wood for workbench

[Mark Tsujihara]

Hello all,

I am planning my first "real" workbench to replace the old bench my father-in-law made in the garage. I am selecting the materials and am looking for your thoughts on the wood.

My local hardwood dealers have 8/4 hard maple around $6/bf, and 8/4 red oak around $4.16/bf. One of them seems to have a pretty good deal on rough 8/4 ash for $3.15/bf.

I am leaning towards the ash. I took a look at his stock and despite being rough it seems pretty good, not a lot of twist with very small checking.

I have not worked with ash before. Is this a good price, and should I just stop agonizing about it and buy the darn stuff? How is it to work with?

Thanks,

Mark

[Douglas Brummett]

$3 per bf seems a bit high for rough ash. I used rough poplar on my bench that was about $1/bf, but if I recall ash s2s goes for $2.50-3.50 at my local yard. That yard doesn't stock rough lumber and most of their stuff is very good, so they are actually high on pricing from what I have heard. There is a difference between rough 8/4 and s2s 8/4. If it is rough it will likely only yield 1-5/8 to 1-7/8 finished thickness once cleaned up. When I get 8/4 s2s it is usually over 2in and mostly straight/clear.

After just completing a bench project, I would likely pay a bit more for better lumber. It will save time and headaches during the build.

[Jamie Buxton]

Ash will work just fine for a workbench. It is strong (that's why they make baseball bats from it), and it machines well. It also smells nice while you're working on it -- kinda sweet.

$3.15 per bdft for 8/4 in California is a reasonable price. Folks who live closer to where ash grows may get a better price there.