Introducing the 'Gluebo Workbench'
Last week Megan Fitzpatrick
and I put the finishing touches on her new workbench, which was built using
an ancient French design, 19th-century fasteners and modern materials
(laminated veneer lumber).
We are pleased with the result.
The bench base and top are made of LVL and can be knocked down in minutes
thanks to its nuts-and-bolts fasteners (the leg vise and sliding board jack are maple). The overall workholding and
structure of the bench is ideal for anyone who uses hand tools, power
tools or both in their work – thanks to Andre Roubo's 18th-century
drawings of workbenches.
Lately as I've been sketching
workbenches (and I do sketch a good number of them) I've been
incorporating more dramatic curves into the details. These curves are
still based on traditional proportions (arcs, ogees etc.), but I've
decided I like a good swoop or two on a rectilinear bench. This design
is the first one of my curvy benches to see the light of wood.
The
complete plans for this workbench will be featured in the November 2009
issue of Popular Woodworking magazine, which will go on sale in early
October. We held a little contest for naming the bench, and Megan liked
"Gluebo" the best (which was submitted by Joel Moskowitz, who is one
clever monkey). And while its name won't make it on the cover of the
magazine (we try not to use made-up words) it's what we call the bench
when we accidentally run into it.
— Christopher Schwarz
Read other entries by Christopher Schwarz
Monday, August 17, 2009 1:33:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
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