The Roubo Bookstand!

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [WIND BLOWING] [BIRD SQUAWKS] [THUNDER] [CAR ALARM BLARING] WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE, PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

[horns beeping] [banjo twang] [upbeat old-time fiddle music] ♪ HEY.

HELLO AGAIN.

WELCOME BACK TO "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

I'M ROY UNDERHILL.

SO GLAD YOU COULD BE WITH ME AGAIN TODAY BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO TAKE AN ADVENTURE BACK IN TIME TO VISIT A GREAT FRIEND OF OURS, ANDRE ROUBO ANDRE ROUBO AND HIS WONDERFUL LITTLE FOLDING BOOKSTAND.

THIS LITTLE BOOKSTAND THAT'S MADE OUT OF JUST ONE PIECE OF WOOD THAT OPENS UP INTO, OF COURSE, THIS BOOKSTAND.

AND IT WASN'T INVENTED BY ANDRE ROUBO, BUT IT WAS IN HIS BOOK, "L'ART DU MENUISIER."

AND THERE'S ANDRE ROUBO.

HE IS GETTING A LOT OF PRESS THESE DAYS, PEOPLE MAKING ROUBO BENCHES, BECAUSE HE WROTE THESE GREAT BOOKS IN THE 1700s IN FRENCH, AND NOW THEY'RE BECOMING AVAILABLE, AND PEOPLE ARE JUST LEARNING SO MUCH FROM THIS GREAT MASTER OF OUR TRADE.

SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ROUBO'S BOOKSTAND, BUT BEFORE WE DO, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF ROUBO BECAUSE WE CAN FOLLOW HIS STORY ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, HERE.

THIS IS ANOTHER BOOKSTAND.

THIS IS THE ONE AT MONTICELLO.

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ONE, THIS 5-SIDED BOOKSTAND, BUT VERY SIMILAR TO SOME ILLUSTRATED IN ROUBO'S BOOK, BUT ROUBO DIDN'T START OUT AS A WRITER.

HE STARTED OUT REALLY APPRENTICED IN LABORING.

HE WAS DOING THIS KIND OF HARD LABOR, WORKING IN THE JOINER SHOPS, WORKING, DOING CARPENTRY.

BUT THROUGH LUCK AND DETERMINATION, HE MADE A HABIT OF POCKETING CANDLES, YOU KNOW, AND USING THEM AT NIGHT TO READ OLD, USED BOOKS THAT HE'D BUY IN PARIS IN THE 1700s.

AND BY THE TIME HE WAS A LITTLE BIT OLDER, HE HAD STUDIED, HE HAD WRITTEN THIS GREAT BOOK, "L'ART DU MENUISIER," THE ART OF THE JOINER, AND JUST A GREAT RESOURCE FOR US 'CAUSE IT HAS ALL THESE WONDERFUL INSIGHTS INTO THE 19th-CENTURY WAY OF WORKING.

THIS FAMOUS PICTURE OF THE SHOP HERE WITH ALL THE BENCHES AND THE GUYS WORKING THERE, ALL AT THEIR BENCHES.

IT'S JUST GREAT INSIGHT, BUT I TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IS THIS RIGHT HERE, OF COURSE, HIS PLATE ON MAKING THE BOOKSTAND, AND I GOT TO SAY THIS GUY, ROUBO, ANDRE ROUBO, HIS DRAWINGS, HE'S A LIKE A MOZART OF TECHNICAL DRAWING.

ADD ONE LINE AND IT'S TOO MUCH.

TAKE AWAY ONE AND IT IS DIMINISHED.

SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A PATH THROUGH ANDRE ROUBO'S WORK, SO HERE WE ARE.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS THING AGAIN.

IT'S A KNUCKLE JOINT THAT WE CARVE INTO A PIECE OF WOOD.

WE CARVE THE KNUCKLES FIRST, THAN WE SAW DOWN THROUGH IT AND SLICE IT APART FROM BOTH SIDES.

SO WE SAW DOWN, AND THAT LEAVES THIS WONDERFUL LITTLE KNUCKLE JOINT PORT.

SO FIRST STEP WE'RE GONNA DO, WE'LL LAY OUT THAT KNUCKLE JOINT AND THEN CUT SLOTS THROUGH, AND THEN WE'LL CHISEL THE KNUCKLES, AND THEN WE'LL SAW IT APART.

SO WE GOT A LOT TO DO.

WE GOT TO GET STARTED.

