Roubo workbench plans to your measure

Start from

How this sheet opens: every size from Schwarz's 2020 bench, with Roubo's through tenon and sliding dovetail between leg and top where Schwarz now uses a blind tenon, and the height started from your stature where his own bench is 34 in.

Your height70 1/16"mm

Height31 9/16"mm

Working hand

Length96"mm

Width22"mm

Top thickness5"mm

Top made from

Strip thickness1 1/4"mm

Overhang, left end16"mm

Overhang, right end16"mm

RevisionsThe bench as first drawn

Bench: Roubo
After: A.-J. Roubo, 1769, and C. Schwarz, 2020
Drawn for: a maker 1780 mm tall
Units: mm
Timber: Scots pine (European redwood)
Sheet: 1 of 4
Rev: 0
Date: 2026-10-25

Mark	Part	Qty	Long	Wide	Thick
A		18	2438	127	32
	18 strips glued face to face in 3 bundles of up to six, the heart side of each against the bark side of the next finished size, as it lies in the flattened top. Rough it out bigger: Schwarz crosscuts 51 mm over-long where the boards allow, and the strips here go into the glue-up 13 mm over-wide, which is what his parts list comes to (his text says 1/4 in); flatten and trim after the glue-up the strips at the planing stop go in as two lengths so the mortise is left as a gap; do not chop it afterwards glues up to 572 mm; plane the back edge down to 559 mm

B		2	1524	102	64
	includes two 76 mm bare-faced tenons, 32 mm thick and the full width, shoulder on the outside only scribe the shoulders from the fitted legs; do not measure them if glued up from two layers, cut one to the shoulder length and one to the full length, and the longer one forms the tenon

C		4	804	127	127
	includes the tail and tenon through the top, 3 mm over to plane flush tail 38 mm, gap 38 mm, tenon 38 mm, rear shoulder 13 mm solid, or glued up from layers with the heart face of one against the bark face of the next two pairs, mirror images of each other: the legs on one diagonal are alike, and the other two have their stretcher mortises laid out from the opposite faces the front leg at the working end carries the vise: bored 67 mm for the screw before assembly, which is Myers' bore for a wooden screw. Bore to suit the screw in hand the vise leg is also mortised for the Crisscross before assembly, 457 mm long, 44.5 mm wide and 36.5 mm deep on the centre line (Benchcrafted). The front stretcher tenon stands 5 mm into that mortise. Saw that much of the tenon away where it crosses, as Schwarz did the front leg at the far end has three 25 mm holes for holdfasts, bored square through it from the front, the first 203 mm below the top (Schwarz) and 178 mm between centres. Derived: his drawing scales to about 203 mm between them, closed up here to clear the stretcher joint

D		2	457	102	64
	includes two 76 mm bare-faced tenons, 32 mm thick and the full width, shoulder on the outside only scribe the shoulders from the fitted legs; do not measure them if glued up from two layers, cut one to the shoulder length and one to the full length, and the longer one forms the tenon tenon ends rabbeted 13 mm by 13 mm to clear the long tenons; or mitre both at 45 degrees

E		2	1372	32	32
	flush with the bottom edge of the stretcher, glued and screwed (Schwarz); Roubo does not say where it goes

F		6	432	229	32
	run front to back, as Roubo says, "to give them more strength" leave 2 mm between boards if the stock is dry; fit the last one to the run

G		2	305	64	32
	closes the pocket between the end legs

H		2	305	32	32
	flush with the bottom edge of the stretcher, glued and screwed (Schwarz); Roubo does not say where it goes

I		1	826	203	83
	stock is 25 mm over the bench height; fit it, then trim the top flush with the benchtop. It finishes 782 mm 203 mm wide for the top 305 mm, 140 mm below; the shape of the step is not recorded and is drawn square line the jaw and the bench edge with suede or cork-rubber mortised for the Crisscross to match the leg, 457 mm long, 44.5 mm wide and 36.5 mm deep on the centre line (Benchcrafted)

J		1	305	64	64
	the driest hard stock you have (Schwarz) a friction fit, moved with a mallet

K		8	127	16	16
	straight-grained dry oak, pointed like a pencil, waxed not glued trimmed flush both sides

L		4	64	38	4
	a 4 degree point (Schwarz) our drawing: no source gives the number, size or position of the wedges. One is shown per tenon, set to spread it along the grain of the top

Finished sizes, tenons included. Leave yourself length to square the ends, and tick each part as you cut it.

