Workbench Build

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Silver Maple Roubo Workbench
Old workbench in 2010, about ready...
My crappy old workbench on its best day ever - practicing dovetails in 2010
 Napkin plan - Basic dimensions
Napkin plan - Basic dimensions
 Sketchup render of basic proportions
Basic proportions of the intended roubo workbench
 XRay render of Sketchup workbench...
XRay render of Sketchup workbench design
 Initial Sketchup design for my...
My idea in sketchup for how I would build a Roubo out of the available silver maple lumber
 Lee Valley Leg Vise hardware for...
Lee Valley Leg Vise hardware for front vise, catalog picture
Benchcrafted Wagon vise hardware,...
I chose the Benchcrafted wagon vise hardware even though the price is high. I WANTED this one, and I saved until I could buy it.
 Silver maple lumber stacked in the...
Silver maple lumber stacked in the shop
 About half the pile of lumber left...
About half the pile of lumber left after cutting about 12 slats for the benchtop
 A typical example of the splotchy,...
A typical example of the plotchy, streaky, grayed silver maple lumber.
 Using a carpenter's square to...
Using a carpenter's square to mark the 7' section I wanted to cut out
 Trimming to roughly 7' length...
Trimming to roughly 7' length with a jig saw. (My FIL had borrowed my circular saw)
Table saw set up for ripping lumber...
Table saw set up for ripping lumber to 4 1/2" laminate strips
 My cluttered Florida garage shop as...
My cluttered cluttered garage shop as I begin work on the silver maple bench
 Ripping done on the Delta...
Ripping done on the Delta contractor's table saw with the router table used as an outfeed table
 Benchtop parts begin to line up,...
Benchtop parts begin to line up, until I have 25 of them
 7' long slats to be laminated...
7' long slats to be laminated into the benchtop, 15 down. 10 more to go.
 2011-10-16:Finally finished planing...
2011-10-16:Finally finished planing the benchtop lams, ready to glue
The leg vice hardware arrives from...
The leg vice hardware arrives from Lee Valley
 Planing four slats together to make...
Began by gluing up four slats to make sections of the benchtop, Then planed them flat for further gluing.
 Groups of four were then glued into...
Groups of four were then glued into a benchtop half. Planing the two halves to match was a challenge
 Working to match the two halves of...
Working to match the two halves of the benchtop prior to gluing
 Benchtop glued together, flattening...
Benchtop glued together, flattening work begins
 The last bit of Florida work, parts...
The last bit of Florida work, parts for the benchtop endcap
Last thing accomplished on the...
Last thing accomplished on the bench before moving to Georgia, glued up the benchtop endcap
 One year later, in Georgia, finally...
One year later, in Georgia, finally began work to truly flatten the benchtop. Frame for router jig
 Building the router track to ride...
Building the router track to ride on the frame. This was a truly satisfying little piece of woodworking, as the flattening of the benchtop had been baffling me. Doing it by hand was too hard. Silver maple is too HARD.
 Router frame placed around the...
Router frame placed around the benchtop to be flattened
 Final router track carefully...
Final router track carefully slotted and guides placed for accurate bench leveling
 About to start the flattening...
About to start the flattening operation
August 2012 - Using my new...
August 2012 - Using my new Milwaukee 3hp router to flatten the benchtop
 A good start at the flattening...
A good start at the flattening operation
 Nearing the finish of the...
Nearing the finish of the flattening operation. This whole thing turned out much better than expected.
 The final flattened top of the...
The final flattened top of the benchtop. I was very pleased.
 Lots of sawdust generated
Lots of sawdust generated
 Glued up legs. The first three were...
Glued up legs. The first three were done in Fall 2012. The last one took me a year to get done. Twisty silver maple and a baulky power joiner
October 2013 - Finally have the...
October 2013 - Finally have the four legs glued up. This is the last of them, the hardest one to get flat parts to glue
 Undercarriage-01
Undercarriage-02
Undercarriage-03
Undercarriage-04
Undercarriage-05
Inside corner after stretchers fit...
Inside corner after stretchers fit to leg mortises
 Another inside corner, fit but not...
Pinning the legs to the bench top 1
Pinning the legs to the bench top 1
 Trimming the pins on the pinned legs
Trimming the pins on the pinned legs
 Pinning the legs 3
Pinning the legs 3
 Pinning the legs 4 - finished
Pinning the legs 4 - finished