Greg's Split Top Roubo Workbench


Greenaqua

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Awesome job on the condor tails!

+1.   I still believe the condor tails will be my biggest challenge.

 

 

......

A few notes to others in the process: ............

 

Thanks for sharing your recommendations...to me, that is what this blog is all about.

 

Looking forward to your next update...

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you don't mind me asking. I just ordered the BenchCrafted hardware last night and I'm probably going to pick up the wood this weekend. Recommendation is 8/4 5" wide boards roughly 8-9 feet in length, for a total of 150ish BF (200) to be safe). Are there any odd pieces that you needed that didn't fall within the recommended wood? I'm going based off the BC plans, and not doing it via the Guild plans.

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Tom, from what I can recall thus far is the following: 

1.  Legs are a bit wider than 5" in the plans

2.  The leg chop is 9" wide and 2.5" thick

3.  I think the deadman is wider than 5" (I haven't done it yet)

4.  The end cap is from 12/4 stock if available but you can glue up a lamination to get it to the plans thickness.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

I have been stalled a bit on the base parts and will have an update probably later this week.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been working on the legs and have them all just about done.  Mortises, drilling, tenons etc. 

Nothing too eventful to mention so far on this.  I do believe I may have made some of the mortises a bit longer than I was supposed to and will try and correct that when I go to the tenons for the rails.  I opted for the squared off corners of the mortises rather than the rounded off that Marc does.  I just used the mortiser on each corner and then cleaned them up with a chisel as needed.

For some reason even with brand new bits I have a knack for drilling holes where enough heat is created to cause some burning.  Not sure what if anything I am doing wrong.  The through holes in the legs I drilled using a drill press and went as deep as I could and then either raised the drill press table or finished with a hand drill.

 

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The other thing I have worked on is my leg vise and have that nearly done with just needing to add the bushing and will do that when I take the leg apart to start working on the rails which is next.

Again, more drilling issues with burning and also issues with getting the screws in for the nut.  Why can't I do the most basic thing of inserting the damn screws without stripping the heads!?  I predrilled 1/8" holes and inserted them with a screwdriver by hand.  Now,  I will have to try and find some replacement screws which seem to be an oddball size of #9x1 1/2" pan head and will replace these later (one at a time) once the bench is done.  If I can't find replacement screws I may go buy some of 1/4x20NC bolts and tap the threads into the wood.  I would rather just find some screws.  Not sure WHY the heck they would use such an odd size.

The chop was cut from a big piece of 12/4 x 12' maple and it decided to twist on me after cutting it.  I flattened one side with a hand plane and winding sticks and then sent it though the planer.  I have it extra long right now and will cut it to proper length later.

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Yesterday I got the mortises in the top done for the legs

The dead man groove in the underside of the top

The dog access hole added into the leg

And the tops added onto the legs and screwed in with the spax screws.

I also added the acetal bushing for the leg vise

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I am now on to the long home stretch and next to tackle are the following items

1.  Flatten

2.  Add Bottom shelf

3.  Sliding deadman

4.  Cutting and shaping the leg vise to final size

5.  Adding the gap stop - (My gap varies from 1 3/4" on one end to 1 7/8" on the other so I will have to deal with that, but you can't tell with naked eye)

6.  Finishing

 

 

 

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Thanks guys for the compliments.  I think after this bench is done it will just sit there for a while so I can take a little break.  This project has been fairly intense thus far!!

 

Awesome progress. Are you going to flatten with a jointer plane or router?

I plan on going with the router method since I would like to have a jig when it is done to flatten boards that are wider than my 8" jointer.

 

Awesome!  What's your plan for finishing?

My plan for finishing is just using Danish oil - two coats.

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