Best wood for workbench?

[Niels J. Larsen]

I'm planning to build myself a proper workbench primarily for handtool use in the near future, but I'm having trouble choosing the right wood for it.

I know that you guys mainly suggest to use hard maple, but unfortunately that's not widely available here in Denmark.
Beech is - and was my suppliers first suggestion, but I just don't like the look of beech.

Can you suggest other wood species suited for a workbench?

[johnny means]

Funny, here I am wishing I could find some beech to build a work bench, but I'll have to settle for hard maple.

[glenn bradley]

Beech is plentiful and low priced in southern California. I have made several items from it but read that it is prone to a lot of movement. I haven't noticed it but, maybe that's the climate. The beech I get out here is very even grained and machines beautifully. I would use that and do, actually, for my vise jaws. Other recommendations may not play out in Denmark either but, southern Yellow Pine is favored by many. Fibrous woods like oak and ash are usually avoided. It will be interesting to see where this ends up. Good luck in your search ;-)

[Frank Drew]

Niels,

If you don't like beech, you should be able to find birch, which I'd used without hesitation. In fact, I incorporated a couple of pieces of birch in my workbench top when I ran out of maple.

[John Coloccia]

Too bad. My Sjoberg bench is beech and I love it. By the way, have you considered buying a bench? I believe they're pretty reasonably priced out there. I paid a lot more for mine than you would over there I think. I know I know, you want to build it yourself. I'm just throwing it out there.

[michael case]

Just to be different I built mine out of quartersawn white oak. Actually I chose it because its very, very, stable. If you don't like the look of beech, you might really like the way white oak looks. Also, if you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend Lon Schleining's book The Workbench. It has loads of color photos of beautiful benches and many useful ideas. One thing I might also suggest if I may, is not to automatically use a trestle base. Manufacturers use it because it disassembles for shipping, but you may find, as I did, that four massive legs with deeply mortised stringers both top and bottom produce a more massive and stable bench. Of course if you ever plan on moving this would not be a good idea. :)

[Ed Griner]

I built mine out of crappel(2x4&2x8) from home depot.Put a "Groz" vise on
it.(FWW special?) The bench turned out fine,but I'm still concerned about the vise.



Crappel=native Lumber/could be anything HD got a deal on.

Ed

[johnny means]

Anyone ever used walnut? I am seriously considering it, because I got a bunch cheap. Any reason not to?

[Tony Shea]

I'd use walnut if I had an over abundance of it without hesitation. But honestly I save that stuff for some beautiful peices of furniture. For that matter I'd be willing to take it off your hands for a reasonable fee...actually I probably wouldn't charge you anything for disposal.

Another one all ready listed that I wouldn't hesitate making a top out of is White Oak. Very stable and creates a very hard surface. With proper finishing techniques one could get it smooth as a baby's but.

Plentiful wood usually equates to fairly inexpensive wood, therefore if I was in your shoes I would use Beech!

[lou sansone]

I have 2 benches - one is American silver beech that I built - and the wood did move on me. the other is an old European bench made from European beech. both are great surfaces for working on. I say use beech or hard maple

lou

[Chris Tsutsui]

I thought that there was a "Red Beech" popular in Europe. Then there's the Beech we use in the states that's just White Beech that's pretty similar to maple.

If I was in DK I'd use whatever Beech is available. Oak would also be fine.

Personally I would want a work bench that's heavy and strong and there's a lot of wood that can do that. Even several layers of MDF as a top which is what I have now...

Though if you don't like how Beech looks then I imagine you won't like MDF. :D

[Brian Kent]

What are your available wood choices in Denmark?

[Tri Hoang]

Accessible/affordable wood. Any of the following would do: Douglas fir, poplar,ash,oak,beech,hard/soft maple...For hand tools, I'd go with softer wood - it easier to hand plane flat and less likely to ding your work.

If this is your first workbench, use something inexpensive. Most people would end up building a second workbench after experiencing what they like/don't like in the first bench.

[Jeff Nolan]

I probably would not simply because I like have a light colored surface for a bench top. It should make a beautiful and long lasting bench though.


Anyone ever used walnut? I am seriously considering it, because I got a bunch cheap. Any reason not to?

[Alex Shanku]

My bench is made from hard maple, but I have two mallets I turned from beech. The beech seems very hard and I would love to be able to build another bench, this time from beech. Unfortunately, it seems much more difficult and costly to find than other woods...

[Frank Drew]

Niels,

Maybe these folks can help you out:

http://www.danishhardwood.com/default.asp?id=330

[Dave Cav]

I used ash. I got it for about half of what oak would have cost, and it seems to be very stable and solid. Seems to work (and look) a lot like oak only without the tannin issues. Very pronounced grain, which may be a negative for some. I used walnut for the dogholes to provide some contrast.

[Niels J. Larsen]

Thanks for all your replies and all of your suggestions that I should use beech ;)

Most species are available here, but hard maple (american) and white beech are not. The most common beech is the european variant which I believe is the "Red Beech" as one of you points out.

American white oak and ash are a viable alternative and I thought of those myself as I've worked with both, but the cost is approximately twice that of beech.

The reason why I dislike beech is that a *lot* of furniture, kitchen tabletops, shelves etc. are often made of beech, so I'm just tired of looking at the grain and the typical golden/reddish color.

