Blast from 2011 - Enter Roubo Bench

Glenn Thompson

• 3 min read
Blast from 2011 - Enter Roubo Bench

When I decided on this project was when I was committed to focusing my woodworking on hand tool usage. I did lots of research on what I wanted and how this immense project would contribute to my woodworking. I decided to do a solid type made of 6x6 douglas fir (which is common to the Pacific Northwest). From there it all kind of fell together.

Here are the pieces for the bench.
I'm prepping the timbers for top glue up
Glue up of the top
Flattening the top was a lot of work
Working on the tongue for the end cap
Working on the mortise for the end vise
End cap
Dry fitted end cap (looking at the bottom of the top)
Beginning work on the base - stretchers.
Base of bench getting some weight tests
Creating a rabbet for the bottom shelf
Tenons for connecting the top
Mortises for the base
Dry fitted
Moved the bench from my garage to my shop
Creating tongue and groove panels for the bottom shelf
Bottom shelf
Final prep for end vise
End vise installed
Plane stop on other end of bench
Prepping version 1 of leg vise chop (I'm currently on version 4)
Peg board for leg vise
Home for peg vise
Fitting leg vise hardware
Creating deadman for long boards
Completed Roubo Bench
Version 2 of leg vise chop with new criss-cross mechanis