Timber to buy

0 of 31 boards

Scots pine (European redwood), at a yard in the UK or Europe

Section	Buy	In all
CLS 38x89	5 at 3.0 m + 1 spare1 at 2.4 m	20.4 m
50x150 PAR	19 at 3.6 m + 3 spare1 at 2.4 m	81.6 m
A Top strips 38 mm thick, what 50x150 PAR planes to, would buy about 10 % less timber and need three fewer glue lines.
In oak, for the pegs and wedges
27 mm	A short length

At the yard

ABuy early. Construction pine comes in at 15 to 20 percent moisture, so cut it to rough length, stack it and wait (Schwarz).
CLeave out the pith (Schwarz, Myers).
JThe driest stock you can get, Schwarz says. Roubo asks for very stiff, dry oak.
KStraight-grained, fully dry oak. Riven stock follows the grain; sawn dowel only if the grain is dead straight (Schwarz).

Cutting plan

One bar to a board, to scale, marked out from the left with 3 mm for each saw cut and 25 mm over on each length. A part ripped several from one width shows ×2 or ×3. The hatched end is offcut.

CLS 38x89 · Scots pine · 17.4 m

2 × 3.0 m

1 × 3.0 m

1 × 2.4 m

50x150 PAR · Scots pine · 70.8 m

1 × 3.6 m

16 × 3.6 m

1 × 3.6 m

1 × 2.4 m

The sections and the packing are worked out to buy the least timber. The spare boards on the list are not drawn.

Finished 0.29 m³. As bought 0.51 m³. The finished bench weighs about 161 kg.

Add for waste, our judgement15 %0.58 m³

The waste share is for faults found once the boards are opened up. The list buys it as whole spare boards, at the length you buy most of in each section, and the volumes include it. Mass is the finished volume at the species’ tabulated density, joints not taken out, so take it as a guide. Schwarz weighed his own pine bench, before its vises, at 139 kg (307 lb).

Pegs, wedges and keys

8Drawbore peg, 127 x 16 x 16 mm
4Wedge, 64 x 38 x 4 mm

From the hard wood on the timber list, or dowel rod where the list says so. They are not in the timber volumes.

Hardware and fixings

1Benchcrafted Crisscross, Solo or Retro, made from February 2025
2Holdfast to fit a 25 mm hole, about 178 mm reach
1Toothed iron planing-stop hook, forged in one piece (blacksmith-made)
1Leg-vise screw with its nut and handle, wooden or metal

This bar should measure 100 mm. If it does not, the print is not at 1:50; work from the figures.

Finished sizes. The notes to this drawing, with their sources, are on sheet 3.

http://localhost:33953/roubo?y.region=uk

Bench: Roubo
After: A.-J. Roubo, 1769, and C. Schwarz, 2020
Drawn for: a maker 1780 mm tall
Units: mm
Timber: Scots pine (European redwood)
Scale: 1:50
Sheet: 1 of 4
Rev: 0
Date: 2026-10-25

Cutting list

Mark	Part	Qty	Long	Wide	Thick
A	Top strip	18	2438	127	32
	18 strips glued face to face in 3 bundles of up to six, the heart side of each against the bark side of the next; finished size, as it lies in the flattened top. Rough it out bigger: Schwarz crosscuts 51 mm over-long where the boards allow, and the strips here go into the glue-up 13 mm over-wide, which is what his parts list comes to (his text says 1/4 in); flatten and trim after the glue-up; the strips at the planing stop go in as two lengths so the mortise is left as a gap; do not chop it afterwards; glues up to 572 mm; plane the back edge down to 559 mm

