Le Petit Roubo…

Today I finished this “little” project: a small table top workbench.

It was made after the drawings and writings Andre J. Roubo left in his work “L’Art Du Menuisier” (click here for a translation by Lost Art Press). I made this little bench at scale 1:3 and substituted the French ‘Pied du Roi‘ for the imperial foot (see my earlier blog on applying different standards of measurement).

What’s the sense of a little bench? Other than you may expect this bench isn’t a toy or just some prop.

This bench was made to be used as a little desktop model. I use rather high workbenches in the shop. But sometimes it is convenient to have a thing like this when I have to work on location at a table or something similar. It also gives a platform when I clamp an electric guitar in a pattern makers vise (another project I’m working on; stay tuned) to work on the nut.

Some weeks ago I saw these little movies on youtube. They show some small table top benches that inspired me.

And this model made out of one 2×4…

Rather than just copying them, I wanted to make something more ‘historical’. Beside, I just had some left-over pieces of European oak, salvaged from an old table, that were unfit to use for anything else (half quarter sawn, massive grain run-out and cross grain, along with knots and cracks).

I couldn’t help myself with the leg vise; it just had to be there. The thread is M12 (wood would be somewhat to fragile) while the T-bracket is just a piece of brass plumbing… The pin comes from an old hinge.

The holdfast was made from an old axle of a sewing machine, my first attempt at blacksmithing…

I intend to take it along to some trade shows, lectures, local markets and reenactment events. Now only to make a little toolbox to get along with it…