Thread: Help for the next workbench

Hi all
I've just finished my bench. It's my third bench. First was a cheap store bought one. It was thin and moved alot no matter what. But I liked the dog holes for clamping everywhere.
2nd was a a roubo style in pine. The top was a piece of bowling alley floor. It was good but the bowling alley top glue didn't like the pressure of dog holes and clamping. It split in a few places. The flood last year finished it off. No resurrecting it.
I built the last one out of what I could get cheaply. Turned out to be an old pergola in red ironbark. I also had a new thicknesser jointer which meant I could process the timber myself.
It's pretty dark now it has oil on it. I agree it is better to have a light surface to work on, much easier to see stuff. But the timber only cost me 300 bucks. If I could choose I would have used Vic ash. But it would have cost me lots more, I would have made the top thinner to save money and I might have had to skimp on the vices
Not sure about it being too hard to work on. It feels better than my pine one did. Best thing I ever did though was buy a dead blow mallet during assembly. Pounding it together was sure unforgiving.
I know I don't want to make another one for a while.
The design works for me. I love the flat reference face for clamping.
Not sure what it weighs. But lots. I can slide it around with some effort. But it doesn't move when I'm working on it. At all.
Pedro

My Roubo is in blacbutt which at times can be a splitty bugger. some tear out and reversing grain as well.
Other times it's ok.
Titebond 3 ok.
Epoxy ok.