VOUBO Bench
If you've been woodworking for any length of time you've no doubt been exposed to the work of André Jacob Roubo (AJ). AJ penned a few articles on woodworking in the late 1700s, and enjoyed a modicum of notoriety. Most of his odd theories and practices have fallen into disuse, but there persists a small, mostly hirsute, cult following of his work.
About 16 months ago, one of our European customers approached us with a long-lost volume of the work written by an Austrian distaff cousin of AJ's: Guillaume-Robert Vogl. A team of translators has been hard at work deciphering what has now become known in scholarly circles as the "Codex Billy-Bob". As with AJ's modest work, it has become clear that the workbench is central to the advanced techniques espoused by Guillaume-Robert (Billy-Bob) Vogl.
Veritas® is pleased to announce the availability of the "Vertically Oriented Utility Bench Offering" (VOUBO), an innovative and comprehensive workstation for the modern shop.
Image left: Bench can be used flat against the wall or easily pulled out up to 16". Image right: Over 40 SPOTS and 40 dog holes allow flexibility in positioning projects and tools.
The VOUBO virtually eliminates all ergonomic pitfalls of the classic bench design, while making excellent use of scarce shop space. Wall-mounted using a pair of St. Peter’s Crosses, the bench folds flat against the wall when not in use and can be rapidly and easily deployed, sitting a full 16" proud of the mounting surface. The tall bench surface lets you work at whatever height feels most comfortable for the operation you are performing at the time. The main work surface is 49" wide by 26" tall, and incorporates over forty 3/4" dog holes matched by over forty 1" rare-earth magnet SPOTS (Storage Positions On The Surface). At 2" thick, the main slab preserves the legendary stability and ruggedness found in other Veritas benches. Each mounting cross is cast from iron ("arn") and weighs just shy of 13 lb. The bench itself weighs over 60 lb.
Image left: Sawing is more comfortable standing in an upright position. Image right: Shavings naturally fall off the bench and are vacuumed away by the DUST tray.
Compatible with flat bench accessories, the dog hole matrix makes it straightforward to clamp and hold work. You choose the best SPOTS for the tools you're using, and you're set to go. Best of all, as you work, dust, shavings, chips and swarf literally falls away from the bench. There is none of the tedious clean-up associated with flat benches. Shavings fall from your planes, chips no longer clutter your mortises, and critical markings or cut lines are never obscured. An optional DUST tray accessory (described below) makes short work of the detritus from your work.
Image left: Bench is solidly mounted on a pair of St. Peter's Crosses. Image right: Easily add extension wings to increase bench surface area.
The VOUBO has also been designed for easy expansion. Should you require a larger work surface, extension wings can be attached to either end of the main slab, providing additional dog holes and magnetic holding positions. The resulting bench is 72" wide, which makes it 47% wider while only covering 47% more floor area. The additional space means that you can work on many projects at the same time. Each 18 lb wing is crafted from the same sustainably grown maple as the bench.
The video below clearly illustrates the many features and advantages of the bench for common woodworking operations, such as drilling, planning, sawing, and glue-ups.
Image left: DUST - the five blast gates are individually controlled. Image right: DUST is held in place by strong rare-earth magnets.
Also available is a patent-pending Deep Undermount Suction Tray (DUST). The DUST tray is held in place by five strong rare-earth magnets mounted to the lower edge of the bench slab. Five integral blast gates allow for precise control of the suction configuration when connected to any 2-1/2" diameter extraction system. The DUST is guaranteed to collect 98% of the chips and shavings produced during normal woodworking practice. And because the work surface is vertical, gravity (included) naturally keeps your work area clean.
The Veritas VOUBO (Vertically Oriented Utility Bench Offering) is clearly positioned to give the pedestrian ROUBO (Rickety Old Urbane Bulky Obstacle) a serious challenge.