In case you are living under a rock, the Wood Whisperer Marc Spagnuolo and his band of guilders are building the split-top Roubo workbench as part of a group thing.
Recently Marc interviewed me via Skype about my thoughts on split-top Roubo benches and thong underwear. It was an hour-long interview, and I am sure that I offended at least five indigenous cultures in this hemisphere.
So if you want to learn about how I am impossibly shy and afraid of human contact, listen to the interview. Want to know what I think of Douglas fir as a bench material? What I think of Benchcrafted vises — for real? Why I’ve never built the split-top design? My favorite benchtop finish that doesn’t involve pornography?
Sigh. I should never do interviews.
Marc has posted the entire interview for your listening derision here.
— Christopher Schwarz
Fame has a price, sir. My daughter has decided to name her new baby (due in a week or so) Christopher Thomas. I’m assuming the “Thomas” is in my honor, but the “Christopher” may be in your honor….. or not.
The first name might be for “Thomas” in “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker.”
Just sayin’.
I want to know who sells the tool cozies!
I love reading about workbenches- I’ve been working on an old hospital fire door with a handscrew clamped along the edge for a vise (it doesn’t make work easy). After running into your blogs, and reading the book, I realized that there’s nothing I do can to make that bench work right, so I’ve been watching craigslist for a great big slab-o-doug-fir (I love living in the pacific northwest, where you can still get big doug fir if you work at it). Here’s what I took away from the interview- It’s a simple bench, why make it complicated? As long as it’s heavy and sits still, and makes it easy to do what you need to do, it’s perfect.
A split top, mixed woods- who cares? And the guy putting old growth quartersawn doug fir into a bench- I wonder if he wants to sell it. My office needs it’s ugly, gold, yucky, 70’s carpeting replaced! I’ll set him up with the guy I found selling big slabs of new growth doug fir on craigslist.
Chris knits those in his spare time. He’s quite the crafty one!
The first rule of Knit Club is …
If this is your first night…. you have to knit.
Chris cannot possibly have any spare time!
Nice interview Chris.
Just back from the A’stan!
I am pleased to see you are still in great form!
Now about those coozies…
Best regards,
Albert
“Just back from the A’stan!”
Thank you.
Hey Albert,
Welcome back……where were you? Did you capitalize on your hostile fire and family sep to outfit a new shop full of L-N and other tools? I did….and then got transfered and all my tools are still in boxes!
Cheers,
Derek
Interesting chat you had. It seemed to bring a bit of reality back to the topic of materials and bench height.
cheers
Can’t have too much bench blather! Good interview – very insightful. I like things that put benches in perspective as big heavy specialized tables built out of plain, ordinary wood, for hard work.
I have all the maple for the top and am now looking at the legs. Do you have any opinion on making those out of Pressure treated lumber?
I do not like to bring pressure treated lumber into my home because of its chemical content. I am sure I am being overly cautious, but I do not take second measures with my family’s health.
how so?