[afx]

I usually only get to do a few realy big projects during the winter, it's too hot in the summer to do large projects in the garage. I decided that this year I was going to make a Split Top Roubo Bench. I had thought Hard Maple was the best way to go but I wanted to run it by you guys. I've also bought and received the Tauton Press plans. I was disappointed with the plans because they insinuate that they are the Bench Crafted plans when in fact, they just use Bench Crafted vices.


Anywho, what kind of wood would you guys recommend? It needs to be a heavy table to be able to keep still when I use the hand planes.

 

[wood_chucker]

I would use maple neat option really hard tough stuff looks great, heavy, and relatively cheap.

 

[Chris Curl]

There are a few different camps on this ... some people don't want an extremely hard wood for the WB because when the WB is harder than the wood you are working with, the bench could end up dinging the piece you are working on. Those people would rather have the bench get dinged instead. Also, a softer wood tends to have more grab, so things don't slide on the bench top as easily.

Others want the hardest and heaviest wood they can find.

I am in the softer wood camp for the reasons above. I used douglas fir.

 

[afx]

I think I'm in the heavy camp. I can't stand having to rig something up so I can use my hand planes. I would love to just bolt the sucker to the floor but I move my shop around so much to accomodate new tools that isn't really an option.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Chris Curl]

I do a good bit of hand planing myself. Mine is one of those new-fangled workbenches, with my own personal tweaks. It is pretty heavy itself, and it does not move when planing.