Roubo Build #2: Dressing up those big legs
Not much progress. My better looking half enthusiastically pushed a new jointer on me, so I sold my 6″ delta and ordered a Grizzly G0490X. I’ve been a big fan of Grizzly tools ever since I got my first true cabinet saw, the G1023SL, which I highly recommend, if you’re in the market.
While I await the Large Truck of Tool Happiness, I moved on to dressing up the legs. Even though the boards were all jointed and planed, I re-jointed the glue-ups to ensure a perfect square, and replaned the legs down to a uniform 4 7/8 inches square.
The ash finished nice and clean. The ends are still rough, and weighing in around 33-34 inches long, so I’ve got plenty of room for the Tenons that will attach them to the top, and extra wiggle room while I decide on the actual workbench height. I’m looking for this bench to be a hand tool specific bench, so it is likely I won’t go for something overly tall. I’ve got to run a few tests using the dimension in Workbenches, and I’ll see what makes sense, height-wise.
Here, the massive legs are resting on the old bench that the roubo is replacing. This old bench, while sturdy, predates my interest in hand tools, and it’s lack of appropriate workholding properties, combined with it’s length (56 inches!) severly limits my hand tool skill progress. It consists of horrible mortises and tenons made in laminated up Home Depot maple (god, the cost and the warp involved ought to be a major Felony), and a top made out of a discarded kitchen counter top from an out of business restaurant supply house.
The old bench will take on duty as a stand for a 500lb milling machine and a small metal lathe (in the future). Did I mention I also have an interest in metalworking? But that is a blog for another day…