I have a sofa table made of beech which is finished with white oil and it helps somewhat as it is - well whiter :D - but I still don't find it very appealing and it's on the list to be exchanged for something else.

I could buy a bench - and a very nice one as another one of you points out - but it is made of - beech :rolleyes: and it costs a lot more than what it'd cost me to build it myself. I also want to customize mine, so that's another reason not to buy.

I guess I'll have to call the supplier again and hear if there's another - maybe even cheaper - alternative. Or I'll just have to go with beech :D

[Chris Friesen]

For a bench top you want something that is stiff, heavy, reasonably hard, and not too expensive.

I used hard maple salvaged from a bowling alley. In parts of the USA southern yellow pine fits the bill. Ash works as well.

I suspect that most European benches are made of beech because it's the best choice there. :)

[Richard Dragin]

I understand your desire for aesthetics but for pure utility and economics beech seem like your best choice. If you want something other than beech I'd go with Maple.

[Pat Germain]

I read the Chris Schwarz book on workbenches before I built mine. I'm very glad I did. I learned a lot including the reason so many European benches are made of beech. It's not because it's the absolute best material. It's because it's readily available over there. Thus, I agree with the Schwarz. Use what's cheap and available.

Southern yellow pine isn't available in my area. My local hardwood dealer had some nice hickory for a good price. So that's what I used for the top. I used douglas fir for the base and it worked very well.

After I read the workbench book, I read online that The Schwarz built a bench out of ash.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

No one would consider cheap construction pine and poplar/maple/beech plywood (aka disposable) top? That's what I built. No, it's not pretty.

[Frank Drew]

I read the Chris Schwarz book on workbenches before I built mine. I'm very glad I did. I learned a lot including the reason so many European benches are made of beech. It's not because it's the absolute best material. It's because it's readily available over there. Thus, I agree with the Schwarz. Use what's cheap and available.

Does Chris Schwarz say there'd be any reason not to use beech, simply in terms of quality? I can't think of a disqualifier for using it. Poplar is both widely available and relatively inexpensive over here, but it wouldn't be my first (or second, or third,....) choice for a workbench top no matter how cheap and easy to get.


I used hard maple salvaged from a bowling alley. My maple had been locker room benches from a nearby high school that was being remodeled; I think I paid something like $5 for each 5/4 x 12 x 108 -- sweet!

[Pat Germain]

Does Chris Schwarz say there'd be any reason not to use beech, simply in terms of quality? I can't think of a disqualifier for using it. Poplar is both widely available and relatively inexpensive over here, but it wouldn't be my first (or second, or third,....) choice for a workbench top no matter how cheap and easy to get.

Nope. He never said there was anything wrong with using beech. As I recall, he was saying in his book a lot of woodworkers want to use beech because they see many, very fine European benches made of beech. He points out beech was used because it's hard, it was available and it was inexpensive and not because it makes the best workbenches. Therefore, woodworkers shouldn't fret if they can't find inexpensive beech locally. They should use what is available and inexpensive, as well as has appropriate hardness. Poplar wouldn't be a good choice because it's not very hard. (That is, unless you wanted to make a disposable top.) The book has a chart with many woods listing how they stack up on the Janka scale. I was surprised how hard southern yellow pine actually is.

The Schwarz recommended southern yellow pine because it's cheap, usually available from home centers and surprisingly hard. As I said, it's not available in my area. I asked about ordering some and it would have been expensive for a special delivery.

If I build another workbench, it will likely be ash.

[Michael O'Sullivan]

Are birch and beech used interchangeably? Honestly, where I grew up, I think they were.

[Frank Drew]

Michael,

Structurally, I think they can be used interchangeably; they don't look exactly alike but that shouldn't matter in a work bench. I'd use either if that was what was available and affordable.

For appearance sake I wouldn't mix 'n' match in a piece of furniture, of course.

[Jim Waski]

I would use Beech, it is a beautiful wood. I use Rock Maple but in the past I have been able to use Oak if I rip the boards to 1.5 inch square (on end) and 5 ft long. You have to work them right away or they twist. Glue and Brace them into position length-wise and stager the grain, like butcher block. Once the glue cures, oil it well.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.......something that is stiff, heavy, reasonably hard, and not too expensive......

In the way-back-when, my neighbor was gutting and renovating a house from 1870's and was ripping out a bunch of rough 2 x 8 red oak framing joists. He could not understand why I wanted it, but was happy to have me haul it away. 100% yield - 25% in the bench, 75% in the fireplace. I did buy new 6/4 for end caps and aprons.

125-year seasoning cycle - Very stiff, very heavy, very hard, and free. The later-addition back bench is hard maple.

[Harry Hagan]

http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/hardns.html

[Niels J. Larsen]

http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/hardns.html

Thanks!

Looks like Wenge is an option if I don't like Beech....:D

Probably not that inexpensive :eek:

Joking aside - I guess it's down to Beech.

[Lawrence Kapler]

Lowes has a bamboo slabs for CDN$149. 72" X 1.5" X 25.5" . This is a lot cheaper than beech, birch or other commonly used bench top material. This is perfectly flat and appears to be a ready made hard top for a workbench. Just have to cut it desired size. Before I buy this slab, does anyone know if there is a downside here? Will it wreck my rip blade?
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