For several years now I have dreamed of
building a workbench to the specifications found in the five volume
woodworking masterpiece L'Art Du Menuisier written by the french
cabinetmaker and author Andre Roubo in the 18th century.
Roubo's description of the bench is quite specific leaving little to
the imagination. It is a simple design but stout and efficient in
every way. The bench top is 5” thick, 20” wide, 6' long and is
made of one solid slab of hardwood such as Elm, or Oak. The length of
the legs vary according to how tall or short the craftsman using the
bench is. Like the top, the legs are stout measuring as thick as 6”
X 6”. Each leg attaches to the top using both a through tenon and a
dovetail which is flush with the edge of the top. Wedges are driven
into slight gaps in the tenon ensuring that the joint cannot come
apart once made up.
The time has come at last for me to
build my own version of the Roubo bench. I was not at all sure I
could find the raw material to make such a bench at first. After all
you don't find many slabs of hardwood with the above mentioned
dimensions at the local home improvement center do you. Then while
scouring Craigslist for suppliers I stumbled across Mark Sundermeier
of American Arborist Wood Products in Omaha Nebraska. Mark was not just
helpful he was genuinely interested in my project and agreed to cut
me a custom slab of Ash specific to my task. If you have a need for high end wood products of any kind do yourself a
favor and contact the American Arborist Wood Products by clicking here
It
will be mid November before I have the money to pay for my slab of
Ash and take it home. Until then, I will blog the details of my
workflow for the bench as well as some of the tools I will be using
for the build. In the mean time leave a comment if you like or ask me
questions.
Bill
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