# Yet Another Workbench Build



## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

I know, the internet is replete with workbench builds. But what the heck, I thought I would share yet another. When deciding on what type of workbench to build, I researched quite a bit. I read Schwarz's book, looked at builds on this site, etc. I also wanted to use this build to practice mortise and tenon joinery and practice using my new jointer and planer. Based upon my research, I decided to build a variation of Benchcrafted 's split top Roubo: http://www.benchcrafted.com/str.html. The bench I built is essentially the same design, but I opted for simple front and end vises. I varied the sizes of the components as well since I used S4S southern yellow pine. 

Below are some pictures of the finished product. I will add some build details in subsequent posts.


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

that is a beautiful bench.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Here are a few more pictures of the completed project*

This is the Gap Stop in the Plane Stop position:











This is the Gap Stop in the Flush position:










Close up of the End Vise:










Close up of the Front Vise:











Close up of the Deadman:


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## Paarker (Mar 20, 2013)

Well done!


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## MasterSplinter (Jan 12, 2013)

Wow serious bench. Great job!


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Great bench! :thumbsup:


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

That's a work of art! :thumbsup:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*that's a sweet bench!*

:thumbsup::thumbsup: 
Nice choice of material, vises, and a great design. And it didn't break the bank. :no:


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## Gilgaron (Mar 16, 2012)

That looks great! I've been thinking about putting some tool holding slots in my gap stops but haven't gotten around to it.


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## Ostie (Dec 19, 2010)

That looks awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing some build pictures. I really need a new bench, but feel a little intimidated by it.


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## kms399 (Apr 13, 2013)

I want one!


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## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

how thick is that top? it looks very heavy


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

4 9/16". It pretty heavy, but yellow pine is not quite as heavy as maple and other woods usually used in this type of bench. This is one reason I went a little thicker than the design called for.


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## jelwell82 (Nov 12, 2012)

I can't be the only one who thinks SYP looks amazing as a bench top! I am less than a month from starting mine and every time I start thinking "I should just use maple" I see a bench like this. Thanks for saving me $400 or so! Great job!


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Building the bench tops*

I first built the bench tops which are constructed form halved 2 x 12s. I used the 2x12 as they are generally better quality wood than smaller boards (I ran across this recommendation more than once). I was going to used 16 footers, but since I no longer have a truck, and Lowes' saw was down, I went with 8 footers from Home Depot. I ripped the 2 x12 s in half, let them acclimate for a week. Next I face jointed and thickness planed. I then straight line ripped using a straight edge. I learned about this technique from Woodnthings here: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/door-build-2-xs-1-4-ply-55717/. I needed to straight line as when the boards were initially ripped, there was quite a bit of movement in the boards. Too much to effectively straighten out with the jointer.
After straight lining, I edge jointed and ripped to about 4.75 inches. During this process, I had a few boards that were just too warped/bowed/twisted to use for the top. I ended up using a few 2 x 8s for the others. If you notice the center boards (in the previously posted pictures) where the grain is not as tight, these came from the 2 x 8s.

I then laid out the boards such that most of knots where on the bottom and a way form where dog holes would be. Next I glued up 3 boards at a time. After all the 3 board sections where glued up, I did another round of jointing and planing. This was necessary as the 8 foot boards were difficult to face joint without using too much pressure which ultimately left a little bow in some of the boards. I think another problem I had is I had not waxed the jointer tables. Later after waxing, the jointing became quite a bit easier because I didn't have to use so much pressure to move the boards.

Now that the three board sections were nice and true, I glued up the two bench tops. I then used the bench tops across a couple of saw horses for a temporary bench to build the rest of the bench. Note, after the other components were build, I ran the two tops through the planer. The final thickness of the bench is 4 9/16". One top is 12 inches wide, the other is 12 1/8 inches wide. I saw no reason to make the exact same width.

