In Stock: Hand-Forged Holdfasts

We have another small run of hand-forged holdfasts available. If you missed out on the first run, now's your chance to pick one of these up. These are completely made by hand, no trip hammer, no power hammer, just a forge, anvil, hammer and human. And they are beautiful. Made in rural Georgia exclusively for Benchcrafted.

$189 plus actual shipping.  To order, send an email with your shipping address to info@benchcrafted.com

For more info, click.

La Forge Royale Price List

Ever on the hunt for vintage French woodworking stuff, we recently scored a 1949 price list for Pierre Feron's A la Forge Royale woodworking tools catalog.

I haven't had much chance to translate any of this (I need to learn more French. Louis, are you there?) but I did try to translate some of the prices from 1949 francs to 2014 dollars. I found this chart which lists several currency conversions since 1948. Then I went to this site to see what it would cost in 2014.

So let's try to price a toothing plane, a "rabots a dents" from the second page of tools in the La Forge Royale catalog reprint from MWTCA. The price is 525 francs for the shorter toothing plane in beech (the least expensive wood). IN 1949 one U.S. dollar was worth 3.3196 francs. Divide 525 by that and you get $158.15, in 1949 dollars. In today's dollar thats $1581.71. Unless "Hètre" is French for "Stanley #1", something is definitely wrong here. (Hètre means beech, Charme is hornbeam, Fruitier is obvious)

So let's assume the prices are in cents, or "centimes". So 525 centimes would be 5.25 francs. That translates into $17.42 in 1949 dollars, or $174.22 in 2014 dollars. That seems more realistic.

Here are a couple links to download the price list and catalog. The catalog document has been around for some time (Schwarz posted it years ago) but this is the first time the price list has been online to my knowledge.

La Forge Royale (Feron era) Price List 1949

La Forge Royale Catalog (Feron era)

Another STR Update

Late last week the printers delivered the updated Split Top Roubo plans (they are beautiful) and we uploaded several updates to our downloads page. Here are the details.

Glide M/C Instructions and Crisscross instructions (click any of these for direct download)
As before, the installation instructions for the Glide M/C is the same document as the Crisscross instructions. We've updated the instructions and made clarifications to the templates (really just measured drawings) so those building a Split Top Roubo according the plans aren't confused by additional measured drawings at the end of the instructions.

Split Top Roubo Construction Notes
We've rewritten portions of the notes to further clarify the installation of the Crisscross. We've also added pictures of the new Glide M in a bench. Previous pictures showing the bench with a single-knob Glide are still there since we know some folks with those vises may have not started their builds.

Split Top Roubo eDrawing
The new eDrawing has also been uploaded for free download at any time. Yes, we get many requests for a Sketchup drawing of our bench. Sketchup is great, and we use it frequently, but the eDrawing serves its purpose allowing one to view the bench in 3d at your computer (the printed plans are what you want in the shop) And one huge feature that the eDrawing has over Sketchup is the ability easily view components as transparent without having to actually assign a transparent material to the component. Simply use the pointer tool, right click on a component and select "make transparent". Very useful to see exactly how everything fits together.

If you're building a Shaker bench, you can use the eDrawing to see how the Crisscross would fit in the "leg" of the Shaker bench. The dimensions will be a little different, but the configuration will be the same.

The New Bench Plans Are Here

After a long slog we've finally updated our Split Top Roubo Plans to include our Benchcrafted Crisscross.

Couple reasons this has taken so long. First, we made some other changes along the way that we thought would justify a delay on doing a major update. Second, while we were making the updates we lost all our files that make easy updates possible. Several hard drives, and even backup drives were corrupted. This happened right on the cusp of being finished with the big update. So we had to rebuild the plans from the ground up. And of course this meant going through all the dimension yet again to make sure we hadn't made any errors (there are a LOT of numbers to consider.)

But that is all water under the bridge. The good news is the updated plans are at the printer and should be available to ship by the end of the week. The new plans show the Crisscross, the new Glide M/C as well as all the drawings for Crisscross-related joinery that we've been supplying at the end of the Crisscross and Glide installation instructions for the past couple years. Here's another nice bit. If you're installing a Classic Leg Vise instead of a Glide, you can build the bench exactly from the plans. Both vises fit the bench the same way. The only difference is that the Classic mounts to the chop with wood screws instead of machine screws. That's it.

