I’d like to build a woodworking bench, loosely based on the Roubo split top bench. At this point I’ve got a rough idea of what would be involved, but I wanted to gauge the interest at the hive, and determine if this was something that was generally interesting, or just something I wanted. If there’s enough interest, I’ll draw up some more formal plans, make a selection of wood and vises, and present a budget for voting on. Upon completion the bench would become the property of the hive to work on, dance on, or set on fire as the mood strikes. 
The biggest difference between what we currently have at the Hive and what I’d like to do is clamping options. We currently have a single metal vise which isn’t idea of wood working, and only supports smaller pieces. A woodworking bench would offer a variety of clamping options including hold fasts, bench dogs, and a variety of vises to hold the work. Further it would be much heavier than the current assembly table, making it more ideal for using hand planes and other hand tools.
I’d like the place it in the location currently occupied by the plywood assembly table, with that table moving to another location in the hive.
My plans are as follows:
Table:
A roughly 3’x8’x4" split top. The split top would be a laminate of 2x4 boards. There would be a split running down the center that would be removable to allow clamps to be used in the center, but would feature a simple slot tool holder. The split top could also be levered up to work as a holdfast. The legs would be 4x6, tenoned into the top, and flush with at least one side for the installation of a leg clamp. The would be a set of rails on the bottom, to support a basic plywood shelf. Half the shelf space would be taken up by the JET air filter. A future project could add some basic cabinets or these could be purchased.
I’m thinking the material would be southern yellow pine. I like southern yellow pine for this because it’s cheap, and relatively available. I expect this table to be used and abused. It’s possible to make this out of a sturdier hardwood, but I don’t think that will take the abuse much better. It’s also possible to add a 1" hard wood top if the Hive feels this is a good use of resources.
Making it out of a hardwood would probably double or triple the cost, which I don’t feel is worth the expense.
Vises:
These tend to be areas where you can spend as much or as little as you want. I’ve got some idea of what I’d like to do, but I’m open to other opinions and suggestions.
I’d like to install 3 vises:
A leg vise and a sliding dead man - supports long boards, and large pieces on end. This would be installed into one of the legs, using that leg as the other side of the clamp.
~$30 for the hardware to make the screw
Quick Release Front Vise:
Holds work and integrates into a series of bench dog holes cut across the 3’ width.
~$20-150 depending on selection
A larger tail vise:
Would integrate into a series of bench dog holes cut length wise across the 8’ length.
This could be bought, or made from pipe clamps.
$40-300
All the clamps would be faced with maple on both sides.
Accessories:
Iron Hold Fasts: These essentially hammer into the table to hold down the work
~$15-30 per hold fast, probably want 3-4.
Bench dogs: Essentially a stop put into a hole in the table to hold a long piece of wood in a vise.
~$8-$20
Finish:
Boiled Linseed Oil, something simple to allow glue to be scrapped off more easily, and coffee/soda mopped off. I don’t think anything short of 1" of epoxy would stand up to the use and abuse.
Time table:
I estimate this could be a pretty large project, taking a month or two to complete.
And secondly, I’d like to start doing monthly expenditure reports, for how much we are spending each month (not just a bank balance), to keep things in perspective.