ALL RIGHT, SO HOW CAN I DO THIS?

WELL, I CRANK MY BENCH WAY OUT HERE.

LET ME GO AHEAD AND JUST LAY THIS OUT ON THIS PIECE RIGHT HERE.

WE'LL DO IT LIKE THIS.

SO WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT THE ROUND KNUCKLE OF THAT JOINT RIGHT THERE.

AND I'M GONNA COME UP ABOUT 6 INCHES.

I'LL MEASURE.

THE WOOD IS ABOUT AN INCH THICK.

I'M WORKING WITH THE... [SPEAKS FRENCH PHRASE], THE BEAUTIFUL WOOD OF THE WALNUT, AS HE CALLED IT.

SO I'VE GOT ABOUT 6 INCHES UP.

IT'S AN INCH THICK.

LET ME TELL YOU HERE.

IT'S 17 INCHES LONG, AND LET'S SEE HOW BROAD HERE JUST SO YOU'LL HAVE SOMETHING TO GO ON.

ABOUT 8 INCHES BROAD.

BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER.

YOU MAKE IT ANYWAY YOU WANT.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE'LL SQUARE ACROSS NOW.

TAKE A TRISQUARE, SQUARE ACROSS THE PIECE.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THEN MARK THE CENTER, SO TAKE A MARKING GAUGE HERE WITH A KNIFE ON IT, A LITTLE CUTTER THERE, AND I'LL SET THAT TO WHAT I THINK IS THE CENTER.

AND BECAUSE I DON'T TAKE CARE TO PLANE THIS THING DOWN TO EXACTLY ONE INCH THICK, ONE EVEN THICKNESS, I'LL MAKE 2 LINES DOWN, AND WE'LL KNOW THAT THE CENTER OF THE LINE IS WHERE WE WANT TO CUT, SO WE'LL HAVE THAT CENTER LINE RIGHT THERE SCRIBED DOWN, AND THERE'S THE BOTTOM OF OUR CIRCLE, SO NOW WE'RE GONNA PUT THE CIRCLE RIGHT HERE, RIGHT IN THERE, ALL RIGHT.

SO TAKE OUR COMPASS.

I HAVE ONE WITH A PENCIL IN IT.

AND SET IT TO THE-- HALF THE THICKNESS OF THE WOOD, SO TO A HALF INCH, WHICH SPIT IT ON THERE.

SO RUN IT LIKE THAT.

ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS GREAT.

NOW, WE CAN DO THESE WITH FLAT HINGES, AND I'VE DONE THAT A LOT BEFORE.

BUT WE'RE GONNA HONOR ROUBO BY DOING IT THE WAY HE DOES IT WITH THIS LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT ROUND HINGE HERE, SO A KNUCKLE JOINT.

KIND OF--THIS IS USED, I GUESS, IN THE LEAVES, BUT IT ALWAYS--LEAVES OF TABLES, YOU KNOW?

YOU HAVE THE LEGS THAT FOLD OUT.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT A CIRCLE ON THERE NOW, A NICE CIRCLE.

WE'LL NOW SQUARE ACROSS AGAIN A COUPLE OF TIMES.

THE SUPPORTS FOR A TABLE WILL DO THAT, A KNUCKLE JOINT, BUT USE SEVERAL PIECES OF WOOD, THEN WE'LL DRAW A LINE DOWN THE CENTER, SO WE HAVE A LINE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CIRCLE, A LINE AT THE TOP, AND ONE LINE RIGHT THROUGH THE CENTER OF IT.

SO WE HAVE OUR CIRCLE AND 3 LINES.

NOW WE'RE GONNA BRING ALL 3 OF THOSE LINES ACROSS BOTH FACES.

SO I'LL DO ONE FACE HERE, 'CAUSE ONCE YOU DO ONE, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME ON THE OTHER SIDE.

AT LEAST IT OUGHT TO BE.

THAT'S FUNNY.

ANDRE ROUBO, WHEN YOU READ HIS STUFF, IT, OF COURSE, IT'S IN FRENCH, YOU GET A SENSE OF A GUY WHO WAS LIKE REAL BUSY AND HIS BRAIN WAS JUST WORKING OVERTIME BECAUSE OFTEN YOU'RE READING ALONG, AND THE FIRST THING YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW HE TELLS YOU LAST.

FOR EXAMPLE, HE ALWAYS SAYS THAT THESE BOOKSTANDS ARE NEVER MADE SINGLY, THEY'RE ALWAYS MADE 2 AT A TIME.

