Split Top Roubo Bench Build

[iamnothim]

Thanks for keeping us updated on your project. I am trying to get myself motivated to do the same, so please stop telling us about the mistakes!  [eek] Just kidding, of course. I learn as much from the mistakes...

Best,
Randy

Murphy 1
Luke 0

Paul Sellers would rip off the offending lamination, and clean up the cut face with his hand tools to a few thou under the planed surface that got the glue.

And all with his hand tools.

But you have a TS55 and a nice new blade.  If you can plane the top surface to a high degree of flatness you can certainly get that new edge ready for doing the glue-up right.

It'll just cost you some time and one new piece of maple stock for the 3-piece edge. 

Don't cut the corner.  You're gonna have this bench a long time and be admiring your work every time you use it.

Gene
You are right about not cutting a corner.  Especially one I will see every time I look at the top of the bench.  Which will be often.  My other choices would be to leave out that part of the joint and just have the top sit on the third leg plank as the middle one does.  I'd give up some lateral strength.  Or route out a rectangular slot for a tenon.

If I choose your suggestion it will be more of an adventure and I can rationalize getting  One of These.  BTW...  I stepped up to a TS75 and Panther.  All the more reason to give it a go.  Time to soldier on.

It turned out much too big for my present shop set up and i disassembled it.  I kept the pipe clamps and the main supporting beam which i am thinking of shortening and rebuilding the bench on a smaller scale. I don't think I will go to quite the attention to accuracy on that bench as you are with your Roubo, but i think I will be looking back over my shoulder just in case you are watching.  [unsure]
Tinker

Wayne,
Take a another look at David Barron's bench.  It's 5' with a top that looks to be 5" thick.  I love the proportions of his bench.  The Leg Vise can be bought from Lake Erie Toolworks for $200 and you can make the tail vise.

 

[rljatl]

Thanks to everyone (e.g. Luke,erock, and Tinker) that shows us their mistakes.  Makes me feel better.  Sunday afternoon, I got carried away edge banding my [member=8352]erock[/member] sysports and edge banded edges that did not need to be edge banded.  Damn it. 

 

[iamnothim]

Thanks to everyone (e.g. Luke,erock, and Tinker) that shows us their mistakes.  Makes me feel better.  Sunday afternoon, I got carried away edge banding my [member=8352]erock[/member] sysports and edge banded edges that did not need to be edge banded.  darn it.

piker

 

[iamnothim]

The clamps are off.  Time to go Medieval on it.  (R.I.P. Stu)
If anything goes wrong I'm blaming Gene.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Tinker]

You must have been learning something along the way.  I don't see any dominos where thy should not be.  Or is that why you don't show the far end?

Tinker

 

[iamnothim]

No, I'm good.
As you can see I laminated a couple planks and there s enough meat that they won't show through.

At the moment I'm fighting removing "just enough" material to flatten the bottom without going into planks 6&7 which are 103mm.  The final height is 102mm.  I don't want to plane the top much into them.  Somehow I just ripped them short.  Ya really want to leave 8-12mm after glue-up.

That said, this is the back slab and it doesn't mate with anything like the front slab to the end cap.  It's also behind the gap stop so I don't think a mill or two will show up.

 

[Tinker]

Luke, All this talk about 1mm here and 1mm+/- there for your bench, how much does that top weigh when all assembled?

 

[iamnothim]

Luke, All this talk about 1mm here and 1mm+/- there for your bench, how much does that top weigh when all assembled?

It weighs a bunch.

1mm may not sound like much but it can translate to a much larger error at the other end of a long project.  It can really be annoying when trying to get four legs to touch the ground at the same time.  Trust me on that one.

Since I'd like to try my hand at furniture I might as well practice because it will be a big deal there.

I have declared the bottom of the slab "flat".  At least for purposes of running it through the surface planer.

[attachimg=1]

 

[iamnothim]

The Major is sick, otherwise it would go through the planer today.

 

[Runhard]

Luke,

I am interested in seeing how your DeWALT planer handles the laminated slabs before I decide to buy the DW735 for my bench project. Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience.

 

[narrowboatboy]

Did they ever say what was wrong with your saw? Great customer service from Festool!

Nope.
Said the problem was with the blade. [blink]

if that was the case why would they send you a new Machine??

 

[iamnothim]

Luke,

I am interested in seeing how your DeWALT planer handles the laminated slabs before I decide to buy the DW735 for my bench project. Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience.

I will see if I can film it for you.
The front slab was an adventure with the planer and stand rocking under the weight.
The rear is two planks wider.

 

[iamnothim]

if that was the case why would they send you a new Machine??

I didn't ask that question.

 

[iamnothim]

Since I can't do anything more with the rear slab, I'm going to get serious on the front slab.  I annotated some screen shots from Marc's tutorial that show what I'm about to attempt.  Also shown is the full width of the top, including gap stop.

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[iamnothim]

Cracker Jacks
[attachimg=1]

 

[iamnothim]

Just unboxed the MFS400.  I don't have a clue (yet) but I plan on using it to make the tenon rather than use the track saw.  Why am I posting rather than working????

Gives me a break to think about stuff more.  Eases the nerves.  Plus it let's ya'll see the accident site and wonder if it's going to catch fire.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Gene Davis]

Just rip off that offending outer ply board with the TS75.  One rip from the top, the other from the bottom.  Leave yourself some to square and plane dead flat, then you are ready for your pieced ply, the one with the cuts for the outer dovetailed leg tenon.

It's only wood.

 

[iamnothim]

Works pretty well.
The "stability" puck will only work with Festool copy rings.  Even though my PC collars fit the OF 1400 snap in holder they won't work with the puck.  I need to do some searching on this.

[attachimg=1]

 

[iamnothim]

Just rip off that offending outer ply board with the TS75.  One rip from the top, the other from the bottom.  Leave yourself some to square and plane dead flat, then you are ready for your pieced ply, the one with the cuts for the outer dovetailed leg tenon.

It's only wood.

I'm going to defer doing it until I have to.  I'm burnt out on slabs right now.

 

[Bohdan]

Works pretty well.
The "stability" puck will only work with Festool copy rings.  Even though my PC collars fit the OF 1400 snap in holder they won't work with the puck.  I need to do some searching on this.

[attachimg=1]

I'm guessing that your PC collars are imperial and the MFS holder is metric. Just get a metric collar to fit the holder.