roubo style workbench

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Roubo-Style Workbenchby Scotttland on December 5 2012

Table of Contents

Roubo-Style Workbench 1

Intro Roubo-Style Workbench 2

Step 1 Some Large Pieces of Wood 2

Step 2 Tools 3

Step 3 Joinery 4

Step 4 Legs and Stretchers 5

Step 5 Wedge Issues 6

Step 6 Cut and Plane Again 7

Step 7 Adding the Hardware 7

Step 8 Turning the Knobs for the Tommy Bar 9

Step 9 Holes 11

Step 10 Custom Bench Dogs 12

Step 11 The Final Finish 13

Related Instructables 13

Advertisements 13

Comments 13


Intro Roubo-Style WorkbenchThis is going to be less of a step-by-step tutorial and more a series of tips and a review of what I learned making my workbenchAfter examining many many workbench designs and almost settling on a German-style bench I came across the 17th century French-style workbench of Andre RouboThis design seemed to have surpassing versatility and an aesthetic superiority to every other design In the construction process I learned of the trade-off betweenfunctionality design and ease of construction I have made awkward-looking workbenches in one day which function perfectly Ive also made beautiful tables quicklyand easily which are only useful as buffet tables To make this workbench functional and attractive required that every surface be planed properly and every corner be aperfect 90 degrees

Step 1 Some Large Pieces of WoodThis style of bench begins with a few very large slabs of wood The top and legs are each 5 thick to provide a simple shape with no joists or apron and the heavystretchers provide ballast The top is 72 long and only 20 deep The narrow top discourages me from putting too many thing on the bench at one time (treating it like atable which it isnt) and the overall small dimensions are compensated for by the workholding features and dead weight Holding down a heavy beam or large plywoodsheet is no problem and the bench doesnt rock or scootThe legs and stretchers are reclaimed old growth Douglas fir Though mine were salvaged (and thirty winters have hardened these beams nicely) here on the Westcoast 6x6 Douglas fir is a standard dimension But finding a mass of wood for the top thats both deciduous and contiguous is a taller order The top of a workbenchshould be hard Exactly how hard depends on a few factors if youre going to be working primarily with hard woods then your bench should be hard enough to take someuse but not so hard that it might mar the wood youre working Its better to dent your bench than your workpiece For my bench I opted for poplar wood as its harderthan pine but still affordable (kind of) By happy coincidence I found a supplier selling it in 3 1 2 thicknesses which fits the leg joinery perfectly (the final beams were 3

12 x 5 x 72) To keep costs down I used a reclaimed beam of glued-up Douglas fir for the middle 13 of the top Since most of the work on a bench takes place aroundthe edges I saved the hard wood for that area

My original intent for this project was to use only reclaimed wood I could get for free Though I ended-up purchasing the poplar beams I think sitting in my garage aslong as they did before I completed this project qualifies them as reclaimed wood


Step 2 ToolsI had intended to construct this bench using only hand tools I succeeded in doing all joinery and crosscuts most of the drilling and some of the planing by hand For thelong rip cuts and planing I used a bandsaw and a power planerjointerOf Japanese saws I can scarcely speak highly enough The narrow self-straightening blade has replaced my western saws for most straight cutsA brace and auger bit makes easy work of hogging-out mortises which can be cleaned with a chisel and mallet I use a rubber mallet which is easier on the tools and theears and I havent noticed much of a difference in efficiency using a solid wood malletThese tools or acceptable analogs are available at TechShop


Step 3 JoineryThe legs connect to the top with two huge through tenons one of them a dovetail to keep from separating I spent more time on these dovetails than on the rest of thebench I fit the legs to the front and back poplar rails before gluing the rails to the rest of the top This made dry fitting easier though I would be gluing the top togetherbefore permanently attaching the legsThe outside of the legs must be completely flush with the edge of the top slab This allows the entire side of the bench to work as a clamping surface but is a difficultfeature to achieve I intentionally made the legs a quarter inch too thick then planed them down after being fitted

Image Notes1 I drove three dowels through the glued-up boards to ensure the solidity of theirunion2 I drove three dowels through the glued-up boards to ensure the solidity of theirunion

Image Notes1 A successful test fit


Image Notes1 This is the underside of the top slab

Step 4 Legs and StretchersOne misstep here was only making shoulders on two sides of the stretcher tenons More shoulder space means a stiffer jointEverything was dry-fitted several times before the final assembly wherein I used drawbored dowels and urethane glue A larger bench might need to be broken-down forrelocation but at 72x20 heavy as it is I can move this around if I need to


Image Notes1 Clean-up the mortise with a corner chisel2 Bore out the mortise with an auger bit

Step 5 Wedge IssuesThere is a lot of glue involved here I wet every tenon and coated the inside of every mortise before attaching the legs to the stretchers Once the six parts were looselyassembled the top slab was dropped on After it bottomed-out (by means of lifting each side and slamming it on the floor a few times) I used the draw-bored pins totighten each of the stretchers jointsThe through tenons on the top are cut slightly narrow so the joints must be made tight by adding wedges I cut the straightest-grain scrap I could find and coated each inglue before driving them home