[SPEAKS FRENCH] YOU TAKE A PIECE OF WOOD LIKE THIS, LONG, CUT A SLOT IN IT SO THAT YOU CAN GET A BOW SAW DOWN IN THERE.

I'LL USE--AND THEN SEPARATE THE 2 PIECES THERE TO MAKE 2 BOOKSTANDS AT AT TIME, 'CAUSE OTHERWISE YOU'LL HAVE THE... [SPEAKS FRENCH] THE GREAT LOSS OF WOOD THAT WOULD HAPPEN HERE IF YOU JUST CUT OFF A LENGTH AND JUST SAWED OFF A PLACARD.

THAT'S HOW YOU SAVE IT.

SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF HIS THRIFT FROM WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG GUY IN PARIS TRYING TO MAKE IT ON HIS OWN.

SO HERE WE GO.

NOW WE'VE GOT TO PACE OFF-- SO WE'VE GOT OUR 3 LINES.

WE WANT TO PACE OFF AN ODD NUMBER.

THAT'S ALL THE BETTER.

COULD BE 5, 7, WHATEVER, 3.

WE WANT TO END ON THE SAME ONE, SO WE HAVE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 STEPS THAT WILL GO ACROSS, SO I WOULD PACE THIS OFF ON THE MIDDLE LINE.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

ALL RIGHT, NOW I NEED TO ADJUST IT OUT NOW.

I CAME SHORT.

SO I ADJUST IT OUTWARD 1/7 OF THAT DISTANCE, AND WE'LL TRY IT AGAIN.

I'LL JUST DO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

GOT IT.

OK.

SO WE PACED ACROSS 7, NOW WE KNOW OUR 7 KNUCKLES.

NOW, ONE CRITICAL THING ROUBO DOESN'T SAY, YOU WANT TO HAVE THIS SHORT LITTLE LIP HERE, THIS IS THE ONE THAT'S GONNA HOLD THE BOOK, MAKE IT THE CONTINUOUS ONE.

DO YOU SEE HOW THIS BACK HERE IS INTERRUPTED, SO HERE WE HAVE WOOD GOING ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

THE REASON FOR THAT IS YOU SEE HOW SHORT THIS SECTION IS RIGHT HERE, AND IF WE MADE IT THE INTERRUPTED ONE, WE'D HAVE ONLY THAT MUCH WOOD AS STRAIGHT THAT COULD SPLIT.

HERE BY CHOOSING THIS ONE TO BE INTERRUPTED, AND YOU SEE THE SHOULDER I'M TALKING ABOUT, THIS IS A MUCH LONGER SECTION TO HAVE TO SPLIT THERE.

SO THERE YOU GO.

THERE'S OUR ROUBO LAYOUT.

NOW WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?

WE'LL WE'RE GOING TO START SEPARATING THE KNUCKLES, AND LAYING THIS OUT IS--YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS YOU CAN DO IT.

YOU CAN DO IT WITH MEASURED PRECISION.

I'M GOING TO DO IT WITH-- HERE.

I'M GONNA SET IT IN THE VICE HERE.

I'VE GOT THIS FRONT VICE.

IT'S BIG ENOUGH THAT I CAN DO THIS HERE.

YOU WANT TO LAY THIS OUT BY DRILLING THROUGH.

I'M GONNA ACTUALLY DRILL THROUGH HERE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT KNUCKLE COME OUT EXACTLY ON THE OTHER SIDE.

NOW, THERE ARE WAYS TO DO THAT.

YOU CAN RUN A GAUGE THIS WAY AND A GAUGE THAT WAY, BUT THEN YOU GOT TO HIT 'EM.

IF WE DRILL...YOU KNOW, THEN YOU HAVE A LINE.

YOU STILL DON'T HAVE A MECHANICAL CONNECTION THROUGH.

SO INSTEAD, I'M GOING TO SET MY DRILL RIGHT ON HERE, AT THAT POINT, THAT SEVENTH POINT.

DRILL DOWN.

CLEAR IT A LITTLE BIT.

KEEP DRILLING DOWN.

TRY AND HOLD THE DRILL REAL SQUARE.

DON' LET IT TILT TO THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT, AND THAT WAY WHEN IT COMES THROUGH ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU KNOW EXACTLY, MECHANICALLY WHERE THAT KNUCKLE'S GONNA BE.

SO HERE.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING.

