(Sigh)....Roubo time

[Johnny4]

Whole lotta scraping goin on. If I understood the videos correctly, I only need to flatten one end of the underside? Wife called today and asked if I had done any laundry....” no, sweetie....I....haven’t been able to get to it?”

[Johnny4]

Hey! Hit a snag in the old workflow department....namely, I started back to work. I teach school, so getting my sea legs back takes till about Labor Day. Anyhoo....in the process of initial flattening of the top and squaring up. I'm just a hair under 4".....3 15/16 to be specific. How do I account for this down the road? That is...where will this come back to bite me?

Hope y'all are enjoying your holiday!

[Brendon_t]

The height of the bench is so personal that you should be sitting for the finished height you want. On a roubo, the height elements are the top thickness and base. Now that you know your top thickness, go at the base, giving a bit to take off in final flattening. 

I forget what height the specs on the plans give you at the end, but I hope you have figured out what height you need your bench to be and are building the height to that, not that the plan calls for.

[pkinneb]

It shouldn't be an issue other than you may have to plane your bench dogs down a little bit. For hardware the measurements all go from the bottom so that's not an issue. I think mine ended up at 3 7/8" prior to final flattening and probably lost another 1/16' there.

[Johnny4]

Thanks fellas. Trying to tame woodworker OCD here.

[Brendon_t]

1 hour ago, Johnny4 said:

Thanks fellas. Trying to tame woodworker OCD here.

For sure, just give it a dose of reality. This is your bench, from a plan which you will make your own. Have an understanding of the ten text steps, and you shouldn't be able to screw anything up!

[Johnny4]

Got the slabs dimensioned. Holy god that was some work. I like to live in a world where I feel that I just did the real grunt work. The rest is much more manageable. I feel really really good. And tired. 

[Brendon_t]

Yes, the worst of the grunt work, but you'll still be working with solid 4x4s, still flipping the slabs for mortises and vices.. so what I'm saying is the Fun, isn't over

[pkinneb]

3 hours ago, Brendon_t said:

Yes, the worst of the grunt work, but you'll still be working with solid 4x4s, still flipping the slabs for mortises and vices.. so what I'm saying is the Fun, isn't over

So true LOL

[Johnny4]

Hey....HEY. Got the slabs flat and square. Something's out of whack in machine town. However, the Jack and the Jointer planes worked beautifully. It was a great lesson in hand plane usage. Still chipping away over here.

[Johnny4]

Tenon is done...took my time getting everything really square. Off to find a router bit for the screw cavity. The recommendation is a 1/2 shank, 1/2” diameter....what about overall length? Spiral upcut?

I am also making a southpaw version of the bench before you guys get up in it.

[Johnny4]

Got the cavity routed.....makin progress here

[..Kev]

It's a long process!  Keep at it, you're doing good!

[bleedinblue]

This is definitely one of those builds that "takes as long as it takes." 

I also just noticed that you are also in St Louis.  Where did you source your maple? 

[Johnny4]

Hey y’all. Had to get through the holidays. Had some drama there...my dad nearly died from a heart attack, found out we are having a girl in June, and my cat was diagnosed with cancer. In other news, my jointer is out of whack, and I have been learning how to tune it. Will have it up and running soon!

Bleedin Blue, I got the maple from upick hardwoods in st Charles. I love them for dimensioned lumber. I love Wunderwoods for slabs, big sizes, fancy wood. Are you local?

 

 

 

Tenon is done...took my time getting everything really square. Off to find a router bit for the screw cavity. The recommendation is a 1/2 shank, 1/2” diameter....what about overall length? Spiral upcut?

I am also making a southpaw version of the bench before you guys get up in it.

[RichardA]

37 minutes ago, Johnny4 said:

Hey y’all. Had to get through the holidays. Had some drama there...my dad nearly died from a heart attack, found out we are having a girl in June, and my cat was diagnosed with cancer. In other news, my jointer is out of whack, and I have been learning how to tune it. Will have it up and running soon!

Bleedin Blue, I got the maple from upick hardwoods in st Charles. I love them for dimensioned lumber. I love Wunderwoods for slabs, big sizes, fancy wood. Are you local?

 

 

 

Tenon is done...took my time getting everything really square. Off to find a router bit for the screw cavity. The recommendation is a 1/2 shank, 1/2” diameter....what about overall length? Spiral upcut?

I am also making a southpaw version of the bench before you guys get up in it.

Uh why? Is there something wrong with your Northpaw?

[wdwerker]

Only left handed people are in their right minds .... woodworker OCD should be mixed 50/50 with " close enough for government work " to retain sanity.

[bleedinblue]

3 hours ago, Johnny4 said:

 

Bleedin Blue, I got the maple from upick hardwoods in st Charles. I love them for dimensioned lumber. I love Wunderwoods for slabs, big sizes, fancy wood. Are you local?

 

 

I'm in Eureka.  U-Pick is my go-to for important projects.  The guy that works there on Saturdays is a real good guy and a skilled woodworker who was banished from here a couple years ago...can't say his name or else I may be marked too.  I was at U-Pick last week and the owner (Craig, I think?) quoted me almost $6 per b/f for 8/4 maple.  I don't want to be $1000+ for lumber in this thing.

[Chestnut]

9 hours ago, bleedinblue said:

I'm in Eureka.  U-Pick is my go-to for important projects.  The guy that works there on Saturdays is a real good guy and a skilled woodworker who was banished from here a couple years ago...can't say his name or else I may be marked too.  I was at U-Pick last week and the owner (Craig, I think?) quoted me almost $6 per b/f for 8/4 maple.  I don't want to be $1000+ for lumber in this thing.

$6!!! Dang for $1.00 more i could get 4/4 walnut here....

[Brendon_t]

18 hours ago, bleedinblue said:

I'm in Eureka.  U-Pick is my go-to for important projects.  The guy that works there on Saturdays is a real good guy 

He'd have doubled it if you dropped my name : )

That price is insane for Maple. Hard 8/4 clear boards are 3.16 here, and everything expensive in California

[bleedinblue]

I didn't get the price E   I had an issue with someone else on another forum that may or may not have put me in bad standing with E, so I may be in your same boat.

I know BF sells 8/4 hard maple in the $3 range, but shipping will likely be high.  I may look for a "backyard  mill" when I'm ready.  I need to sneak that bench crafted order past the wife first 

[RichardA]

Hasn't that Benchcrafted order been sitting in a corner of the shop waiting on just the right project for a couple of years now?

[bleedinblue]

4 hours ago, RichardA said:

Hasn't that Benchcrafted order been sitting in a corner of the shop waiting on just the right project for a couple of years now?

Depending on when it is spotted, there is that distinct possibility.  Wouldn't be the first tool to do that 

[RichardA]

1 hour ago, bleedinblue said:

Depending on when it is spotted, there is that distinct possibility.  Wouldn't be the first tool to do that 

Don't ask me how I know that works.  Rough up the box a bit , and all of a sudden you just happened to remember that you had this equipment from some time back........ Be wary of a lie detector test.

[Johnny4]

And....we’re back. Had to figure out why the jointer was acting up. After chasing some wild geese, changing and resetting the knives was the trick. New blades make everything better. I hadn’t done that before, and it was overall a good experience. I’m not scared of the jointer anymore. Milled the end cap. The advice Marc gave about giving yourself permission to spend some time setting the knives was well taken. Onward and upward!