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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default It’s not a Roubo...well sort of?

    This is my bench build, this is my second bench build. My first I did nearly 18 months ago and it that time I have learned so much about myself, my woodworking style and my woodworking ability..

    it is my intent to document my build here, my posts may be far between , but I will see it through to the end. My job gets in the way of my hobby at least till I retire in two years time. I work Twelve hour shifts both days and nights and they can be very draining.. I’ve promised myself to never turn on a power tool the day I finish nights, so it will be a slow process.

    My first bench was made from ply after viewing the video by Pask Makes....

    AAC591E7-FB9D-46BD-BFE4-0D4F6BEE0620.jpg28CAD7C8-304C-4824-AFEB-77D17F4375D8.jpg5190963C-A939-433E-A334-CA7D4A8F51FC.jpg

    As as proud as I was of this bench I soon realized it was a lightweight and had severe racking on the end vise.... I knew that when I’d finished my shop build that a substantially heavier and stronger bench would be required if I want to pursue hand tool woodworking!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Approximately 12 months ago I scored some cheap recycled hardwood....old floor joists to be exact. When I went to collect them, they were laying on the ground covered in weed and crap, sprouting mushrooms.... I was disappointed but brought the home anyway....

    5C33C3E0-A18D-485A-8AA1-7EFF60FE2B75.jpg

    So so bring out the gurney and give them a good scrubbing, stacked them up to let them dry and the walked past them for the best part of a year!

    EDC27DDA-1EF2-4937-B1DD-11654067E11F.jpg

    Whist i finished the shop fitout....

    A0927A9B-F8DF-4A5F-B594-94B23267F607.jpgB727820B-85C2-4B5B-B0B5-F201BBF4939D.jpg2254ADA7-A90F-4FBC-8867-2294BCC21494.jpgF6F2C726-2B5E-4CA5-B912-E78B03948E24.jpg

    Fast forward to about out a month ago...

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    With the workshop kinda finished, I decided it was time to tackle a job which I really had been putting off. You see up until about two yers ago I had never done any woodworking since grade 8 back in 1972, it’s only since I’ve been considering retirement that I really thought about what I would do to keep me busy... I’d always loved the color, grain and texture of wood and always admired the skill of a woodworker. I’ve always been a very practical hands on bloke. I did 20 years in the RAAF as a jet mechanic on the F111’s. I reckoned I should have a crack.... so I’ve watched a LOT of YouTube... time well spent I think?

    Time to build a bench...

    Again lots of YouTube research, I bought Chris Schwartz’s book amongst others and came up with a design in my head.... here we go..

    First job cut to rough length the joists after a thorough scan with the metal detector!

    1ADD58AA-6CBD-49F8-8286-99C27F0BE9E1.jpg

    Then I ran them through my thicknesser planner to square them all up... I decided not to make the all the same with as I would loose too much width on my bench... doing this is causing me problems symmetry but I’ll work around it.

    101847F4-D81A-4688-970C-1214005CEEB7.jpg

    Here they are all machined to the same height..

    6DB08748-6B44-46C8-8427-CF24DBB3EB51.jpg

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    These are damn heavy, there’s 14 boards all about 2.2 meters at the moment. I’ll glue them in two lots of 5 and one group of 4 once I decide which order to lay them in..

    1A65821A-403E-4E15-BE6E-65EDFB2CD353.jpg6499D2AA-6AF0-4498-8570-1E2E4234ED35.jpgE4B71BC8-F883-429A-94A0-4F5FB0D0B133.jpg

    I glue 3 sections over the space of 3 days leaving them each in the clamps for 24 hours. I only have enough clamps for one glue up at a time. Once I have the 3 sections complete I then call on a mate to help me lift them (I’m thinking easy 40 kgs each) to my thicknesses to flatten them before final glue up. You may see Woody (He’s my shop supervisor) in my photos occasionally as I have an Instagram account and I’m just trying to inject a little fun into my posts..

    4BC8FEDC-B3C3-4A10-B360-355F00A0DC68.jpg

    Now is REALLY HEAVY!

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Now begins the fun task of hand planning. Never done this before either, what a workout... and how hard are these mixed Australian hardwoods??

    AAB0CC53-3BDD-4518-8BB5-9651475A2A4B.jpg7EA1D2B5-86A7-4529-9A18-FBFDBB10F0E0.jpg

    I think ink I cleaned up 4 or 5 times before my winding sticks and straight edges told me I’d won! This is so heavy...I had to flip it a few times to do both sides. The only way to do it was to part slide it half off my bench, attach some clamps to the exposed side of my plywood bench (this was to prevent the slab from sliding off), I then squat down underneath the overhang and stand up lifting the slab into the vertical point. Then remove the clamps from the side of the bench, put them on the other side when rock the slab over and try and control the descent!

    Anyway
    , all done without any injuries.... a concern at my age. Now it’s as flat as tack and smooth as a babies bum!

    12F2DD5E-0212-4E58-B6AA-466936210AC9.jpg

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    So my bench is going to have a veritas twin screw vise as an end vise and a benchcrafted leg vise. I have the hardware already and want to test fit the end vise before I think about building the bench frame. I want to calculate the final lengths the bench after vise figment. From my research it’s my understanding that the Roubo style incorporates a dovetailed endcap? Given my experience and hesitation and the fact that my boards are all different widths I decided not to do this. Incidentally after final glue up my bench ended up being 598 mm, I was wanting 600 so was quite pleased.

    i decided I wanted a way to secure my endcap( which is in fact my vise front jaw) so it wasn’t just flush mounted. I decided to use a rather large mortise and tenon if that’s the right terminology?