We'll also be updating the Crisscross and Glide installation instructions so the additional templates aren't included any longer. That would just be confusing if you're building the Split Top Roubo. The plans show everything you need to know.

Special thanks to our tireless draftsman Louis Bois.

For Sale: L'ART DU MENUISIER

I'm selling my set of L'art Du Menuisier. I bought this set three years ago directly from Jacques Laget, the son of Leonce Laget who published this version in 1976 in Paris. Jacques was kind enough to sign the inside cover of Vol. 1-2. There have been other versions of Roubo's original work published over the years, but they are mostly excerpts. This is the only version that's arranged like the first edition. If you want to read Roubo as it was originally published without spending $10k on a first edition, this is the only way to do it. This edition contains the extremely fascinating fold out plates, which no other version contains, again, other than the first edition.

The books are in excellent condition. There is some musty smell to some of the pages. The binding are all intact and strong. The slipcovers have a bit of creasing on the corners, and just a couple very small tears. I've stored the books flat.

If you're interested in the set, drop me an email at jameel at benchcrafted dot com.

For Sale - Benchmaker's Package With Wood - SOLD

We have available a Benchmaker's Package with wood. We milled this with the intention of making a demo bench for an upcoming woodworking event, but our plans have changed. Oftentimes we make a bench to display our vises at a show, then sell the demo bench. Since we now have three different leg vises (and soon to be two wagon vises) we're rethinking our display options.

Here's the nitty gritty.

The package includes everything (really, shelf boards, deadman, dogs, everything!) you need to build our Split Top Roubo. All components are precisely milled to final size, but left overlong to cut to final length. The tops are glued up from jointed and planed boards, then finish planed to 4". I lopped off the ends of the tops to a consistent length after glue up (a few inches past 84"), but the cut isn't a finished cut. They will need to be cleaned up to look and feel smooth (of course you'll need to join the end cap.) With careful construction, you'll be able to flatten the tops with a couple passes of a jointer plane. Once you cut the parts to length, all you'll need to do is cut joinery and install the vises. There is no milling to do. For a person with a hand tool-only shop, this would be a great way to build our bench with a minimum of heavy work.

The package includes our Glide M Solo Benchmaker's package, which includes all the hardware (barrel nuts, Spax lags) and vises (our new Glide M with Crisscross Solo, Tail Vise) plus the printed plans. The only material you'll need to finish your bench is a little glue.

Species is hard rock maple.

SOLD: Price is $3349, plus freight. Due to the great differences in freight by location, please contact us for a quote.

If you'd like to purchase, send an email to info@benchcrafted.com.

Cut The Dovetails In The Deutschland

For a double dose of dovetailing delight, we highly recommend the following video. We never tire of seeing our products in use in our homeland. Ironically, we don't speak German, but this video has subtitles.

We would also subtitle our videos in German, but the only phrase that our grandmother taught us growing up was "ist das nicht ein fine malt brew?"




The video features David Barron's dovetail guides (we like them) and our Moxon vise, although the latter is not talked about specifically (we like this too.)

David will be at Handworks next May.

Glide C Leg VIse - Now Available

Late last week we finished packing up the first of the Glide C leg vises.They are now available to purchase.

The Glide C is different from the Glide M in two ways. First, the C handwheel is sand cast in gray iron, and then only machined to accept the acme screw and infused beech knobs (the Glide M surfaces are entirely machined after casting.) Secondly, the C uses Beech knobs instead of the deep red Dymondwood of the Glide M.

Each vise performs identically.

Why would you choose a Glide C? Two reasons. First, cost. The C is $70 less than the M. Second, looks. The C has much more of a vintage, traditional look if that's your style. It looks perfect on a Roubo bench, especially when made from ring porous hardwoods like ash or oak. It would look outstanding on a beech bench. My personal vises at home usually change pretty frequently during testing, but I currently have a C on my ash bench. I love the look.

Glide C's are available for order now on our Store Page. They ship 1-2 weeks after placing your order, but usually much faster (that lead time gives us a little wiggle room in case the fish are biting.)

Later this fall we hope to release the new Tail Vise C, so we can offer a matched set of vises in the C style.