Blood, Sweat, and Sawdust

Going against the grain

Tag: syp roubo

April 21, 2015

The Best Laid Plans…

What is it that they say about the best laid plans?

Completing the Roubo workbench base had me on a high.  That all came crashing down Sunday afternoon.  While marking out the location for the draw-bore pins, I noticed that something was a little off.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that the pins for the short stretchers would come too close to the mortise walls for the long stretchers.  This is a result of moving the tenons back on the front stretcher.  I did this so that they wouldn’t interfere with the mortise for the vise hardware.

Stretcher Mortises

The pins for the mortise on the right would come too close to the mortise walls on the left.

If only I had included the draw-bore pins in my Sketchup model.  I would have known of the issue, and been able to plan around it.  Fortunately, this isn’t a huge setback.  It just means that I will have to drop the pins for the base and glue the tenons in place.  I can still draw-bore the base to the top.

I took it all in stride.  I finished a few details while I worked out what I was going to do about the base.

Sliding Deadman Notch

Sliding Deadman Notch

I completed the notch in the front stretcher for the sliding dead-man.  I marked it out with a pencil and cut the chamfer with a block plane.  You can see how thick I made the front stretcher.  The Bench Crafted criss-cross mortise is 1 7/16″ deep, so I made the tenon 2″ back from the front of the stretcher to avoid issues.

Sliding Deadman Grove

Sliding Deadman Grove

I also cut the grove for the sliding dead-man in the bottom-side of the top.  I made quick work of this with a plunge router and fence.  A spiral up-bit kept everything clean.  It’s wise to do this in several passes.

I was also able to start milling the boards for the vise chop.  I’m using some old-growth pine boards I scored from work.  They aren’t hardwood, but they are incredibly dense.  Once I finish the chop, I can install the vise hardware.  I need to complete this before I permanently attach the base to the top.

Stay tuned.

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

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April 14, 2015

That’s a bit of a Stretch…

With  all four legs fitted to the top, I’m rounding 3rd and heading for home.  That’s a bit of a stretch.  I still have many details to work out, a vise to install, chop and sliding dead-man to complete, and the stretchers.

Fitting the Roubo Workbench Stretchers

I milled up the stretchers much the same way I completed the legs.  I am using the Bench Crafted criss-cross and their classic leg vise hardware.  The criss-cross mortise location requires an atypical front stretcher.  I made the front stretcher extra thick, so that I can move the mortise further back and keep the front of the stretcher flush with the front of the leg.

Cabinet Makers Triangle

Cabinet Makers Triangle

Before doing anything else, label the bottom of your stretchers with a cabinet makers triangle.  I always keep mine pointed in the same direction.

Clamp your stretcher to your leg

Clamp your stretcher to your leg, using an offcut as a spacer.

To locate the tenon shoulder to stretchers, I stole a little trick from Chris Schwarz.  I cut several spacers the same length as the distance between the bottom of the bench top and the top of the stretchers.  I then clamped two of the spacers to the inside of the legs and used it as a shelf for the stretcher.  I clamped the stretcher to the leg and knifed in my line.

Keep it Square

Keep it Square

Make sure that your legs are square before clamping everything up.

Knife in your shoulder line.

Knife in your shoulder line.

With the shoulder’s marked out, I carefully transferred the lines around to the sides.  I marked the cheeks and cut the cheeks on the band-saw (I cut the shoulders by hand).  With the tenons cut, I clamped them back to the legs and used them to mark the ends of the mortises that will go into the legs.  You’ll have to remove your spacer for this.

Once I’m happy with the fit of the tenons to their respective mortises, I will move on to draw-boring and vice installation.  Stay tuned.

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

 

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April 1, 2015

Roubo Workbench Build: Chopping Mortises by Hand

The mortises in the top are huge.  When I say huge, they are caverns of darkness that suck the life force from unsuspecting victims.  They measure two inches wide, by 5 inches long, by two inches deep.  There are four of these soul sucking vampires to slay.  If you want to face these monsters, you’ll need the right weapons.  If you want to see how I chopped these giant mortises by hand, proceed with caution.  I have warned you!

  1. Bit and Brace – check
  2. Large Mortise Chisel – check
  3. Heavy Mallet – check
  4. A healthy breakfast and a good night’s sleep – check

Marking Out

Align your legs web

Align your legs web

Start by defining a line 15″ from each edge of the bench top.  This aligns with the outside edge of each leg.  Next, line up each leg with the line and the edge of the bench top.  Make sure that your alignment is perfect!  Check it twice.