B	Long stretcher	2	1524	102	64
	includes two 76 mm bare-faced tenons, 32 mm thick and the full width, shoulder on the outside only; scribe the shoulders from the fitted legs; do not measure them; if glued up from two layers, cut one to the shoulder length and one to the full length, and the longer one forms the tenon

C	Leg	4	804	127	127
	includes the tail and tenon through the top, 3 mm over to plane flush; tail 38 mm, gap 38 mm, tenon 38 mm, rear shoulder 13 mm; solid, or glued up from layers with the heart face of one against the bark face of the next; two pairs, mirror images of each other: the legs on one diagonal are alike, and the other two have their stretcher mortises laid out from the opposite faces; the front leg at the working end carries the vise: bored 67 mm for the screw before assembly, which is Myers' bore for a wooden screw. Bore to suit the screw in hand; the vise leg is also mortised for the Crisscross before assembly, 457 mm long, 44.5 mm wide and 36.5 mm deep on the centre line (Benchcrafted). The front stretcher tenon stands 5 mm into that mortise. Saw that much of the tenon away where it crosses, as Schwarz did; the front leg at the far end has three 25 mm holes for holdfasts, bored square through it from the front, the first 203 mm below the top (Schwarz) and 178 mm between centres. Derived: his drawing scales to about 203 mm between them, closed up here to clear the stretcher joint

D	Short stretcher	2	457	102	64
	includes two 76 mm bare-faced tenons, 32 mm thick and the full width, shoulder on the outside only; scribe the shoulders from the fitted legs; do not measure them; if glued up from two layers, cut one to the shoulder length and one to the full length, and the longer one forms the tenon; tenon ends rabbeted 13 mm by 13 mm to clear the long tenons; or mitre both at 45 degrees

E	Shelf cleat, long	2	1372	32	32
	flush with the bottom edge of the stretcher, glued and screwed (Schwarz); Roubo does not say where it goes

F	Shelf board	6	432	229	32
	run front to back, as Roubo says, "to give them more strength"; leave 2 mm between boards if the stock is dry; fit the last one to the run

G	Shelf filler	2	305	64	32
	closes the pocket between the end legs

H	Shelf cleat, short	2	305	32	32
	flush with the bottom edge of the stretcher, glued and screwed (Schwarz); Roubo does not say where it goes

I	Leg-vise chop	1	826	203	83
	stock is 25 mm over the bench height; fit it, then trim the top flush with the benchtop. It finishes 782 mm; 203 mm wide for the top 305 mm, 140 mm below; the shape of the step is not recorded and is drawn square; line the jaw and the bench edge with suede or cork-rubber; mortised for the Crisscross to match the leg, 457 mm long, 44.5 mm wide and 36.5 mm deep on the centre line (Benchcrafted)

J	Planing stop	1	305	64	64
	the driest hard stock you have (Schwarz); a friction fit, moved with a mallet

K	Drawbore peg	8	127	16	16
	straight-grained dry oak, pointed like a pencil, waxed not glued; trimmed flush both sides

L	Wedge	4	64	38	4
	a 4 degree point (Schwarz); our drawing: no source gives the number, size or position of the wedges. One is shown per tenon, set to spread it along the grain of the top

Finished sizes, in millimetres, tenons included. Leave yourself length to square the ends, and tick each part as you cut it.

Timber to buy

Scots pine (European redwood), at a yard in the UK or Europecarry up to 3.6 m · 3 mm kerf · 25 mm over each length

Section	Buy	In all
CLS 38x89	5 at 3.0 m + 1 spare1 at 2.4 m	20.4 m
50x150 PAR	19 at 3.6 m + 3 spare1 at 2.4 m	81.6 m
In oak, for the pegs and wedges
27 mm	A short length

At the yard

ABuy early. Construction pine comes in at 15 to 20 percent moisture, so cut it to rough length, stack it and wait (Schwarz).
CLeave out the pith (Schwarz, Myers).
JThe driest stock you can get, Schwarz says. Roubo asks for very stiff, dry oak.
KStraight-grained, fully dry oak. Riven stock follows the grain; sawn dowel only if the grain is dead straight (Schwarz).