Below it the final glue, which you can see I also used cauls. When doing the glue up of long boards, it was necessary to make sure the boards are on a the same plane. It is probably hard to see, but the blocks under the cauls have wedges that were used to get the plane correct. I don't have a lot of detailed pictures of the build process. The ones I do have I took with my phone, so the quality is too good.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

jelwell82 said:


> I can't be the only one who thinks SYP looks amazing as a bench top! I am less than a month from starting mine and every time I start thinking "I should just use maple" I see a bench like this. Thanks for saving me $400 or so! Great job!


Maple is very expensive here....I think it would have cost around thousand more to use maple.


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## JMartel (Nov 30, 2011)

cps said:


> Maple is very expensive here....I think it would have cost around thousand more to use maple.


Nice bench.

I used Oak for mine, but only because I found enough on craigslist for about $1.50/bdft. Otherwise it would have been 2x12's for me.


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## DitchDoc (Jan 11, 2014)

Very nice. I built my regular bench out of yellow pine. I now need to build a wood working bench. This would work well and then my benches would match.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Building the legs, stretchers and short rails*

The legs , stretchers, and short rails were cut from 2x8s and leftovers from the top. I cut the pieces to 8 inches longer then the finished length to account for planer snipe. I also minimized exposed knots and kept knots away from mortise and tenon locations. I went through a similar process of planing, jointing and gluing. After cutting the components to length, I moved on to the tenons. For the tenons, I first cut the shoulders on the table same using the miter gauge. I built a jig for the router to cut out the remaining material, but after one tenon, I decided it was just too slow. I then cut the remaining tenons on the table saw using a support block. This worked out pretty well.

After completing the tenons, it was time for the mortises. For the mortises, I used the router with an edge guide. I squared the holes up with chisels, which I now think were a little too dull. I also used a support block for the chisel so I could maintain square walls.

Here are the legs (no mortises yet):











Here are the stretchers and short rails. They are sitting on the tops:










The final legs are 6x4 inches. The stretchers are 5 1/4 x 2 3/4 , bottom short rails are 5 1/4 x 2 3/4, and top short rails are 4 5/8 x 2 3/4.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Assembling the end components*

I first dry fit the entire bottom section and checked for square. 











After I was satisfied with the dry fit, I drilled drawbore holes in the legs. Since the legs are 6 inches wide, the drawbore holes are not through holes. Next I used a brad point drill to mark the center locations on the tenons for the drawbore holes. I then drilled the holes in the tenons approximately 1/16 of an inch closer to the shoulder of the tenon.

I did another dry fit to evaluate the tenon holes. I then unassembled and routed the ledger dados in the stretchers and bottom short rails. I also drilled 1/2 holes through the legs that are used for the stretcher bolts. Next I glued up the two end component and drove pegs into drawbore holes. The pegs are made from 3/8 oak dowels that have one end beveled. I was a little nervous when driving in the pegs as I did not want to slip the legs. All worked out ok, and the drawbores did their job resulting in a pretty tight fit.
I also applied Watco Danish Oil to the end components except for the location were the ledger boards would be glued.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Attaching the Stretchers*

I attached the stretchers and used a 1/2 x 12 inch drill bit to complete the holes through the legs and into the stretchers. I then took the stretchers back off and routed slots for the stretcher bolt nuts. I then reattached the stretchers and fastened the 1/2 x 10" bolts.


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## Anguspapa (May 4, 2013)

Pretty nice work bench you have there! Or should I say a work of art!

Eric


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## etscc69 (Oct 25, 2013)

*great looking bench*

You have a great looking and practical bench. I hope it brings you many hours of quality wood working time cps..... btw what finish did you use on your bench?


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

etscc69 said:


> You have a great looking and practical bench. I hope it brings you many hours of quality wood working time cps..... btw what finish did you use on your bench?


Watco Danish Oil, Natural.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Back to the tops*

With the base components done, I ran the tops through the planer. I set up additional in-feed and out-feed support. I also enlisted the help of my son to help lift the tops.