Carefully mark out your mortises with a knife

Carefully mark out your mortises with a knife

With the leg aligned, trace around the tenon with a pencil or marking knife.  I prefer to knife in my line.  Make sure that the leg does not move during this process.  Next, number each tenon and its corresponding mortise.

Define the Edges

Before boring out most of the waste, define the edges with a mortise chisel.  This will give you a nice crisp edge.  It also provides you a bit of insurance.  I failed to do this on my first mortise.  Not even my freshly sharpened Irwin bits could prevent blowout when I hit some funky grain.  My knife lines weren’t deep enough.  Do yourself a favor.  It only takes a minute or two per mortise.

Start with the corners

Start with the corners

Bore Out the Waste

Start with the corners

Start with the corners

With a large bit, drill out most of the waste.  A depth gauge (painter’s tape) prevents you from boring too deep.  A couple of try squares keep you drilling straight.  Start with the corners and work inwards.  I found that boring out several lines worked best.  Once you’ve drilled out most of the waste, you can knock out the rest with a mortise chisel.  Be careful not to ding up your edges.

All bored out

All bored out

Roughed out mortise

Roughed out mortise

Clean Up

Complete Mortise

Complete Mortise

With most of the waste removed, start cleaning up the mortise walls.  I used a large 1/2 inch mortise chisel for the end grain and a bench chisel for the long grain.  Set a try square on the bench top to make sure you are square.  Use a small square to check that your walls stay square.  I used a 4 inch double square that allowed me to check the mortise depth.  If you are shallow, use your mortise chisel with the bevel down to deepen the mortise.  Work from the middle outwards.

Check the Fit

 

chamferred tenon

Chamferring your tenons will help start them in the mortise

I chamferred the tenons on my legs with a block plane.  This helps start the tenon into the mortise.  Chances are that you will be a little tight on your first attempt.

Test fitting mortise

Not quite there

I suggest removing material from the tenons if you’re tight.  In this case I was able to get the tenon about 3/4 of an inch in the mortise.  I knew that my tenon cheeks were square, so there was interference from the mortise.  I checked the mortise and discovered I had missed some material near one corner.  After some minor tweaking, I was ready to give it another shot.

Mortise by Hand Complete

A Perfect Fit

Presto!  A near perfect fit.

I was a little intimidate by the task.  After the task was complete, I realized the concern was unwarranted.  It really isn’t hard.  It’s just a little time-consuming.

Stay tuned.  Stretchers are next.

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

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March 24, 2015

Roubo Workbench Build: Leg Tenons the Hybrid Way – Video

I intended to demonstrate cutting the large leg tenons for the Roubo workbench build two different ways: by hand and with the aid of a band saw.  Unfortunately, my camera shifted while I was cutting the tenon cheeks.  Consequently, you’ll only get to see my poor cross-cutting skills today.

Marking Out

I like to start by marking out my shoulders.  I prefer to do this using a square against the long grain, as opposed to using a cutting gauge against the end grain.  I get more consistent results.  I hold the square using my thumb against the stock and one or two fingers on the blade.  Make sure that you draw straight back with your knife.  Start with one or two light cuts, and gradually increase pressure.  Flip your piece, place your knife in your previous line, reference your square off of your knife, and repeat.  Always make sure that you are referencing your square off of your face or face edge.

Once I have my shoulders marked out, I move on to the cheeks.  I use a simple wheel gauge for the cheeks.  I set the fence and give it a couple of quick passes for each side.  There really isn’t much to describe here.  When I’m finished, I like to darken all of my lines with a mechanical pencil.

Cutting the Shoulders

With the marking out-of-the-way, I move on to the shoulders.  In the video above, I am using a small backsaw.  Before I start sawing, I make a little trench on the waste side of my work piece with a chisel.  This gives my saw a little groove in which to ride.

I start by drawing the saw back a few times.  This deepens the groove, and helps ensure I stay on track.  Next, I take a few light passes on the far corner, and lower the saw plate until I’m taking cuts across the entire width of the leg.  At this point, I saw down to the baselines at the corners to make sure that my cut stays square.  I finish the cut by removing the triangle left in the center.