Cutting plan

One bar to a board, to scale, marked out from the left with 3 mm for each saw cut and 25 mm over on each length. A part ripped several from one width shows ×2 or ×3. The hatched end is offcut.

CLS 38x89 · Scots pine · 17.4 m

2 × 3.0 m

1 × 3.0 m

1 × 2.4 m

50x150 PAR · Scots pine · 70.8 m

1 × 3.6 m

16 × 3.6 m

1 × 3.6 m

1 × 2.4 m

The sections and the packing are worked out to buy the least timber. The spare boards on the list are not drawn.

Finished 0.29 m³. As bought 0.51 m³; with 15 % for waste, our judgement, 0.58 m³. The finished bench weighs about 161 kg.

Pegs, wedges and keys

8Drawbore peg, 127 x 16 x 16 mm
4Wedge, 64 x 38 x 4 mm

From the hard wood on the timber list, or dowel rod where the list says so. They are not in the timber volumes.

Hardware and fixings

1Benchcrafted Crisscross, Solo or Retro, made from February 2025
2Holdfast to fit a 25 mm hole, about 178 mm reach
1Toothed iron planing-stop hook, forged in one piece (blacksmith-made)
1Leg-vise screw with its nut and handle, wooden or metal

Notes and sources

Departures and checks

The long and short stretcher tenons overlap inside each leg, 13 mm by 13 mm. Cut a rabbet that size on one (drawn on the short stretchers), or mitre both ends at 45 degrees.
Benchcrafted cuts the Crisscross mortise 44.5 mm wide and 36.5 mm deep on the centre line of the vise leg. The front stretcher's tenon lies 32 mm behind the face of the leg and runs into the width of the mortise, so it stands 5 mm into it. Saw that piece of the tenon away where it crosses, as Schwarz did on this bench: "You need to remove a little chunk of the tenon. It's not a big deal." It is drawn sawn off.

