Workbench Wednesday – #15 (2017) Pair of Petite Laminated Roubos

The genesis and endpoint of these benches could hardly be more disconnected. The starting point was the 2017 Handworks toolapalooza, where I was to be one of the exhibitors in the giant Festhalle.

My recollection from the preceding iteration of Handworks was that the in-house tables were fairly lightweight folding units more suited for a wedding dinner than as working benches for demonstrations. With that memory in mind, and recognizing my own need for a sturdy foundation for demonstrating polissoirs and wax polishing, I decided to build a dismantle-able workbench that would serve my needs. Two additional data points influenced the proceedings profoundly. The first was my arranging to ride to Iowa with a friend in his SUV, the exact brand and model are lost to me now. Once I got the interior dimensions from him I knew the size of the bench I could build so that it fit inside the vehicle. It was basically 60 inches long by 20 inches wide. Since the legs would be removable the height was negotiable.

Then I learned that I had a prized center aisle location so that my “booth” would be fronting two aisles of foot traffic. Suddenly I needed two workbenches for the space. Oh well, they were certain to be useful after the fact as smallish work stations back in the Barn.

I set about making this pair of petite benches following the procedures I had adapted and incorporated into my own practices having learned the concept from David Barron’s video about his bench. Mine were not so elegant but every bit as functional.

Stay tuned to see the endpoint of the project.