WE'RE CUTTING THE SLOTS BETWEEN THE KNUCKLES BY DRILLING THE HOLE FIRST AND NOW SAWING.

WE'LL GO TO A SAW.

AND WE HAVE A SAW THAT WILL DO THIS.

WELL, YOU PROBABLY DO.

IN FACT, IT'S A HACKSAW BLADE.

IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST THING TO DO.

I HAVE A COUPLE OF HACKSAW BLADES MOUNTED IN WHAT ARE CALLED PAD SAWS.

HERE'S 2 OF THEM.

HERE'S AN OLD ONE, AND HERE'S A RELATIVELY NEW ONE.

THESE ARE PAD SAWS.

THEY'RE LIKE KEYHOLE SAWS.

USUALLY USED IN THE BRITISH TRADITION.

YOU CAN SEE IT HAS A SLOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH SO A LONG BLADE CAN BE EXPOSED TO WHATEVER DEGREE YOU WANT.

NOW I'VE PUT A SNAPPED-OFF HACKSAW BLADE IN THERE WITH THE TEETH HOOKING BACKWARDS SO THIS CUTS ON A PULL STROKE, LIKE A COPING SAW.

SO WE CAN SET THAT RIGHT IN THAT HOLE HERE.

SEE THAT LITTLE HOLE.

VERY SMALL.

TINY LITTLE HOLE.

1/16 OF AN INCH.

EENSY-WEENSY HOLE.

NO WIDER THAN THE BLADE HERE, AND STICK IT IN AND PULL IT OUT.

STICK IT IN, PULL IT OUT.

SO WE STICK AND PULL.

STICK AND PULL.

AND BY HAVING THAT TOP END OF THE BLADE GO INTO THE HOLE.

UH!

RAN AWAY FROM ME.

GO INTO THE HOLE.

IT IS GUIDED ALL THE WAY THROUGH THAT HOLE TO THE OTHER SIDE.

AND YOU CAN SEE VERY QUICKLY HOW I'VE MADE PROGRESS.

WE'RE DOWN ABOUT A QUARTER INCH.

SO WE'VE GOT ANOTHER 3/4 OF AN INCH TO GO.

BUT REAL FAST, WORKING IT BACK.

SO THIS IS WAY TO DO THAT.

IT TOOK A WHILE TO FIGURE THIS OUT.

WE WANT THESE CUTS TO BE VERY PRECISE AND AS THIN AS POSSIBLE, BUT ALSO GOING THROUGH THE WOOD AT A RIGHT ANGLE.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE DO THAT.

WE WORK THAT DOWNWARD TO THE SECOND LINE-- WELL, ACTUALLY, JUST GET IT TO WHERE IT GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH, AND THEN YOU CAN START WITH A SAW LIKE THIS.

THIS IS A LARGER KEYHOLE SAW.

AND IF YOU GET THAT DOWN IN THERE TO COME THROUGH THE OTHER SIDE-- HERE'S ON THAT'S ALL THE WAY THROUGH ALREADY.

OK. WORK THAT DOWN IN THERE AND JUST SAW ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

SO THERE'S THE KEY.

JUST GET THAT SAW BETWEEN EACH OF THOSE KNUCKLES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THERE.

YOU SEE THERE-- GOT A FAIR HEIGHT.

THERE YOU GO.

SO NOW WE'VE GOT THAT COMING OUT.

SO WE WORK THAT ALONG.

NOW WE'RE READY TO START CHOPPING 'EM OUT.

AND WE MAKE SURE TO MARK WITH A WHITE PENCIL EACH OF THESE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA CHOP OUT.

SO...I THINK WE'RE READY TO GO.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, WE CAN PUT THIS ON...HERE.

I'M GONNA SET THIS ON THE END VICE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING ROUBO WROTE ABOUT--WORK BENCHES--GREATLY.

'CAUSE YOU SAW THOSE ROUBO BENCHES AS THEY'RE CALLED.

THEY ARE...LET'S SEE.

WE'LL DO THIS ONE RIGHT HERE.

THE ROUBO BENCH IS A SINGLE MASSIVE PLANK OF WOOD WITH CROCHET, THESE HOOKS, AND HOLDFAST, THE VALET.

HERE WE HAVE A VICE, A SCREW VICE ON THE END OF OUR BENCH.

SO THAT IS THE [SPEAKS FRENCH].

THAT'S THE GERMAN BENCH THAT WE'RE SO FAMILIAR WITH RIGHT NOW.