General notes

1
Note 1. Height. The sources disagree. Roubo: ordinarily two and a half pieds, and never higher than the top of your thighs, or the bench robs you of your strength. Schwarz: stand with your arms relaxed and measure from the floor to where the little finger joins the hand, and stay between 28 and 36 in; a band of about 3 in feels right. Roubo's rule gives the lower bench for most people. The starting value here is derived: 0.45 of your stature, the ratio of Schwarz's own bench to his own height.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
2
Note 2. Working hand. A right-hander planes from right to left, so the stop, the crochet and the vise are at the left end. For a left-hander the whole arrangement is mirrored.
- Christopher Schwarz, Tweaking the Roubo Bench While the Glue Dries, 2006. In Sources
3
Note 3. Length. Roubo gives 6 to 12 pieds and calls 9 pieds the most common. Schwarz prefers 7 to 9 ft, builds at 8 ft, and allows 5 to 6 ft for apartment rooms.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
4
Note 4. Width. Roubo contradicts himself: 20 to 22 pouces where he describes the bench, but 18 to 20 pouces "pour l'ordinaire" a few pages earlier where he lays out the shop. Schwarz builds at 22 in, likes "about 24 in wide, a tad less is fine", finds 18-1/2 in a bit tippy, and warns against going much over 24 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Return of Roubo, 2010. In Sources
5
Note 5. Top thickness. Roubo gives the top as 5 to 6 pouces thick. Schwarz builds at 5 in; his 2005 bench and Benchcrafted's are 4 in, his cherry slab 4-1/2 in, the 2010 bench 4-3/8 in as built, and his countertop bench is 3 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Plate 11 Bench, 2017. In Sources
6
Note 6. Top made from. Roubo's top is one plank of elm or, more commonly, beech, heart side up because that face is harder and any movement crowns the top. The modern top is strips glued face to face. It is steadier at the outset; a slab wants about five years in the shop before it settles.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Plate 11 Bench, 2017. In Sources
7
Note 7. Strip thickness. Schwarz plans on 1-1/4 in from 2x construction timber once it has dried and been flattened; his top is eighteen strips glued in three bundles of six. Benchcrafted gets 1-3/4 in from 8/4 hardwood.
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
8
Note 8. Overhang, left end. Roubo's text gives no figure and his plate, an undimensioned perspective view, only shows that there is an overhang at each end, with the crochet and stop in one of them. Schwarz sets 16 in at each end of an 8 ft top, and shifts the base along if an end vise is planned.
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
9
Note 9. Overhang, right end. Schwarz sets 16 in at each end of an 8 ft top. Roubo gives no figure.
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
10
Note 10. Leg width. Roubo's legs are 6 pouces wide with the wide face to the front, as plate 11 draws them. Schwarz makes his 5 in square; Benchcrafted's are 5-3/8 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
11
Note 11. Leg thickness. Roubo gives 3 to 4 pouces. Schwarz uses 5 in, Benchcrafted 3-1/2 in, and Myers a leg just under 4 by 6 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
12
Note 12. Stretcher thickness. Roubo's rails are 2 pouces thick. Schwarz: "2 in is fine... I shoot for 2-1/2 in". Benchcrafted uses 1-3/4 in and Myers 2 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
13
Note 13. Stretcher width. Roubo says at least 4 pouces. Schwarz uses 4 in (3 in on his 2005 bench); Myers 6-1/2 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
14
Note 14. Stretchers above the floor. Roubo sets the rails 4 to 5 pouces above the foot of the legs. Schwarz uses 4 in, which lets you hook a foot under the front stretcher; his 2010 bench has 3 in.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Return of Roubo, 2010. In Sources
15
Note 15. Shelf. Roubo's bench has a bottom of boards resting on cleats fixed to the rails, the boards run across the width "to give them more strength". He does not say where on the rail the cleat goes; flush with its bottom inside edge is Schwarz and Myers.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
16
Note 16. Leg to top. Roubo joins the legs to the top with a "tenon & enfourchement à queue": a sliding dovetail in the edge of the top and, behind a gap of solid top, a through tenon wedged from above. Schwarz prefers a blind drawbored tenon, because the through joint has "zero practical use" and its end grain has to be planed flush as the top shrinks. Myers calls a single large tenon "more than adequate, and much safer".
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
17
Note 17. Dovetail and tenon layout. No source states a proportion; Myers says the thicknesses "are really up to you". Three builds are documented, and the equal-thirds rule is our arithmetic from them. Roubo says the custom was to leave no shoulder behind the tenon, but recommends one so the top bears on the leg at the back as well as the front and does not sink with age.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Return of Roubo, 2010. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, A.J. Roubo's Sliding-Dovetail-Tenon Joint, 2010. In Sources
