I decided to start with the top. I got a lot of my top pieces from wider boards. The rough process I followed was joint one edge, use it up against the bandsaw fence to cut ~4 1/2 wide boards. Then I did a rough milling which mostly just consisted of getting each board to 4 sides square. I let it rest and then milled all of my front slab boards to final dimensions and glued them up using biscuits for alignment. Next day I did the same for the rear slab. (I don't have enough parallel clamps to do both slabs at once.) Bandsaw pulled out and roller supports setup. Most of the boards cut to rough width. Very minimal waste -- the numbers worked out well for me. Jointing. Top slab temporarily clamped to get orientation and placement of biscuits. Prep for front slab glue up. In use is a piece of kitchenware for the glue. Don't tell the wife :-) Front slab glued up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Rear slab almost ready for glue up. Rear slab glued up. This makes a lot of chips!! I got to dive into this after glue ups. Definitely helps to cool you off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Looking like a fun build! Looks great so far. Wash that sawdust off in that pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Looking good Brandon! I just cleaned my shop this evening and hope to start on mine tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I love watching these builds. One day I will be building one once we finally get a house. Looking good Brandon! I just cleaned my shop this evening and hope to start on mine tomorrow. Oh sweet!! Can't wait to watch this one as well! I will be looking for the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenaqua Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Awesome progress. I look forward to the rest of your build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtrPilot Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Awesome! Keep the pictures coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 I finally had some time to scrape the glue off and examine the slabs tonight. My front slab came out real well but I wasn't too worried about it because I can run it across my 8" jointer before planing it to final thickness. The rear slab is a different story and the one I was worried about. It almost looked like the boards curved downward so there's 1/32nd-1/16th of a difference between some of the boards and the next. In terms of hand tools for flattening it I have a #5 bench plane still in its box never used. That should tell you I'm not much of a hand tools guy (yet) so I'm questioning my ability to get it flat from this point. Alternative choices that I can think of: Use a router setup much like the final bench flattening to flatten the bottom of this slab. Joint 8" of the slab on my jointer (I do have a 6' long bed and extra rollers -- I feel like I could do it safely) and either Attach a piece of sheet good along the jointed edge with double sided tape and pass that through the planer down, then remove once top is flattened and then flatten the bottom, or Flatten the remaining ~3.5" with my #5 bench, which I feel like I might be able to do since it's just getting the rest down to the jointed surface. Build a jointer sled for the planer. Thoughts? Other alternatives? If I put a square on the "high" side the gap on the other end is almost 1/4" so I don't have much room to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 25, 2015 Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 Build the router sled. It is a relatively simple build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 25, 2015 Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 Joint 8" of the slab on my jointer (I do have a 6' long bed and extra rollers -- I feel like I could do it safely) and either Attach a piece of sheet good along the jointed edge with double sided tape and pass that through the planer down, then remove once top is flattened and then flatten the bottom, or That's what I did. Of course you'll probably be building the router sled anyway for final flattening at the end...but it's easier and faster with the jointer. Or don't worry about it...IIRC, Marc had a little twist in his rear slab and he just shimmed it. All that matters is if the top of the slabs are flat. I think I'd have an OCD meltdown if I ignored it, but that's up to you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 Thanks guys. I went ahead and ordered the recommended 1 3/4" wide bit for flattening the top in case I decide to go that method. I am leaning towards it because I need to build the sled anyway. However I'm not sure I want to put that bit to work until the very end, I'd like it as fresh and sharp as it can be for the final flattening. If I don't do the sled for this portion I'll probably do the jointer + sheet good + planer method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Hein Posted March 25, 2015 Report Share Posted March 25, 2015 I just used a #7 jointer plane I picked up and restored from eBay. Didn't take long to flatten the bench and I use the #7 all the time now that I have a bench which doesn't move around the floor as I plane. I suggest using your #5 on the bottom side to get a feel for it. Be sure to keep it nice and sharp and use a straight edge to find and remove the high points. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Thanks all for the advice. I decided to joint as much of the slab as I can and then carpet taped a piece of plywood to the jointed side and ran it through the planer. Seemed to work well. Now I have a shiny 1 3/4 bit for the final flattening. Both slabs to 4"... now to cut what I can to length and start to work on the vise/end cap. I should be able to cut these in one swipe on my miter saw. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Part of the tenon construction requires a handsaw. I don't own a good handsaw. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FtrPilot Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Excellent progress...glad you resolved your flattening problem. I have a friend & mentor that has a collection of hand saws. I will ask him tomorrow for a recommendation. I assume you are talking about the tenon that goes into the end cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Yes, the tenon is for the end cap. The saw is used to finish revealing the tenon where the circular saw cannot cut all the way through. I may just utilize a thin flush trim saw I have to get it proud of the cut line and use a LA block plane and chisel to get it up to the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonD Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Not much progress today... I may go out this evening again and get to work on the tenon. I got out there earlier and cut the slabs to length using my miter. I thought I could get through the rear slab entirely but it left maybe 1/2"-3/4" of material at the far corner. Used a flush trim saw to cut it through and it doesn't require any cleanup. Then got to work outside on the yard... that'll be delaying progress as I have a lot of yard work to take care of and my wife is really wanting me to build a deck and walkway around and to the pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Looks real good! Yard work... My wife is threatening to hire someone to trim the bushes/trees. This is the only motivation I have to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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