SO THEY GOT EVERYTHING?

OK.

THIS BENCH, I NEED TO TAP THE DOGS DOWN.

'CAUSE YOU WANT TO HAVE THIS DEAD FLAT ON THE WOOD MOUNT.

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE, 'CAUSE IT'S VERY EASY TO CRACK THIS.

WE'RE GONNA PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE INTO THIS WITH OUR CHISEL, SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S DEAD FLAT, THERE'S NO HOLLOWS UNDERNEATH, AND ALSO MAKE SURE YOU'RE STARTING IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE I AM.

SO I'LL TAKE A BROAD CHISEL... SET IT ON THE LINE... AND TAP IT IN.

AND I'VE GOT TO LEAVE JUST A LITTLE CLEARANCE.

OK.

SO THERE'S OUR FIRST CUT.

SO WE WORK LIKE THIS, CUTTING DOWN, ALTERNATING DOWN CUTS ON THE LINE WITH SLOPING CUTS COMING THIS WAY.

YOU DON'T WANT TO TOUCH OUR CIRCLE AT ALL.

SO JUST CUTTING A--MAKING ALMOST LIKE A HEXAGON FIRST.

SEE, THAT TOUCHED THAT.

ALMOST TOUCHED THAT CIRCLE.

YEAH.

HERE WE GO.

MAKE IT LIKE A HEXAGON.

WOO!

ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL WORK ON OUR WAY DOWN.

SO.

AND THIS BROAD CHISEL PUTS A LOT OF IMPACT INTO IT, SO I'M GONNA TRADE OUT FOR A SMALLER CHISEL NOW AS WE GET A LITTLE DEEPER.

DO I HAVE AN EVEN--YEAH, HERE'S AN EVEN SMALLER ONE.

SO IT'S HALF THAT WIDTH SO I WON'T HAVE TO DRIVE IT QUITE SO HARD TO MOVE IT DOWN.

NOW, ONCE THEY START GETTING DOWN INSIDE THERE, YOU SEE HERE I'VE GOT THE SIDE THERE, AND I'VE GOT KIND OF A TRIANGULAR CUT.

I'M GONNA START MAKING THAT STAKE DOWN, AND THEN FINISHING UP WITH A PARING CHISEL.

SO TAKE A PARING CHISEL, A VERY, VERY FINE PARING CHISEL... AND BRING THAT AROUND.

SO THIS MAKES JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE ROOM.

THIS THING IS SO THIN.

LOOK HOW THIN THIS CHISEL IS COMPARED TO OUR FIRMER CHISEL.

SEE, HERE'S THE FIRMER RIGHT THERE.

THIS IS THE PARING CHISEL.

VERY THIN.

YOU'D NEVER HIT THAT WITH A MALLET.

IN FACT I THINK THIS THING WE CALL THE FIRMER CHISEL COMES FROM THE FERMOIR.

THERE'S A FRENCH CHISEL.

IT HAS IRON DOWN THE MIDDLE THAT MADE IT-- I'M SORRY.

THE STEEL DOWN THE MIDDLE AND IRON ON EITHER SIDE CALLED A FERMOIR.

AND IT WAS STRONG, AND I THINK THAT BECAME WHAT WE CALL THE FIRMER CHISEL.

THAT'S MY THEORY.

WE OWE A LOT TO OUR FRIENDS.

HA HA.

OK. WELL, LET'S DO THE NEXT ONE HERE.

ALL RIGHT, SO YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW THESE ALTERNATE.

SO NOW WE MOVE ALONG AND STRIKE IN ANOTHER ONE.

WE TURN THIS RIGHT AND LEFT IF WE WANT TO SO THAT WE'RE ALWAYS COMING AT THE SAME ANGLE, BUT THIS ALSO WORKS.

GET IT DOWN IN THERE.

YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF IMPACT.

A LOT OF IMPACT.

OK.

SO AGAIN, NOW HERE I WANT TO SWING IT AROUND BUT WORK DOWN AGAIN WITH THE FIRMER CHISEL.

SO WE KEEP WORKING OUR WAY ACROSS UNTIL WE'VE GOT WHAT LOOKS LIKE A BARREL GOING DOWN THE LENGTH OF BOTH SIDES.

SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S KIND OF A CYLINDER DOWN BURIED IN THE WOOD.

WE LOOK DOWN BOTH SIDES, AND WE WANT TO SEE KIND OF A CYLINDER DOWN THE LENGTH OF IT.