Image Notes1 Drawbored


Step 6 Cut and Plane AgainWhen the glue is dry its time to chop off those wedges and through tenonsPictured is the wood nut for the leg vise detailed here

Image Notes1 Wood nut

Step 7 Adding the HardwareA workbench must be able to hold workpieces otherwise its just a very heavy table On the left side I installed a leg vise detailed here On the right I installed a quick-release tail vise and outfitted it with a fat wooden chop This provides a larger clamping area and accommodates a bench dog To prevent rust I disassembled the visestripped-off the paint then polished and clear-coated the bare metal parts For the cast iron body pieces I applied a black oxide patina then a clear coat

Image Notes1 A fat chop2 Accommodates a bench dog



Step 8 Turning the Knobs for the Tommy BarNothing much special going on here I used the wood lathe at TechShop with a small skew chisel to bore-out the hole until the pin fit snugly then I made a ball and paredit off The wood had been repaired with polyester resin



Step 9 HolesDog holes should be close to each other and close to the front edge of the workbench A quick release vise will make short work of readjusting for different-sized piecesbut too much of a part hanging over the throat of the vise means a weaker hold This is why the holes should be closer together than the allowance of the vise My holesare 3 1 2 apart on center and 1 3 4 from the edge of the bench to allow easy access to three sides of small or narrow pieces The 3 4 diameter is almost universal

and works fine for meTo make my dog holes straight and perfectly verticlide I first tried using an angle guide on my cordless drill (I dont have Forstner bits that fit my brace drill) Due to poormanufacturing the guide didnt work Plan B was to make a bit extension using the lathe at TechShop and guiding it straight by use of a square I clamped a board to theunderside to prevent tear-out when the bit breaks-throughWhen the battery died I switched to my brace drill which I should probably have used from the start Once inside the wood the flutes guide the bit straight down I hadpreferred to use a Forstner bit since it makes slightly cleaner holes but I had to sand each hole clean to get a perfect fit for the bench dogs so the brace was as good achoice Also the auger bit evacuated the waste better and didnt get as hotBesides the series of dog holes I drilled four more holes for use with a holdfast or other workholding devise These should be placed such that the holdfasts can have themost effective reach across the surface


Image Notes1 No its not gophers

Step 10 Custom Bench DogsStore-bought bench dogs are ideal if you have too much money For the rest of us I have found that 34 round brass stock is common among metal scrap and one onlyneeds six consecutive inches of it to make the largest of bench dogs Using a vertical mill at TechShop I planed-off a flat inch at one end and now its functional Theaddition of leather makes a slightly tighter and gentler hold on the workpiece At 5 1 4 I call these bench huskies Not as cute as bench corgis but more useful


Step 11 The Final FinishAfter a light sanding and damp cloth dusting the first coat of oil can be applied A workbench will take a lot of scratches and gouges and a film-forming varnish does nottake well to this But oil will weather water wine and wood stain

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1 comments Add Comment

rimar2000 says Feb 5 2013 750 PM REPLYChapoacute master


Intro Roubo-Style WorkbenchThis is going to be less of a step-by-step tutorial and more a series of tips and a review of what I learned making my workbenchAfter examining many many workbench designs and almost settling on a German-style bench I came across the 17th century French-style workbench of Andre RouboThis design seemed to have surpassing versatility and an aesthetic superiority to every other design In the construction process I learned of the trade-off betweenfunctionality design and ease of construction I have made awkward-looking workbenches in one day which function perfectly Ive also made beautiful tables quicklyand easily which are only useful as buffet tables To make this workbench functional and attractive required that every surface be planed properly and every corner be aperfect 90 degrees

Step 1 Some Large Pieces of WoodThis style of bench begins with a few very large slabs of wood The top and legs are each 5 thick to provide a simple shape with no joists or apron and the heavystretchers provide ballast The top is 72 long and only 20 deep The narrow top discourages me from putting too many thing on the bench at one time (treating it like atable which it isnt) and the overall small dimensions are compensated for by the workholding features and dead weight Holding down a heavy beam or large plywoodsheet is no problem and the bench doesnt rock or scootThe legs and stretchers are reclaimed old growth Douglas fir Though mine were salvaged (and thirty winters have hardened these beams nicely) here on the Westcoast 6x6 Douglas fir is a standard dimension But finding a mass of wood for the top thats both deciduous and contiguous is a taller order The top of a workbenchshould be hard Exactly how hard depends on a few factors if youre going to be working primarily with hard woods then your bench should be hard enough to take someuse but not so hard that it might mar the wood youre working Its better to dent your bench than your workpiece For my bench I opted for poplar wood as its harderthan pine but still affordable (kind of) By happy coincidence I found a supplier selling it in 3 1 2 thicknesses which fits the leg joinery perfectly (the final beams were 3

12 x 5 x 72) To keep costs down I used a reclaimed beam of glued-up Douglas fir for the middle 13 of the top Since most of the work on a bench takes place aroundthe edges I saved the hard wood for that area

My original intent for this project was to use only reclaimed wood I could get for free Though I ended-up purchasing the poplar beams I think sitting in my garage aslong as they did before I completed this project qualifies them as reclaimed wood






































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roubo style workbench

Documents

douglas fir

leg vise

bench dogs

large pieces

bench dog

image notes 1

wood nut

brace drill