New member and a few questions about the roubo workbench

[tdh36185]

I joined the guild a few days ago and am excited about starting the roubo workbench. I am a novice woodworker, inherited some tools that I am still trying to figure out. I have contacted Benchcraft for the vises. It seems that red oak is the most prevalent hardwood that is available in my area.

Has anyone utilized red oak in their workbench?

Are there any downsides to using red oak?

I was also wondering if anyone, shame on me for asking, utilized sheet products for their workbench?

I see that Marc has a recent addition to the family, I know it is a rather specific item, but has a crib been suggested as a build? I know I would like to build one, maybe not as a guild build but maybe a possible side build?

I am excited about learning from other members and Marc. I have read that sometimes it is a good idea to take a class to learn about a different tool or method. This unfortunately is not an option for me (closest classes are a couple hours away and generally interfere with work schedules), I am limited to reading books and the information I can find online. I am glad that I stumbled upon Marc's website, I have already learned a lot from his free podcasts and look forward to learning more. There are some things that reading out of a book does not really teach you. Thanks for helping guide novices such as myself.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Red oak is inexpensive, hard, and stable. I can't see any reason NOT to use it if that's that you have easy access to.

Aaron used LVL for his workbench and you can see a little video tour of his bench in the Roubo video set.

As for a crib, I doubt I will make one any time soon. It is indeed very limited in scope but more importantly, I really don't want to be responsible for designing something that potentially thousands of people will be using to protect their babies. A little too much liability there for my liking, lol. Also, if I were ever going to make a crib, I should have done it last year. Shame on me for buying one.

And I'm glad you signed up for the Guild my friend. We designed the Guild Builds to be the most comprehensive woodworking "plans" available with the added benefit of a vibrant community. There's nothing quite like in-person instruction. But when that isn't available or if it is just too expensive, online training can be a great alternative. And for some woodworkers, online training is actually more useful in the long-run as you can go back and watch the details over and over. Can't do that with an in-person class. Ok, enough bragging. Enjoy!

[landslide]

I'm in very much the same position as tdh36185... novice woodworker, with a hodgepodge of inherited tools (mostly hand tools), and I just signed up for the guild. I'm also taking on the Roubo as my third project (simple benches and bookshelves so far... seems like those are a rite of passage).

My question is about power tool prioritization. I've looked over just about every video in the Roubo project, and there are plenty of powertools used by Marc that I don't have. I have a DW734 lunchbox planer, and I'm currently making a planer sled to use it as a jointer (since I can't find any near me from CL which are in good condition). I also have a circular saw, jigsaw, and orbital sander, but that's it.

I don't have the money to invest in other tools *and* the materials needed for the Roubo (Benchcrafted says the Roubo package for GW members is on back order of about 12 weeks). So what I did was talk to a contractor who did some work for us and persuaded him to let me use some space in his shop including his power tools. But he's not primarily a woodworker, just a general contractor. He doesn't have a planer or a jointer, so the deal I made with him is to bring my lunchbox planer into his shop, along with the sled... in exchange for space and access to his table saw and band saw.

But he doesn't have a Router. And this is my question. I see the Router being used a LOT in the videos for the Roubo, along with the router guide. The contractor whose shop I'm in doesn't have a router, either.

So I'm looking to invest in a Router that is strong enough and good enough to get, at the least, the Roubo work done. I suspect that whatever Router I get that can do the Roubo can probably do just about every other GW Guild Build project. I looked up Marc's router... and it's like $800. That's a little too high for me. The routers I see on CL are little 1-3/4 HP routers that weight no more than a pound... but are those strong enough to get the job done? (BTW, I'm using SYP as my stock for the bench). Any suggestions out there from GW members about what Router worked fine in their Roubo project, and what wasn't good enough? Thanks.

[Beechwood Chip]

Marc's router is a Festool. Festool is the cream of the crop; well designed, well made, and very expensive. Most of us get the job done with tools that are more affordable.

As for router power - I wouldn't worry too much about it. You are usually better off making several passes with a lighter cut. Even if you decide to get a powerful router later, it's always nice to have a lighter weight router; most of the time you'll be using the router for trimming, using smaller bits that don't take much power.

Remember that each Guild Build offers a different kind of challenge. The Roubo is challenging because of the huge joints involved. Most of the time, you'll be working with much smaller pieces and you'll be happy that your router isn't a heavyweight.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Honestly, just about any router can do the work shown in the Roubo build. I do recommend, for the most convenience, a variable speed plunge router. But you can still get the work done with a fixed speed non-plunge unit. While I REALLY love my Festool routers, they aren't necessarily doing anything most other routers can't do. Well, maybe the dust collection.

[tdh36185]

I do not know how you feel about entering contests and sweepstakes, but I have come across a festool router giveaway at highland woodworking (also advertised in fine woodworking) and festool also has a giveaway or sweepstakes about once a month. Given that there is already a delay in starting the project it wouldn't hurt to give one or both of those a try.

[landslide]

Thanks for the info, tdh36185 -- I've entered into both contests!

[Barron]

I used red oak and I am very happy with the results. While I have not worked with maple a lot, I would say that red oak splinters a little more, but it isn't a big deal. I would have used soft maple but the yard I used didn't have enough in stock and the oak just looked better. I have the same Dewalt planer and it worked great-although we did need to "help" the slabs through after the glue up.

I used a Porter-Cable 690 with the plunge base and as long as I kept my cuts shallow on each pass it worked fine. Having good bits helped. I am slowing adding more power tools, but I have to say that the router is a tool I use all the time. In fact if I was starting over I would probably make a band saw, a track saw and a router my first three purchases. While I have started looking at more powerful routers, that 690 and the two bases has done everything I needed to date.

Marc has a photo of my red oak bench in the gallery. Good luck!