This is the second Roubo bench that I have built this year; this one was for a local high school. The top and legs are made from laminated douglas fir. The vise block is from a nicely figured piece of ash. The initial dimensioning was done with machines, but all of the joinery (12 draw bore mortise and tenon joints) was cut by hand without power tools, which is my favorite way to work. The legs were finished with milk paint and varnish, the top with an oil and varnish mixture. Here’s some more pics (one with a plane on it):
I have been building lots of workbenches lately. I find the most challenging (and thus interesting) part to be cutting the huge joints. If I remember correctly, the tenons on this bench are 1 1/4″ wide, around 4″ long, and quite deep. When I am chopping them I feel like a timber framer. This school has ordered a number of things. Next on the docket: a Moravian workbench.
Jon Proniewski 