Cutting the Cheeks

This is the easy part.  I believe this is the best way to cut tenons.  If you have a band saw and haven’t given it a try, what are you waiting for?  Simply line up the fence to the waste side of your line, and go.  Cut down to your shoulder line, flip and repeat.  It’s fast, easy, and produces a nice square cut (assuming you set up your band saw properly).

Cleaning Up

With the waste removed it’s time to start cleaning up the shoulders.  The band saw produces square cheeks right off the saw.  I will mark the mortises directly from the tenons.  There is no need for them to be identical, only need square.

Use a chisel and deepen your knife line on all three sides of your shoulder.  Then, take over-lapping passes from on side to the other using your knife line as a reference.  If you’ve left too much waste, you might have to take a couple of passes.  It’s easier than trying to remove 1/16 or more in a single pass.  Check your work with a small square.  I undercut mine by a few thousandths.

Stay tuned.  Mortises are next.

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

Music: Good Old War – My Own Sinking Ship

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March 17, 2015

Roubo Legs: Squaring End-Grain

There’s a bit of stigma when it comes to squaring end-grain.  It really isn’t all that difficult.  Just follow the same rules you do for long-grain and make sure you have a sharp plane iron.  The real trick is ensuring exact, crisp layout.

Knifing in the line

Knifing in the line

Start by knifing in your line using an accurate square.  Assuming your board is 4-square, your line will be perfectly perpendicular.  Here are some tips to ensure your layout lines meet perfectly as you move around your board:

  1. Always reference your square against your true face or true edge.
  2. Ensure that you’re holding your square securely against your stock.  I like to place my thumb in the center of the square stock and a finger on the blade.
  3. Start your knife line with two very light passes, followed by one or two heavy passes.  This will ensure that you establish your line without applying too much lateral pressure to your square.
  4. Ensure that the bevel of your knife is towards the waste side of your board.
  5. As you move from one face to another, place your knife in the previous line and slide the blade of your square up to the knife.
Increase visibility with a mechanical pencil

Increase visibility with a mechanical pencil

Create a trench using a chisel

Create a trench using a chisel

Once I’ve established my knife line, I like to go back over it with a fine mechanical pencil.  The effect is subtle, but makes the line more visible.  I then follow up by chiseling out a small grove on the waste side of my line.  This will give my saw a small groove in which to ride, and makes the cut easier.

Kerf in your line with a small back saw

Kerf in your line with a small back saw

Once, I’ve chiseled out a groove, I establish a saw kerf all the way around the stock with a fine backsaw.  This will help keep the cut square when I move to a more aggressive panel saw.  From there, I complete the cut on my sawbench with a panel saw.

Squaring the end-grain with a low-angle jack

Squaring the end-grain with a low-angle jack

With the waste removed, I start truing up the end-grain with a low-angle jack plane.  I work in from the outsides to avoid tear out.  I approach this exactly like I would long-grain.  I check everything with a square, mark the low spots, and plane the high spots.  I repeat until satisfied.  Once I’ve squared up one end, I mark the leg to final length, and repeat on the other end.

A good glue joint should break along the grain, not the glue line

A good glue joint should break along the grain, not the glue line

I like to test my offcuts for a good glue-joint.  The offcut should never break at the glue-line.

Next up, I will cut the tenons for the legs.  I will show you how to do this two different ways.

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

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March 11, 2015

Roubo Workbench Update: She’s Got Legs…

Roubo Workbench Legs

Roubo Workbench Legs

The Roubo workbench project is finally starting to come together.  I have all four leg blanks glued up.  Two legs have been 4-squared, and I will complete the other two legs tonight.  Then, I will cut them to length and start working on the joinery.

Milling up the legs was much easier than milling the bench top sections.  Part of this is due to the fact that the legs are so much shorter.  Not only were the bench top sections a pain to mill, but they’re a pain to move around.  The other significant factor is experience.  Nothing will hone your milling skills like building a Roubo workbench from construction lumber.  I almost feel like I could teach a class on milling lumber by hand (if I weren’t such a lousy teacher).  It’s also excellent cardio!

Now the real fun begins.  I get to start on the joinery!  I’ll start with the tenons on the legs and then move on to the huge mortises on the bottom of the bench top.  But, first I need to flatten the bottom of the workbench.

Stay tuned…the excitement starts soon.

