Modern Roubo Woodworking Workbench with crisscross scissor arm leg vise

grabcad

The woodworking workbench I created embodies a modern take on traditional elements. A time-tested method for ensuring parallel vise jaws emerged in mid-19th century American patents and is also mentioned in La Forge Royale catalogs from late 19th to early 20th century Paris. This mechanism consists of two equal-length metal or wooden "arms" joined at the center for pivoting action. The upper ends, also on pivots, attach to the bench leg and chop. As a result, it maintains parallel opening while supporting the vise screw, chop, and its own weight. Its simplicity is what makes this mechanism, now known as the "St. Andrew Cross," so appealing in modern times.