THAT TELLS US WE'VE GOT TO CUT ALL THE WAY DOWN UNTIL WE'RE ALMOST TO THE LINE RIGHT THERE, ALL RIGHT, ALMOST TO THE CENTER LINE.

NOW, WE'RE READY TO START THE SAWING.

NOW, I'VE LEFT OUT THE BIG PART WHICH YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT WHICH IS, HOLY COW, YOU'VE GOT TO HAND RIP THROUGH 8 INCHES OF WALNUT.

EASY.

YOU CAN DO IT.

YOU WANT TO HELP YOURSELF OUT, THOUGH, AFTER YOU'RE RIPPED THESE PIECES OUT, THOUGH.

AFTER YOU'RE RIPPED THESE PIECES OUT.

I'VE ALREADY SAWN THIS ONE HERE.

THE LOWER PART, I'VE STARTED ON IT, BUT WHEN I STARTED, I TOOK OUT THIS PART RIGHT HERE, THE LITTLE OGEE.

THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THE NICE PART OF THE STAND, SO WE HAVE THAT OGEE FOOT.

THAT'S WHAT THIS S-SHAPED-- LET ME GET THIS AROUND HERE.

THIS S-SHAPED CURVE IS CALLED THE OGEE.

SO WE'VE GOT TO LAY IT OUT, AND I THINK--HERE.

OK, THIS ONE RIGHT HERE.

AND A PLACE WHERE WE CAN LAY OUT THE OGEE.

CLASSIC STUFF HERE.

SO HERE'S THE BOTTOM.

WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT THE OGEE.

I'LL PUT THIS RIGHT BESIDE IT.

WE'LL TAKE A SQUARE AND START WITH A RIGHT ANGLE.

WE CENTER IT HERE BY-- WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S EQUAL-- BY CROSSING THE 4 AND THE 4 ON THE END HERE, SO WE'VE GOT A 90-DEGREE INTERSECTION OF LINES COMING IN.

ON THOSE LINES, WE'RE THEN GOING TO MAKE OUR... WHAT SHALL WE CALL IT?

OUR OGEE BY TAKING THE COMPASS.

YOU HAVE TO USE A WHITE PENCIL IN WALNUT.

AND SET THE COMPASS FOP HALF OF THE DISTANCE OF ONE LEG.

SO HERE'S THE OTHER HALF OF THAT LEG.

SO WE'VE GOT 1 LEG COMING UP HERE.

NOW WE'LL--WE'VE GOT IT SET FOR HALF THE DISTANCE.

WE'LL SET IT LIKE THIS AND WORK IT DOWN, DO AN ARC... FROM ONE END OF THAT HALF LINE, THEN ANOTHER ARC FROM THE CENTER, AND THAT WILL FIND AN INTERSECTION, SO IT'S ERECTED BASICALLY AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE RIGHT THERE.

WE THEN TAKE THE COMPASS, RESET IT RIGHT HERE, AND SLIDE THAT AROUND.

WE DO THIS TWICE.

YOU'LL SEE WE HAVE ONE DOWN HERE THAT WE'VE ALSO DONE.

WE HAVE TO HAVE A LITTLE BLOCK OF WOOD OFF THE END OF THIS PIECE HERE, AND THAT LAYS OUT OUR OGEE.

WE THEN CUT IT OUT WITH A COPING SAW, AND IT JUST TAKES A SECOND THERE, AND NOW WE HAVE GOT A PIECE TO WORK WITH.

ALL RIGHT, SO LET'S MOVE ON.

OH, HEY, I WAS EXCITED THERE BECAUSE THAT STARTED TO LOOK LIKE A DOME, AND I FORGOT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STORIES ABOUT OUR FRIEND ANDRE ROUBO.

HE WAS VERY FAMOUS FOR HIS BOOK BUT WHAT REALLY SEALS HIS REPUTATION WAS THIS THING HERE.

HE WAS THE GUY WHO SAVED THE DAY.

THE PARIS WHEAT EXCHANGE, SOMEBODY WHEN THEY BUILT IT THOUGHT, "WHAT A GREAT IDEA.

LET'S MAKE IT LIKE A DONUT."

SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE A ROOF.

WELL, ANDRE ROUBO LOOKED THROUGH HIS OLD BOOKS, AND HE FOUND A WAY TO MAKE A GIANT TIMBER DOME, AND HE BUILT THIS THING.

IT BECAME A HUGE TOURIST ATTRACTION.

