My Existing Workbench

Below is my existing workbench that will be replaced by the Roubo style bench I am building. The bench is huge and very heavy which is not a bad thing because you don't want it moving around when you're working on it. So what is wrong with this bench? Why am I going to replace it? Well, one big thing is my work space is about to shrink by 50 percent. A full half of our basement will be converted to a living area, and my shop must fit in the other half. So, I need a smaller bench. The existing bench is 8 feet long, nearly 40 inches wide, and 37 inches tall. By comparison the Roubo bench will be 6 feet long, 20 inches wide, and about 33 or 34 inches tall (not really sure just yet). Speaking of height, the old bench is too tall even though I am a 6 footer. A bench should be low enough so when you are using a hand plane for instance you can get your leg muscles involved. Another issue with the old bench is the 6 inch skirt that runs down both sides of the bench. Those skirts make it very difficult to clamp work pieces down to the bench a any given location. They get in the way! One of the primary features of a workbench is the ability to hold work securely. Not just in the vise, but anyplace on the bench using a clamp of some sort. The Roubo bench has no skirt, just a 5 or 6 inch thick top with a bottom surface that is flat and parallel to it. This makes it easy to clamp a workpiece anywhere you need to.

So, anybody want to buy a bench with a nice leg vice on it?