    AF7E958F-EF40-4531-B7FD-A2288336D5CC.jpg

    I actually squared are of the end before I decided which path to take. Also for those that noticed it also removed the rather large divet taken out by my thicknesser when I took the weight to early and it dug in.

    A948DDB4-95B0-4081-9647-08839D42643D.jpgAC12E4B5-25FA-4FB8-A653-D4FBAC7FBEFC.jpg

    Woody gave me an hand with this bit, but I think he was a little rough? I had to tidy his work after he left for the day!

    FFA4BDA1-F057-456C-978E-6270DD8F3712.jpg95C52D1E-3900-4937-9483-F0D42C425992.jpgB1BC0B62-DC42-4C63-94DA-694CC701C326.jpg

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    These will be my vise jaws, they are yet to be cut to size. Going by the veritas formula for jaw size they will need to be 219 mm tall, my bench slab height is final at 107mm. Two really nice pieces of New Guinea Rosewood, which will be lined with 1.5mm cork rubber..

    91037F38-5198-42BF-93D2-5E57ACCCC351.jpg

    These will be my legs, rough sawn 125 mm spotted gum milled to 120 mm

    6FE60F9E-03C2-4103-AA5E-7B7991B9AB87.jpgDE262FB6-B5D3-45F5-9700-FA12816BFB44.jpg

    ..... and that pretty much brings me up to today, this is as far as I’ve gotten in my build so far. I procrastinated about posting this, but obviously I have... please let me know if I’m overloading you with pictures and/or text, conversely let me know if you’d like more information. I’m very new to woodworking and am on a massive learning curve so please feel free to share constructive criticism, and I will attempt to receive it in good spirit. These have been rather many posts and I’ve been writing them whilst I sit here on night shift.... I hop the boss isnt a woody!!

    cheers lads
    Gary

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Here’s a couple of other projects I’ve got on the go or recently completed....

    A63E5BFB-C483-410D-AAD3-98C2D91BE17B.jpgFCB1F5B9-CA25-4C1B-B47B-D738CC50C89F.jpgB74FF26C-D7C9-4939-B8A6-D68D2E8EE9DB.jpg2977A72C-F43D-41A4-AED8-5309094D9683.jpg

    I rebuilt this this for my wife. The original was her mother’s built by her father... it really wasn’t salvageable. I did reuse the handles though.

    CBE882C7-49E4-45C8-863F-C6632C23D181.jpgF22599DC-3D21-4DD8-8949-E819AFCBA253.jpg

    Having a a crack at resin...

    971D4435-E84B-47DC-B66D-8A2C48B35C25.jpg7ECF71F1-1B03-4EB5-964F-BD17ACB87673.jpg

    First go at a cutting board for my daughter, with woody’s help of course

    ive got so many things I want to try.... just need time.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Bundaberg
    Age
    54
    Posts
    3,402

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Regdop View Post
    I procrastinated about posting this, but obviously I have... please let me know if I’m overloading you with pictures and/or text, conversely let me know if you’d like more information. I’m very new to woodworking and am on a massive learning curve so please feel free to share constructive criticism, and I will attempt to receive it in good spirit.
    Not feeling very overloaded with either, keep them coming! Everybody loves a good WIP. Plus we get to have a perve at your workshop...
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Sutherland Shire, Sydney
    Age
    71
    Posts
    1,301

    Default

    Following with great interest Gary. Very impressed with your workshop, nothing like mine with bits and pieces on every flat surface and too much 'stuff' in too small an area.

    This second bench is certainly being built with heaps of built in gravity, it shouldn't wander around the workshop like lightweight benches often do.

    For some reason, you seem to think you will have plenty of time when you retire to do your own thing. I can assure you that so many of us comment that they are busier in retirement than they ever were when in the workforce. At least you are getting a bit of a head start by setting yourself up now and taking advantage of some quiet times at work to do a bit of planning and research.

    It is a nice touch to include your mate Woody in the build, he should learn a lot whilst helping you out in the workshop.

    Alan...

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    1,166

    Default

    i first thought Woody was the name of your fluffball that appeared in an earlier shot and thought that's a cool name for a puppo.

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Kew, Vic
    Posts
    1,064

    Default

    Hi Gary,

    Great posts. As Chief Tiff says, everyone loves a good WIP. Thanks for sharing!

    Brian

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    blue mountains
    Posts
    4,882

    Default

    You have been a busy boy Gary,
    Going to be a good solid bench. The hard work and sweat will be worth it.
    Nice workshop too by the way.
    Regards
    John

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by orraloon View Post
    You have been a busy boy Gary,
    Going to be a good solid bench. The hard work and sweat will be worth it.
    Nice workshop too by the way.
    Regards
    John
    Thanks John, kinda humbling feedback I'm getting.... Ive got heaps of shop build photos.... maybe I should start another thread?

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    lower eyre peninsular
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,577

    Default

    NO you'll make us all jealous and wish we were as tidy as you.
    I would love to grow my own food, but I can not find bacon seeds

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