I next cut the top pieces to length - 87 inches. Well, three of the four ends. I deferred the end where the end vise would be as the fixed jaw would be part of the 87 inch length. To cut the tops, I used the router with a 1/2 x 2 1/2" bit. I was initially going to use my circular saw with a fine kerf blade, but the blade was too thin for my saw. It would not tighten up enough. So I used a straight edge to run the router against, and a backer block to prevent blow out of the end grain. I made a lot of passes, increasing about an 1/8" with each pass. After I bottomed out the plunge router, I transferred the cut line to the opposite side and finished up the cut.

With the tops cut to length I routed the channel for the deadman and routed the mortises. I used the edge guide for both.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*A few more top notes*

Per BenchCrafted notes, I chamfered the mortises on the top. This makes it easier to mount the top on the base. I also centered the top on the base which is different than the BenchCrafted design. The BenchCrafted is offset to account for the tail vise configuration. Since I opted for a simple end vise that wasn’t too long, I could center the top on the base.

BenchCrafted also has downloads for notes on their bench and a 3D model. Both were very helpful when building the bench. The downloads can be found here: http://www.benchcrafted.com/Downloads.html


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Attaching the Tops*

After finishing the bottom of the top with Danish oil, I drilled holes through the top short stretchers for the lag bolts that will hold down the top. I raised the top higher than the bases via some blocks, and slid the base under the tops. I then lowered the top onto the base and drilled 4 pilot holes into the base for the lag screws. I then screwed the lag bolts through the base into the top.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Building shelf*

I ripped/jointed/planed a few boards to 1 1/4 x 1 1/4" for the shelf ledgers. I then used the table saw to cut out a section to leave a 1/2x 1/8" ridge to fit into the dado of the stretchers and bottom rails. Next I glued on the ledger boards.











For the shelf boards, I used various scraps and boards that were to warped for parts of the bench. I jointed and planed these boards down to 1 1/4". I then ripped a shiplap edge using the table saw with a single setup/two passes. 











The shelf boards just sit on the ledger.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Deadman and Gap Stop*

I used a 2x12x12 to build both the deadman and gap stop. Luckily Lowe's saw was back in order when I went to purchase the lumber. Both the deadman and gap stop are made from two pieces laminated together after jointing/planing/ripping. I then planed the gap stop to about 1/16" less than the gap of the two top pieces, and the deadman to about 2 1/2".
For tool slots in the gap stop, I used a 2 1/2" router bit and edge guide routed from both sides. I also routed out notches where the top rails intersect for the flush position.











For the top "tenon" of the deadman, I used the router and straight edge. For , the curves, I used a 2 5/16 forstner bit that I purchased for the vise installation. I then used the table saw to cut the line between the curves and finished with my back saw. I cut about 1/8 out from the finished width. I cleaned up the cut with the router and a straight edge . I cut the bottom grove with the table saw, and also ripped the rail for the deadman. The deadman rail is attached with screws to the stretcher.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Vises*

I used the same Lee Valley vises for both the front and end vise(Large Front Vise): 

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,41659,41661&p=31137

There are instructions in the above link if you are interested in details of the install. I pretty much just followed them directly. For the front vise, the half jaw configuration was used:































For the end vise, the no skirt configuration:





















The front rear half jaw is made from laminated yellow pine and bolted in from the bottom. The remaining jaws are made from laminated oak. I used the planer to plane a 2 degree taper on the front jaws.


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## FTWingRiders (Oct 15, 2013)

Thanks for posting all of this! A bench is one of my projects this year, and yours rocks! Beautiful!