IN FACT, IT'S WHERE THOMAS JEFFERSON USED TO GO TO MEET HIS GIRLFRIEND, MARIA COSWAY, AND WHEN JEFFERSON CAME BACK TO AMERICA, HE TORE DOWN THE OLD MONTICELLO AND REBUILT IT, REBUILT THE ONE WE KNOW WITH THE DOME ON TOP, SO YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

WITHOUT ANDRE ROUBO, THE BACK OF THE AMERICAN NICKEL WOULD BE BLANK.

WE OWE THIS GUY A LOT.

SO LET'S CARRY ON NOW.

WE HAVE TO SAW THAT PIECE DOWN, AND I HAVE GOT ONE ALMOST SAWN.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY SEE HOW THIS OPENING WORKS.

AND WE'VE GOT JUST ABOUT ENOUGH TIME TO DO IT, SO I'M GONNA CRANK IT UP HERE.

NOW, RIPPING DOWN, RIPPING DOWN 8 INCHES THICK WALNUT.

YOU CAN DO IT.

SHARPEN A HAND RIP SAW.

THE THING IS TO LET THE SAW DO THE WORK.

WE HEAR THAT ALL THE TIME, AND ALL IT MEANS IS YOU DON'T FORCE THE THING.

DON' FORCE THE SAW, AND IT WILL WORK.

SO WE WORK THIS DOWN.

IF YOU FORCE IT, YOU'LL START TO GET A CONCAVITY DEVELOPING THAT'S GONNA MAKE YOU UNHAPPY.

AND IT'LL GET VERY HARD.

THE SAW WILL BOW INSIDE THE WOOD.

SO I'M SAWING DOWN WITH A REGULAR AMERICAN-STYLE HANDSAW.

WHAT ROUBO'S FOLKS WOULD HAVE USED IS A BIT DIFFERENT.

AND I'LL SHOW YOU THAT ONE.

A LITTLE DIFFERENT RIP SAW.

IT'S A BOW SAW, AND I LOVE THIS THING.

IT HAS MUCH LESS TENDENCY TO CURVE IN THE CURVE, SO WE DON'T GET A SCALLOPED CUT.

AH.

CUTTING ON THE BACK STROKE.

I WANT TO CUT ON THE PUSH STROKE HERE.

HUH.

AH.

I SAW SAWDUST COMING OUT THE FAR SIDE.

THAT'S A GOOD SIGN BUT NOT IF I WENT TOO FAR.

SO IF I HAVE MADE MY CUT DOWN JUST RIGHT... ALL RIGHT, I THINK IT'S TIME TO GO FLAT NOW.

SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS GO FLAT ON THE BENCH TOP AND SAW ACROSS.

YOU KNOW, I TELL YOU, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU SAW THIS.

IT SHOULD CUT RIGHT DOWN THE CENTER, BUT IN THIS CASE, WITH THAT KNUCKLE THERE IN THE MIDDLE, IT IS NOT THE SAWING THAT'S NEARLY AS IMPORTANT AS IS THE STOPPING THE SAW WHEN WE COME TO THE KNUCKLE.

OOP!

GOSH!

I'VE OPENED IT UP.

HOLY COW!

I'M THERE ALREADY.

WHAT I WAS GONNA DO WAS SET THIS DOWN... AND HOLD IT BETWEEN MY DOGS AND THEN WORK THE SAW LIKE THIS.

WORK THE SAW SO I COULD SEE THE TEETH COMING OUT, BUT IT'S ALREADY OPEN.

LOOKS LIKE I'M ALREADY THERE.

OH, THE SPIRIT OF ROUBO IS WITH US.

SO I WILL TAKE NOW A KNIFE AND JUST CUT DOWN HERE JUST TO MAKE SURE TO GET A KNIFE DOWN IN THAT GROOVE, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ALL THE WAY ACROSS, AND IT SHOULD, AS I SAY, OPEN BY ITSELF.

NOW, SOMETIMES IT'LL HANG UP.

YOU HAVEN'T GOT ONE OF THESE AROUND.

IT'S VERY HARD TO GET IT OPEN.

BUT I'VE GOT A FEELING HERE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOMETHING HAPPEN, SO THERE IT IS.

OK. LOOK AT THIS.

NOW HERE WE GO.

WE'VE SAWED FROM BOTH SIDES.

AND IT IS OPENING UP FOR THE VERY FIRST--AH, THERE IT IS.

