French Oak Roubo Project - Preamble

Today we began preparing the massive French oak slabs for the French Oak Roubo Project, which officially begins on Monday.

In order to make as much progress as possible next week, a few of us began the process of four squaring these giant timbers into what will be become the tops for Plate 11 benches.

The top slabs, which are 5" to 6" thick, were straightlined on the Woodmizer. Every slab that came off the saw was simply magical. One particular edge was on one of the flatsawn slabs was dead quartered, and had the most beautiful ray fleck. It was a treat to see these grain patters emerge after 200+ years of development.

But the real treat of the day was watching our gracious host, Bo Childs, get a twinkle in his eye over this massive flitch of oak (36" wide, 20' long) turn to me and say, "how long can you make a Roubo bench?"

My answer: "As long as you want"

So this afternoon we straightlined a gorgeous slab of french oak for Bo's bench. It will be 28" wide and 16' long.

May The FORP Be With You

In only three days a group of die-hard Roubo enthusiasts will gather at Wyatt Childs' joiner's shop for the French Oak Roubo Project.

After countless hours of tireless prep work and research by numerous individuals over the course of many many months, the build is finally upon us. Everything is in place. All we have to do is show up and get busy making history from history. We all feel a responsibility to do these timbers justice. We hope we live up to that ideal.

Watch for blog posts about the build in the coming days. In the meantime, here are some pictures illustrating some of the production of the personalized bench labels. These were made by printer Wesley Tanner of Passim Editions (Wesley is also responsible for the design of Lost Art Press' Roubo translation, so Wesley's work is quite appropriate here.) These are printed on hand made paper from metal type using Wesley's 1862 Albion handpress. Each participant will receive two labels in case any of us screw up the first one, or if not, suitable for framing. I should add that Wesley is in large providing these labels gratis to all the participants. Wesley, we all owe you.

 

 

This is a proof of the label above, followed below by the actual label.

 

Out with the old....burn in the new!

We can't complain about the sucess of our Mag-Blok.  We've had almost nothing but compliments over the years over both it's function and it's design.

One thing however that has not enjoyed universal accolades is our choice of branding.  Early on we opted for what at the time made the most sense for us, a plastic dome label.  Initially we thought they were pretty good looking and did the job they were supposed to.  That said, they have not been loved by all.  The plastic flashy label combined with what many have called either the Benchcrafted Space Invader or Transformer (it's neither by the way, but you have to tilt your head to see why) has earned us at least a handful of negative emails (some actually kind of nasty in fact!).

Well in conjunction with the retooling and upgrades we're just wrapping up for improved Mag-Blok production we've also simplified the logo and likely made those few holdouts a lot happier.  It's now a simple wood burn logo placed on the end of the Blok.  All Bloks now shipping will enjoy this new svelte moniker.

For Sale: My Bridge City Jointmaker Pro

It is with a heavy heart that I make this blog post. I am selling my Bridge City Jointmaker Pro. Why? No, its not because I'm tired of it (I've barely explored its capabilities), not because I've worn it out (it has very low hours on it), and not because there's a new version coming out.

Bottom line? I'm not doing it justice.

Back in 2008 I saw the very first JMP at Jeff Miller's Lie Nielsen Hand Tool Event. I was thick into luthiery at the time, and I envisioned the JMP as a production parquetry machine, capable of saving me oodles of time with shooting boards and miter jacks. By the time the JMP arrived at my shop, I had all but given up on making instruments, and the need for production parquetry vanished. I did use the JMP for a short run of parquetry for a backgammon board for a friend. I was right about the JMP. It was THE machine for making ridiculously accurate miters lickety split. I even wrote an article on how I did it for Popular Woodworking Magazine #189.

I also used the JMP for several small case projects, where I used it to cut perfect dovetails in difficult materials like birdseye maple, and quartered douglas fir. It made flawless joints.

I'm not a tool collector, and since I don't use the JMP nearly enough, I want it to go to a good home where it will be lovingly used by a caring owner.

How will I cut parquetry in the future? Largely by hand. I no longer need the production capabilities that the JMP provides, and since delving deeper into Roubo, I'm looking forward to getting set up with his method, illustrated in L'Art Du Menuisier.

 What's included:

- First edition Jointmaker Pro
- JMP Stand
- JMP Conversion Kit (currently installed on JMP--original rails/tables included)
- JMP Fence "The Works" (new in box, never installed)
- Precison Fence Pivot Clamp (new in box, never installed)
- Precision Fence Elbow Clamp (new in box, never installed)

This is about $3200 worth of kit if purchased from BCTW today, which I would add you can't do since most of this stuff is either not in production or already in limited production (you have to be waitlisted.)

Price: $2500
I should add that my tools are well cared for. You'll more or less be getting new product. I'll also throw in all the blades I have.

Email me for more info. jameel at benchcrafted dot com.

Update: SOLD

The Plate 11 Leg Vise

Ports of Call:

177?:  T. Jefferson's back yard

178?:   M. Antoinette's back yard

1999:   Lumberyard outside Paris

2010:  Barnesville, Georgia

2013:  Erie, PA

Yesterday: Iowa

Two days ago we received an email we've been anticipating since January.

It was Nick at Lake Erie Toolworks. The Roubo leg vises were finally done.

Nick did an absolutely outstanding job. I don't think it would be physically possible to do cleaner work than what Nick has pulled off. These screws are a work of craftsmanship of the highest order. Even the terminus of the thread, as it tapers off to nothing near the head, is flawless. It's a beautiful detail that will be unfortunately hidden in the chop once the vise is installed.

The fit of the thread is also excellent. Nick went to great pains to make sure the complex geometry of the mating threads was such that each thread engaged fully with its mating thread, flat to flat. This translates into durability. And mechanical beauty.

Special thanks to Nick and the crew at Lake Erie Toolworks for an outstanding job.

Carver's Vise Instructions Now Available

For those waiting for Carver's Vise measured drawings and construction notes, they are ready.

To download the pdf, visit our downloads page.

For your convenience, click here for direct download.

Special thanks to Louis Bois for tweaking his original version to suit our hardware.

 UPDATE:  We are also actively shipping, all current orders will be on their way no later than Friday.  Inventory is nearly 2/3 gone so if you are sitting on the fence now is probably a good time to act.

Vintage Benchcrafted Tail Vise- For Sale

SOLD

Yes, we've only been around since aught six, but the chrome handwheel is definitely vintage Benchcrafted.

New condition Tail Vise. Chrome handwheel. One only. $299 plus shipping. Send an email to info@benchcrafted.com with your full name and address, with a note staking your claim, and we'll send you an invoice.

New Blog - Don Williams' Barn on White Run

Our friend and fellow toolie Don Williams has started blogging. Check it out here.

Unsolicited - Shaker Bench in Beech

Hi Guys,

 

First - thank you thank you thank you for great products and being able to ship to me in Australia. I have made your Shaker Bench with a few mods - thought you might like a photo or two. It is made from Euro Beech and looks (and works!) great in my workshop.

I hope to make more of these for sale, so hopefully, I'll be buying more of your vises.

Kind regards,

Russ Meacham

 

 

Handworks - Burks' Pics

For those who don't follow the Lost Art Press blog (are you nuts?) here's a link to Jeff Burks' photos of Handworks. I heard that Jeff took close to 6000 pictures that weekend. Thanks Jeff.

 HandWorks Photo Gallery