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Dog holes and Dogs*

I used the router and a 3/4" spiral bit to drill the first 2 1/2" of each dog hole. I finished each hole up with a 3/4" Forstner bit. I used the edge guide for the holes closest to the edge, clamping the guide to prevent movement. For the holes next to the gap, I used two straight edges to position the router and clamped blocks to prevent movement. The spiral bit worked pretty good, except if you moved too fast, it would bind up. I actually sized my router twice. If I were to it again, I might try a traditional straight bit. For holes too close to the clamp bolts, I did not drill though.

For dogs, I used 3/4" oak dowels and a square oak cap. I made the caps by first ripping the oak with a 2 degree bevel on each side. I then drilled holes and cut to length with my miter saw. Here are some of the dogs and a few caps that I had left over:


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## Broken Bat (Sep 4, 2012)

Great looking bench! Very functional.


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## whiskeypete (Jan 23, 2013)

That's a solid looking bench! I'm putting the finishing touches on my bench that I just built so I have a couple questions for you. I used the same vise but my top is 3" thick and I didn't use a skirt so per the directions, I omitted those two collars. Do they help keep the vise from racking side to side? I did a 2 degree taper on the chop to accommodate the up and down racking but i 'm not satisfied with the side to side.

I'm curious about the split top, that design didn't cross my mind when I was researching what type of bench I wanted. What are the benefits of that and how is the stop gap used?

Thanks for posting this,


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

whiskeypete said:


> That's a solid looking bench! I'm putting the finishing touches on my bench that I just built so I have a couple questions for you. I used the same vise but my top is 3" thick and I didn't use a skirt so per the directions, I omitted those two collars. Do they help keep the vise from racking side to side? I did a 2 degree taper on the chop to accommodate the up and down racking but i 'm not satisfied with the side to side.
> 
> I'm curious about the split top, that design didn't cross my mind when I was researching what type of bench I wanted. What are the benefits of that and how is the stop gap used?
> 
> Thanks for posting this,


Thanks…I believe the collars do help with racking somewhat. That said, they still mention working around racking in the directions with a block. I believe the template they provided was a little of, as I had to adjust the counter sunk holes for the collars a little.


The split top gives the following benefits:

More clamping opportunity as a clamp can be used in the gap.
Easier construction of a thick top. I could run the top through my 13” planer.
Location for dropping in the Gap Stop, which can be used as a plane stop and also used to hold tools.
BenchCrafted gives a good overview of the bench design in the notes which can be found here: http://www.benchcrafted.com/Downloads.html


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## whiskeypete (Jan 23, 2013)

cps said:


> Thanks…I believe the collars do help with racking somewhat. That said, they still mention working around racking in the directions with a block. I believe the template they provided was a little of, as I had to adjust the counter sunk holes for the collars a little.
> 
> 
> The split top gives the following benefits:
> ...


That Gap stop is a neat idea. I'm already thinking of how i could retrofit a sliding deadman onto mine. 

How does that vise work out in the tail position, clamping between dogs. Any racking concern there?


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

whiskeypete said:


> That Gap stop is a neat idea. I'm already thinking of how i could retrofit a sliding deadman onto mine.
> 
> How does that vise work out in the tail position, clamping between dogs. Any racking concern there?


 
I have not noticed too much racking yet, but I haven’t used it too much either as I haven’t worked on a project with the new bench yet (other than building the accessories for it). If It becomes an issue, I will just use some blocks.


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## cps (Jun 21, 2013)

*Glue-up Cover*

Ok one last accessory, a glue-up cover that Schwarz detailed in his book. If you notice, I made the top in two pieces. This turned into design after I messed up the piece of laminate. I initially bought a 12 x 3 foot piece to make this glue up cover and a few other projects. When I was initially cutting the laminate, I split it and rendered it too small for the glue-up cover. I then got to thinking, it would be better to have it in two pieces as I could use part of the bench for glue-up, leaving the remainder of the bench to work on. I have not coved the smaller section as I don't have any more laminate large enough. I will eventually cover it, probably when I build a router table.











In the below picture, the small top section is upside down:











That pretty much wraps up this build.


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