- Our arithmetic from the figures cited.
18
Note 18. Drawbore pegs. Every stretcher tenon is drawbored, as Schwarz builds it: the hole in the tenon is bored a little nearer the shoulder than the hole through the leg, so the peg pulls the joint up. Too thin a peg splits; too thick a peg, or one too near the end of the tenon, blows the tenon apart. Roubo's text says only that the rails are "assemblées" and does not say they were drawbored; his plate draws two peg ends at each visible end of the front stretcher. Schwarz draws one, and one is drawn here.
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Return of Roubo, 2010. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
19
Note 19. Leg vise. Roubo describes the leg vise as a cabinetmaker's press that joiners had not taken up: a chop 4 to 5 pouces wide and at least 2 thick, a wooden screw threaded into the leg itself, and a loose block at the foot as thick as the work. There is no parallel guide in his text or plate. The guide and the Crisscross are modern ways of fixing that block. Have the hardware in hand before cutting any wood.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Classic Leg Vise Installation Instructions, 2022. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Assembly and Installation Instructions: Crisscross Solo and Retro, Glide Leg Vise, 2025. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
20
Note 20. Crisscross. Benchcrafted shortened the arms of the Crisscross Solo and Retro in February 2025, from 19 in to 17-1/2 in, and the mortise for them from 19-1/2 in to 18 in. Its width and depth, the inch of wood below it and the room above it for the screw are the same for both. Benchcrafted says to start only once the hardware is in your shop, so measure the arms before you lay out the leg.
- Benchcrafted, Assembly and Installation Instructions: Crisscross Solo and Retro, Glide Leg Vise, 2025. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Classic Leg Vise Installation Instructions, 2022. In Sources
21
Note 21. Vise screw below the top. Schwarz gives the modern norm as 8 in and old benches as 12 to 15 in; his own is 11 in, and about 10 in on his 2010 bench. Roubo gives no figure.
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Return of Roubo, 2010. In Sources
22
Note 22. Planing stop. Roubo: a 3 pouce square mortise 3 pouces from the front edge, dead square with flat walls, and a stop of very dry hard oak at least a pied long with a toothed iron hook. Schwarz makes his 2-1/2 in square and forms the mortise as a gap in the glue-up. The stop hangs below the top, so it has to sit wholly in the overhang, clear of the leg.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
23
Note 23. Holdfast holes. The sources differ. Roubo bores eight or nine: four in a row 8 to 10 pouces from the front edge, the rest on the other side, centred between the first. Schwarz bores three rows on 15 in centres, the back row 3 in from the back edge and each row 7 in forward of the last, spaced for a holdfast with a 7 in reach.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
24
Note 24. Holdfast hole. Roubo's holes are 14 to 16 lignes for shanks of 12 to 15 lignes. Schwarz bores 1 in, "a more traditional size" than the modern commercial 3/4 in, and finds a big holdfast closely fitted to its hole works better.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
25
Note 25. Crochet. Roubo fixes the crochet to the front edge "with screws or strong nails" and says to leave off the iron points some fit to it and make the hook sloped instead. It only restrains a board on edge, so it works with the holdfasts in the legs. Schwarz: you do not need both a crochet and a leg vise. No source read gives its dimensions; the plate shows only that it runs from the end of the top to the leg and is about as deep as the top.
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, première partie, 1769, ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. In Sources
- A.-J. Roubo, L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier, 1769, pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
26
Note 26. Sliding deadman. Plate 11 and its text have no deadman; there, the holes in the front legs do this job. It is period all the same. Schwarz describes Roubo's later "German" bench as having a sliding deadman with a leg vise. It rides a 45 degree ridge on the front stretcher and a groove under the top, its face in the front plane. Schwarz leaves it off his 2020 bench as unnecessary and easy to add later.
- Christopher Schwarz, The Anarchist's Workbench, 2020. In Sources
- Will Myers, Building a Roubo Bench, 2011. In Sources
- Benchcrafted, Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. In Sources
- Christopher Schwarz, Expanded Drawings for the Roubo Bench, 2006. In Sources