JUST BE CAREFUL.

THINK OF FRANCE, AND IT OPENS RIGHT THE HECK UP.

LOOK AT THAT.

SO I'VE GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL KNUCKLE JOINT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THERE.

WE'LL GO DOWN AND SMOOTH THAT UP.

WE CAN SMOOTH THAT UP WITH A SHOULDER PLANE ACROSS THE GRAIN.

SO THERE'S JUST LOTS WE CAN DO.

SO YOU CAN CARVE THIS THING.

WE'LL PLANE THIS PART FLAT NOW THAT'S IT'S OPEN.

YEP.

AND LOOK AT THE TOP END HERE.

SO LET'S GET THIS THING FINISHED UP, YOU KNOW.

HERE'S THE TOP END.

IT'S ANOTHER OGEE.

2 OGEES COMING IN ON A SLOPED LINE.

ONE COMING THIS WAY, ONE COMING THIS WAY GOING DOWN INTO A CUT, SO A VERY EASY THING TO LAY OUT.

WE'LL THEN CUT A LITTLE SHOULDER HERE WITH A, UH... WELL, A SHOULDER PLANE.

JUST CUT A LITTLE SHOULDER, AND THEN USE A HALF-ROUND ACROSS RIGHT HERE.

SO HERE'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

I'VE GOT THE PLANES RIGHT HERE.

SO NICE WHEN THAT WORKS.

THAT CAME OUT OPEN JUST GREAT THERE.

SO WE'LL START WITH THIS PLANE, AND BRING DOWN A LITTLE SHOULDER THERE, BRING DOWN A SHOULDER, AND THEN COME DOWN WITH THIS PLANE HERE, SO THIS IS THE PLANE THAT CUTS ACROSS THE GRAIN.

THIS HOLLOW, AND YOU SEE THIS HOLLOW.

NOW, WE'RE CUTTING ACROSS THE GRAIN ON THIS, SO YOU THINK THIS WOULD BE VERY, VERY ROUGH, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE IRON IN THIS PLANE, DO YOU SEE HOW IT'S NOT ONLY CONCAVE, IT'S VERY SLIGHTLY SKEWED.

IT'S NOT SQUARE ACROSS.

IN THESE SMALL ONE A LITTLE HARD TO SEE, BUT THAT SKEWED IRON MAKES A BEAUTIFUL SHAVING ACROSS, SO THAT'LL GIVE US OUR FINISHED PIECE THERE, SO THAT'S ANDRE ROUBO'S BOOKSTAND.

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GUY?

THERE'S KIND OF A NEAT BOOKEND TO HIS STORY 'CAUSE BOOKS REALLY BOOKENDED THE GUY'S LIFE.

HE WAS OF COURSE A VERY SUCCESSFUL HIGH-END FURNITURE MAKER.

HE MADE THE COMMODES FOR MARIE ANTOINETTE.

SO QUITE A GUY.

COME THE REVOLUTION, THOUGH, NOBODY WAS BUYING HIGH-END FURNITURE.

NEVERTHELESS, ROUBO STANDS WITH THE PEOPLE, AND COME THE FIRST FEDERATION DAY, THAT FIRST BASTILLE DAY, HE'S OUT THERE IN THE CROWD.

HE'S A LIEUTENANT IN THE FRENCH NATIONAL GUARD, AND UP ON THE ALTAR OF THE NATION, IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT IS THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE NOW BACK IN FRANCE, FIGHTING FOR LIBERTY, AND LOOK IS HOLDING THE BIBLE DOWN THERE-- ROUBO'S BOOKSTAND OUT THERE IN THE CROWD.

SO HE LOOKS UP AND SEES HIS OWN WORK ON THE STAGE.

WELL, THERE YOU GO.

ANDRE ROUBO'S FOLDING BOOKSTAND.

THANKS FOR JOINING ME.

THIS IS ROY UNDERHILL HERE IN THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

SO LONG.

Announcer: LEARN MORE ABOUT "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING ON OUR WEBSITE.

YOU CAN FIND US ONLINE AT PBS.ORG.

CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY FRIENDS OF NCI ♪ MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [WIND BLOWING] [BIRD SQUAWKS] [THUNDER] [CAR ALARM BLARING] WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE, PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

ROY UNDERHILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S GUIDE: WORKING WOOD WITH WEDGE AND EDGE," AS WELL AS OTHER BOOKS ON TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, ALL PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS AND AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.

ALL PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS AND AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.