You can find links to my other Roubo Build posts here:  Project Index

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March 6, 2015

Roubo Build: One Stout Bench Top

One Stout Roubo Bench Top

One Stout Bench Top

Everything I’ve done for the past 6 weeks has built to this bench top completion.  It isn’t easy milling up 8 ft long sub assemblies that weigh over 50 lbs apiece.  However, the wisdom gained was worth the effort invested, and the rest of the Roubo build to should go more quickly.

I can’t believe the stability of the Roubo bench top.  There’s zero flex, even with my 190 lb frame down bearing directly over the center.  It don’t think it would have a problem with a Buick parked on top.  At nearly 200 lbs and 4 1/2 inch thick, it shouldn’t have any problems with the modest amounts of abuse it will see over its lifetime.  Overall, the build has gone smoothly, but it hasn’t been without its lessons.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to take your time. I sped through the early stages and ended up with some small gaps in the sub assemblies.  This is likely due to small amounts of snipe from the planer, which I didn’t initially notice.   I don’t expect this to affect bench top durability, but it is a constant reminder of my impatience. The seams between the sub assemblies are virtually gap-less. I will mask the gaps with some epoxy, unless anyone can give me a better solution.

Roubo Bench top clamped web

Bench top clamped web

If you attempt a build like this take your time, plan, and don’t hesitate to ask for help.  The legs are already in progress.  I have already ripped, jointed, and stickered the boards.  With any luck, I will have the blanks glued up by the end of the weekend.  Stay tuned…

You can find links to my other Roubo Build posts here:  Project Index

 

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February 27, 2015

When Things Come Together

Roubo Benchtop Clamped Up

Roubo Benchtop Clamped Up

Sometimes you just get lucky. That’s what happened to me when I went to test fit the two halves of my bench top. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better fit.

Prior to fitting, I gave the two matting edges a quick touch up as they were each out of square by a few thousandths. Somehow I managed to get one of the 100 lb halves on to the other by myself. I lined up the edges, and then gave it a quick once over. Each edge was slightly concave, giving me about 1/64th gap in the middle. I checked for cupping along the width and found very little. Needless to say, I am both surprised and relieved.

Checking the Roubo Top for Cupping

Checking the Roubo Top for Cupping

A perfectly sprung joint

A perfectly sprung joint

Unfortunately, the weather is still too cold for the final glue-up. That will have to wait until Monday when the temperatures are supposed to rise into the low 60’s. Stay tuned.

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

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February 18, 2015

Ice Delay

Iced

Iced

The weather has not been kind to the southeast.  The icy weather has cooled down shop temperatures to below 40 degrees.  Unfortunately, this is too cold to safely continue the glue-up for the Roubo benchtop.  The second half is milled up and ready to go, but will have to wait until warmer weather.  The outlook is much brighter this weekend, and I hope to have a functional bench top by the end of it.

On the flip side, I’ve had a lot of time to play around with the new camera, and video editing software.  It’s been a nice break from busting my hump on this Roubo build, but I am ready to get back to work.  Until later…

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February 10, 2015

A Quick Roubo Build Update

Here’s where all of that hard work on the Roubo bench top really starts to pay off.

After milling up two of the top sections, I took a couple of passes with my No. 7 to clean up any snipe. Then I broke out the saw benches for a test fit. Everything looked pretty good. With the boards oriented for optimal appearance, there was a slight bow in one of the boards that was preventing the ends from meeting. I brought out the No. 7 and planed down the hump until I was satisfied. A second test fit revealed that one of the boards had an edge that was slightly out of square. This resulted in some cupping that would be more difficult to remove later. Back to the jointer. I was fully satisfied after the third test fit.

Roubo Slab Glue-up

Roubo Slab Glue-up

I proceeded to rehearse my glue up. I lightly tightened parallel clamp at each end of the slab and one in the middle. Then, I placed an F-clamp on the seam at each end to ensure that the boards would stay aligned. I tightened down the parallel clamps and checked for any defects. No gaps, no cupping. Everything looked great, so I proceeded with my glue-up.

Roubo Benchtop Looking Good

Roubo Benchtop Looking Good

The assembly is now out of the clamps and looking good. I suspect it weights just shy of 100 lbs. I ended up with 10 5/8th inches of width and 4 5/8th of thickness. I hope to have the other half completed by the weekend. Stay tuned!

You can find links to my other Roubo posts here:  Project Index

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