Sources cited on these sheets

A.-J. Roubo. L'Art du menuisier, première partie. Paris, 1769. ch. V, sect. III, about pp. 54 to 57, text to pl. 11. https://archive.org/details/gri_33125009321551
Christopher Schwarz. The Anarchist's Workbench. Lost Art Press, 2020. https://blog.lostartpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AWB_Consumer_June-2020_v5.pdf
Christopher Schwarz. Tweaking the Roubo Bench While the Glue Dries. Popular Woodworking blog, 2006. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/workbenches/schwarz-workbenches/tweaking-the-roubo-bench-while-the-glue-dries/
Christopher Schwarz. The Return of Roubo. Popular Woodworking Magazine, August 2010, 2010. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/the-return-of-roubo/
Benchcrafted. Split Top Roubo Workbench: Construction Notes, 2025. https://info.highlandwoodworking.com/library/manuals/benchcrafted/2025_STR_Construction_Notes.pdf
Christopher Schwarz. The Plate 11 Bench. Lost Art Press blog, 2017. https://blog.lostartpress.com/2017/05/04/the-plate-11-bench/
A.-J. Roubo. L'Art du menuisier, plate 11: Vue intérieure de la boutique d'un menuisier. Paris, 1769. pl. 11, figs. 1 to 4. http://blog.lostartpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/plate11_full.jpg
Will Myers. Building a Roubo Bench. Wood and Shop, 2011. https://woodandshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Building-a-Roubo-Bench-Will-Myers.pdf
Christopher Schwarz. A.J. Roubo's Sliding-Dovetail-Tenon Joint. Popular Woodworking blog, 2010. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/a-j-roubos-sliding-dovetail-tenon-joint/
Benchcrafted. Classic Leg Vise Installation Instructions, 2022. https://info.highlandwoodworking.com/library/manuals/benchcrafted/Classic_Leg_Vise_Instructions-Jan22.pdf
Benchcrafted. Assembly and Installation Instructions: Crisscross Solo and Retro, Glide Leg Vise, 2025. https://info.highlandwoodworking.com/library/manuals/benchcrafted/Crisscross_Glide_Instructions_2025.pdf
Christopher Schwarz. Expanded Drawings for the Roubo Bench. Popular Woodworking blog, 2006. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/workbenches/schwarz-workbenches/expanded-drawings-for-the-roubo-bench/

Order of work

Tick each step as you finish it. The letters are the marks of the parts it works on, as on the drawing and the cutting list. The sources are given in full on sheet 3.

