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Lie-Nielsen Toolworks continues to turn back the clock (a good thing in the world of hand-tool woodworking). The Warren, Maine, manufacturer plans to offer a version of the 18th-century French-style workbench made popular in Andre Roubo’s “L’Art du Menuisier.”
The company has just completed work on its first Roubo bench (shown above) for a customer. The bench is quite similar to the version I built for Woodworking Magazine, with a few exceptions. The two ends of the base are a bit different , there’s extra stretchers in there to attach the top, plus cross-bolts that allow the bench to be knocked down. Also, there is a twin-screw vise in the end-vise position at the request of the customer.
All the important functional details are spot-on. There’s a wooden planing stop mortised into the top. There’s a crochet and a leg vise , you don’t have to have both bench accessories to plane things on edge, but they are both convenient and useful. Also, Lie-Nielsen has added a sliding deadman. This is an accessory not shown in Roubo, but is very handy for securing wide panels and doors.
The bench is maple, and Thomas Lie-Nielsen reports that it weighs 400 pounds. The top is 4″ thick, 24″ wide and 8′ long. When the bench is put into regular production, the legs will be 4″ x 4″.
The bench will be more expensive than the two styles now offered by Lie-Nielsen, a European bench starting at $2,000, and a David Charlesworth-style bench for $1,500. Thomas says that building the Roubo involves additional labor and material.
If you’re interested in ordering one, you’ll need to wait a bit. The company has temporarily suspended taking orders for benches until it can reduce the waiting list, which Thomas says is now at about nine months.
But if you’ve seen these benches at shows or in other shops, you know that the quality justifies the wait.
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Very interesting to see how quickly after being reintroduced by The Schwarz that Roubo went more or less mainstream. But it just looks right, somehow.
When Roy Underhill went to a Shaker Village, he showed some footage of a Roubo bench, and the leg vise was particularly interesting. Instead of pins at the bottom, they had a big knurled wheel, that turned on a threaded rod with its edges sticking out on each side of the vise. The rod went through the leg. To adjust the bottom out, you just turn the wheel. It looked like it could be adjusted from either side, and even with a foot. Seems like a good idea – what do you think?
I agree, the stretchers look thin to me given that the legs are not mortised into the top.
Ron,
Actually, it shouldn’t have "2005". That was the date of manufacture by Schwarz and Co. This bench was obviously of a later date.
Which brings us to the next question.
Where is the 2008?
Ron, your tongue in cheek observation is right. This book is pretty much the encapsulation of everything Chris would ask for in his "favorite" bench. Indeed, it is practically a copy of the bench in his book.
It itself, that doesn’t mean much. however, I am convinced that Chris really, really knows what he is talking about, and Lie-Nielsen has done the woodworking world a great service in reproducing it.
Even if they don’t sell thousands of these benches, at least thousands of woodworkers will see this bench and, hopefully, be drawn to its design.
Perhaps they should include a footnote on the product page saying something like, if you can’t pay $3,000 for this bench then buy Chris’ workbench book for $30 and you can build the bench for $300. Oh, and please come back and spend the other $2,700 on some nice hand planes and chisels.
I think Chris suggested thin from stretchers in his book. It’s a knockdown bench and I think the stretchers can be tightened via the bolts.
It’s missing the 2005. How in the heck was that detail over looked!
Though I like the bench in general, it the stretchers look pretty thin to me – surely even tight mortises will loosen after a few seasons, and the bench will need stiff stretchers to resist forces parallel to the bench top….maybe the legs are so massive, the stretchers only appear to be too thin?
Arrgh! From the post title in my feed reader I was hoping this was a contest giveaway!
(Imagine what the shipping cost would be to Malaysia!)
I spy a wooden handle on the end of the parallel guide’s pin. Or am I hallucinating? Nice idea.
Wow that’s a heck of a bench. And let’s face it, there wouldn’t be the interest or
demand if not for your book and efforts in bringing back this benchstyle.
Chris,
At last, the final chapter in your workbench book has been written!
I loved your book, but the one thing you didn’t explain was how to build a bench for hand tool (or power tool) woodworking using hand tools without having a bench to work on.
Let me tell you, it ain’t easy.
At last we have the answer! Just *buy* the bench. Then you can make your own bench and sell the one you bought.
In all seriousness, there are several reasons I am really glad they are offering this bench, and it really looks like a wonderful bench. Kudos to the Lie-Nielsen team.
At long last, it looks like someone is offering a bench for sale that is as good as one you can make yourself.
Luke
You know, having a lot of catalogs (wish books?) can trigger consumer behavior not quite intended by the company – buy lumber and build your own workbench. I saw a drill press table in a Rockler catalog, and for less than $15 of materials, built my own, saving at least $85, plus shipping, gotta remember the damn shipping. Gee, how much does it cost to SHIP that monster? Not to mention using up some of the melamine left over from my work table and router table projects.
Dave,
For many years I used a simple peg in my deadman. You really just need support from below to stabilize the work when edge-planing. When dovetailing wide carcasses, I use an F-style clamp on the deadman.
Chris
Very good news for handtool lovers. What I find interesting is their inclusion of the sliding deadman and holes in the legs for clamps or holdfasts. The Veritas holddown and bench dogs are the only solutions that I’d use in the deadman or the legs — even though I own Gramercy holdfasts. I wonder if TLN will advocate using holdfasts in those locations?