eezyozy Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Hi there. First time poster here. I've been a cabinetmaker for 17 years and only now (shame, I know) I want to build myself a proper bench. The thing is, I have become accustomed to working on an 8' x 4' construction timber frame with plywood top. I really do not want to compromise on the size as I do use every inch of it. I want to build myself a split top Roubo. I haven't seen one of that size before and would like some ideas/potential hazards for the build. I.e, would I need to scale up the dimensions of any of the components to eliminate any sag or flex? All comments appreciated. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 I can't offer any help on your project but do want to welcome you to the forums. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Nope, you'd be all good. Use a minimum 4" thick top like the plans call for and I see no way it would sag even at 8' long. That's gonna be a massive massive bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecatts Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Do you have space in your shop for an assembly table for general tasks and your Roubo for joinery and planning work? If so, you might be able to meet all your needs with two work surfaces. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 29 minutes ago, eezyozy said: Hi there. First time poster here. I've been a cabinetmaker for 17 years and only now (shame, I know) I want to build myself a proper bench. The thing is, I have become accustomed to working on an 8' x 4' construction timber frame with plywood top. I really do not want to compromise on the size as I do use every inch of it. I want to build myself a split top Roubo. I haven't seen one of that size before and would like some ideas/potential hazards for the build. I.e, would I need to scale up the dimensions of any of the components to eliminate any sag or flex? All comments appreciated. Cheers. I finished a Roubo earlier this year I think you would be fine with the scale of the legs, top, etc. its almost that long already. Having said that working with 23"x 96" slabs will, in my opinion, require two people. It was a chore to build mine by myself there is no way I could have done slabs that size without help. The other thing that comes to mind is getting them flat depending on what tools you have available that could be difficult, although doable. My final flattening was done with a router and sled but the slabs had already been run through my 12" j/p again you could make it as four pieces and then glue them up but it would be heavy LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 I haven't built a Roubo either. My outfeed/ assembly table used to be 5ft by 12ft. When I had to move my shop & downsize a bit I cut it down to 4ft by 10ft. I built the original table over 30 years ago when I was a much younger man. We moved it once, stayed at that location for 26 years and moved it again at the end of last year. It was a struggle for 5 men due to size and weight. It was built primarily from yellow pine 4x6 and it felt like it weighed a ton. Plan accordingly. Make modules that can be dissambled for transport. You could make the top in 3 sections. The 2 outer ones following the Roubo plans and have 2 gaps plus the center top to fill the rest of the width. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Someone here has a 12' Roubo. I forget who... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 It's Vic Hubbard with the long Roubo. Standard depth though, I do believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 2 minutes ago, Eric. said: Vic Hubbard I sent an SOS lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eezyozy Posted August 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 23 minutes ago, stevecatts said: Do you have space in your shop for an assembly table for general tasks and your Roubo for joinery and planning work? If so, you might be able to meet all your needs with two work surfaces. Steve Hi Steve. We have a machine shop and bench area for myself and the other tradesmen. We all have a designated bench area so unfortunately I don't have the luxury of more that one bench. Hence the need for a large all in one top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Don't feel bad. I've been doing it for a living for 43 years, and haven't built the bench I want yet either. I have all the wood for the parts ( as an example Amboyna burls for the knobs on vise handles, six by six White Oak legs without the heart of the tree in them, etc.), from accumulating them for decades, but the only time I spend doing this stuff is for income. I'm planning to build an 8 footer too, but it will most likely be after I retire. Mine won't be a "Roubo". The reason I stumbled on these forums is I was poking around the internet to see if anyone had used linear bearing rods building a woodworking bench. I'll be using those for a full width end vise (one large chunk of Curly Maple-already have it), and the stabilizer for the leg vise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eezyozy Posted August 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 3 minutes ago, Tom King said: Don't feel bad. I've been doing it for a living for 43 years, and haven't built the bench I want yet either. I have all the wood for the parts ( as an example Amboyna burls for the knobs on vise handles, six by six White Oak legs without the heart of the tree in them, etc.), from accumulating them for decades, but the only time I spend doing this stuff is for income. I'm planning to build an 8 footer too, but it will most likely be after I retire. Mine won't be a "Roubo". The reason I stumbled on these forums is I was poking around the internet to see if anyone had used linear bearing rods building a woodworking bench. I'll be using those for a full width end vise (one large chunk of Curly Maple-already have it), and the stabilizer for the leg vise. I did wonder myself whether to make a Roubo hybrid with a Veritas twin screw as an end vise rather that the benchcrafted tail vice. Still can't quite decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 8 minutes ago, eezyozy said: I did wonder myself whether to make a Roubo hybrid with a Veritas twin screw as an end vise rather that the benchcrafted tail vice. Still can't quite decide. IMO the only part to ponder is how much money you wanna spend. Those two are a world apart in quality. And the Veritas is a very decent vise...which should tell you how killer the BC is. Night and day, not even close. If you can afford it, do it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 7 hours ago, Eric. said: It's Vic Hubbard with the long Roubo. Standard depth though, I do believe. Hey guys. Mel told me about this thread. My Roubo is 10' long. The base is 6' and the top is 3" thick old growth Fir. I do tend to use every bit of it. My length was dictated by my space a bit, but mostly by my material. I could easily use another 2 - 4'. Also, no sag. It's rock solid. Good luck with your build!! Enjoy the new bench. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allpurpose Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I built my bench pretty much based on Paul Sellers design and though it's fairly light weight it's extremely sturdy and stable. At 5'x32" the top is 3.5" and going nowhere. I thought that the wedge design of the legs might wobble, but it's solid as can be and can be disassembled and put back together in a matter of minutes.. If you wanted it longer it would be really easy to add an extra set of legs in the middle and it wouldn't budge.. If I had more space I would build another one probably 10' or longer, but as it is I barely have room for the table saw.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eezyozy Posted August 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 14 minutes ago, allpurpose said: I built my bench pretty much based on Paul Sellers design and though it's fairly light weight it's extremely sturdy and stable. At 5'x32" the top is 3.5" and going nowhere. I thought that the wedge design of the legs might wobble, but it's solid as can be and can be disassembled and put back together in a matter of minutes.. If you wanted it longer it would be really easy to add an extra set of legs in the middle and it wouldn't budge.. If I had more space I would build another one probably 10' or longer, but as it is I barely have room for the table saw.. Thanks for the input. I've kind of got my heart set on the Roubo design. I've ordered the first piece of hardware (BC tail vise). Gonna save up for the BC glide leg vise. Only decision now is what to make it out of. Gonna price it in Ash, Maple and Beech, see what makes most sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 Welcome to the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 I have a friend that built a 10' x 28" long Roubo. 5" thick European beech. No sag. It makes my Roubo look like a toy. I think you will want to beef up the leg dimensions, but that's mainly for aesthetics. At 4' wide you are at 2 Roubo width. Just build 2, and only put vises on one side. Later in life, you can sell one and move the other into your home shop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.