1
Have the vise hardware in hand
Get the vise screw and the Crisscross into the shop before you cut the leg, or any other wood, and read the maker's instructions through. Benchcrafted says it is easy to make mistakes if you start the build without the vise in hand. It shortened the Crisscross arms in February 2025, and the mortise is cut to the arms you have. The drawings are for a Crisscross made from February 2025.
CIBenchcrafted, 2025, Crisscross instructions · Benchcrafted, 2025, Construction Notes
2
Gather and dry the stock
Construction timber comes from the yard at 15 to 20 percent moisture. Cut it to rough length, stack it and wait. Rip the strips a little over-wide and crosscut them 2 in (51 mm) over-long.
Benchcrafted says to give any wood at least three days in the shop before you mill it, and longer if you can. Schwarz names no time. He lets construction timber sit until it has settled to the shop.
Leave the pith out of every strip. Schwarz says a board with the pith in it will split, a little or badly, depending on the tree.
AChristopher Schwarz, 2020 · Benchcrafted, 2025
3
Make the top
Glue the strips face to face in bundles of six, heart side against bark side. Flatten each bundle, then glue the bundles together. Form the planing-stop mortise as a gap in the two strips it falls in; do not chop it afterwards.
Leave every glue-up in the clamps overnight. A glue technologist told Schwarz to give yellow pine at least four hours, and overnight was better; unclamped sooner, gaps might open in time. 18 strips make 3 bundles and then the whole top, so 4 glue-ups.
AJChristopher Schwarz, 2020
4
Dress the legs
Plane the legs square and to size, and saw them about an inch over length. If you glue them up from layers, put heart faces against bark faces.
If you glue a leg up from layers, leave it in the clamps overnight, as Schwarz does.
CChristopher Schwarz, 2010 · Christopher Schwarz, 2020
5
Saw the dovetail and tenon on each leg
Cut a test joint first. Lay out tail, gap, tenon and rear shoulder across the leg from its outside face. Mark the dovetail slope on the end grain, on the two outside corners, and square it down to the shoulder. Saw the cheeks across the whole width of the leg and clear the waste between tail and tenon.
CChristopher Schwarz, 2010, The Return of Roubo · Christopher Schwarz, 2010, A.J. Roubo's Sliding-Dovetail-Tenon Joint · Will Myers, 2011
6
Fit the legs to the top
Turn the top upside down. Set each leg flush to the front edge and trace its joint onto the top. Saw and chop the dovetail sockets; bore and chop the mortises from both faces. Fit each leg to its own socket and number them.
ACChristopher Schwarz, 2010 · Will Myers, 2011
7
Lay out and chop the stretcher mortises
With the legs standing in the upturned top, mark the stretcher mortises on them: all four at one height, half the stretcher thick, set in from the outside face by the same amount so the stretchers finish flush. Then chop them, a little deeper than the tenons are long.
CWill Myers, 2011 · Christopher Schwarz, 2020
8
Scribe and fit the stretchers
Do not measure the shoulders. The legs will not stand perfectly square, so hold each stretcher against its pair of legs and scribe the shoulder lines from them. Cut the bare-faced tenons and fit them. Where a long and a short tenon meet inside a leg, rabbet one or mitre both.
BDChristopher Schwarz, 2010 · Will Myers, 2011 · Christopher Schwarz, 2020
9
Bore the drawbores
Bore through each leg and its mortise. Put the tenon in, mark it through the hole, take it out and bore the tenon nearer the shoulder than the mark: 1/8 in (3 mm). The short-stretcher bore sits 7/8 in (22 mm) above the long one so they do not cross.
A peg too thin splits as it is driven. One too thick, or bored too near the end of the tenon, splits the end off the tenon. Schwarz bores about a third of the tenon's length from the shoulder.
CKChristopher Schwarz, 2020 · Christopher Schwarz, 2010
10
Prepare the vise leg
Before assembly, while the leg can still go on the bench, bore it for the vise screw and cut the Crisscross mortise to the maker's instructions: 457 mm long, 44.5 mm wide and 36.5 mm deep on the centre line of the leg. The front stretcher's tenon stands 5 mm into that mortise. Fit the hardware, mark the piece of tenon that is in its way and saw it off, as Schwarz did. Get the vise running smoothly in the leg, then take it off again to assemble the bench.
BCChristopher Schwarz, 2010 · Will Myers, 2011 · Benchcrafted, 2025, Construction Notes · Benchcrafted, 2022 · Benchcrafted, 2025, Crisscross instructions · Christopher Schwarz, 2020
11
Assemble
Dry-fit everything first. Then glue up upside down on sawhorses: the two end frames, each a pair of legs and a short stretcher; then the long stretchers into one end and the other end onto them, pegs only started. Drop the base into the top and only then drive every peg home. Wax the pegs; do not glue them.
ABCDKChristopher Schwarz, 2020 · Christopher Schwarz, 2010
12
Wedge and flush the joints
Drive the wedges into the through tenons so they spread and lock in the widened mortises. Saw the tails, tenons, wedges and pegs off and plane them flush with the top.
The top goes on shrinking for the first few years, and the leg ends stand proud of it again. Expect to plane them flush every few months.
CLA.-J. Roubo, 1769 · Christopher Schwarz, 2010 · Christopher Schwarz, 2020 · Christopher Schwarz, 2017
13
Fit the vise
Fit the chop, the screw and the Crisscross. Once it works, trim the top of the chop flush with the benchtop and line the jaw.
IWill Myers, 2011 · Benchcrafted, 2022 · Christopher Schwarz, 2020
14
Fit the cleats and shelf
Glue and screw the cleats to the inside of the stretchers, flush with their bottom edges. Lay the boards across them front to back, with a 1/16 in (1.6 mm) gap between boards if the stock is dry, and close the pockets between the end legs with the two fillers.
EFGHChristopher Schwarz, 2020 · A.-J. Roubo, 1769
15
Fit the stop and bore the holdfast holes
Fit the planing stop so it moves only under a mallet. Bore the holdfast holes square to the top: bore from above until the lead screw of the bit shows, then finish from below. The holes through the front leg are bored square to its face in the same way. Bore no more than you need; more can come later.
AJChristopher Schwarz, 2020 · A.-J. Roubo, 1769

16
Flatten the top and finish
Flatten the top last. Traverse across the grain with a jack plane, then finish along it with a jointer. It is flat enough when the work does not spring. Wipe on an oil and varnish mix or leave it bare; never polish it.
AChristopher Schwarz, 2020 · Christopher Schwarz, 2010 · Benchcrafted, 2025

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