Order for 200 bf for new workbench is on its way!!!

[bob blakeborough]

So I found the deal I wanted and placed the order for 200 bf of Ash. After much researching and considering my remaining budget (my lovely wifes new Bernina quilting machine crushed the hobby account! lol) I think that this is going to be a great wood to build the benchcrafted split roubo from...

This is going to be a HUGE project for me and will definitely be way beyond anything my skills are at currently, but I figure I will take it really slow and carefully spend the time I need to get it done. I am going to use this build to force myself into developing skills I have been intimidated to take on up to this point. If I get to something I am uncomfortable with, I will practice, take a course, or do whatever I need to to get past it. I am extremely excited about this! The is something about taking on more than you think is possible that can be intimidating, yet inspiring, all at the same time!

So I am going to try and document this build as I am going, detailing all my triumphs and failures, all while learning more as I go, and I will try and post it all here as I go. I fully expect this to take a long time for me to complete and with the weather here (shop without heat), it may be another couple months before I actually get to dedicate some real time to this, but I will start a single thread and keep slowly adding to it as I go for those interested in a rookie and his bench building trials and errors...

Bob

[Matthew Dunne]

Yahoo!

Congrats. I look forward to hearing more about it.

[Andrew Yang]

Do the chinooks cause havoc with your wood? I guess the relative humidity doesn't swing too much... Good luck. I've got a stack of white oak in the basement, and I'm trying to wrap my head around a good way of starting the milling process. It's a stack of 4"x6"x10' timbers, so it's pretty unwieldy. Nice to see another Canadian!

[Jim Neeley]

This is great, Bob, and I'll be following this thread closely. This weekend my son and I glued up two prototype bench blanks from #2 and better (construction grade, knotty) fir, one 3-1/4" and one 4-3/4" thick. My plan is to flatten the 3" one and use it to work on the thicker base. I'll then inset my vises into it and, if all goes well, make that my interim workbench to test out leg and toehr sertups. If not or I decide the 4" is too thick, I'll inset them in the 3-incher.

Either way I'm working towards a large bench and look to learn from your experiences!!

Jim

[bob blakeborough]

Do the chinooks cause havoc with your wood? I guess the relative humidity doesn't swing too much... Good luck. I've got a stack of white oak in the basement, and I'm trying to wrap my head around a good way of starting the milling process. It's a stack of 4"x6"x10' timbers, so it's pretty unwieldy. Nice to see another Canadian!

I have asked that same question actually. I thought maybe the extreme fluctuations in temps in such a short perioud of time might have an effect, but the general opinion is it won't be a problem if the relative humidity is consitent...

The wood I ordered is kiln dried, but as it is coming from coastal BC so I think it will be a good idea to sticker it and let it lie for a good 6 to 8 weeks or so just to be safe...

[Zach England]

200 BF? Really?

That seems like a lot.

[Michael Peet]

Good for you, Bob. I was in the same boat a little over a year ago, and now I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Should be able to wrap it up in a couple more weeks. I too spent the time and did the best I could, and definitely learned a lot in the process.

Congrats and good luck on your journey -

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

200 BF? Really?

That seems like a lot.

Well, you want a little left over for making saw benches, bench hooks, dogs and shooting boards.

That's only a bench 10' by 4' and 5" thick?

Who among us wouldn't want one of those?

jtk

[Andrew Yang]

Coastal BC?? I guess there aren't too many lumber mills around the city. I have to drive a bit out to get to a decent lumber yard. The only genuine mill I've driven to was a couple hours away. The easy thing is we have a good variety of hardwood that grows here unlike around Calgary which is mostly limited to softwood. Would give that up for a view of the Rockies again though...

[bob blakeborough]

200 BF? Really?

That seems like a lot.

The plans for the Bencrafted Roubo says it will use aprrox 150 bf, but they typically recommend 200 to account for waste etc, and the point being that any extra is good to have around for other projects etc... I am okay with having extra left over...

[bob blakeborough]

Coastal BC?? I guess there aren't too many lumber mills around the city. I have to drive a bit out to get to a decent lumber yard. The only genuine mill I've driven to was a couple hours away. The easy thing is we have a good variety of hardwood that grows here unlike around Calgary which is mostly limited to softwood. Would give that up for a view of the Rockies again though...

I could order the wood in town here no problem, but people here in Calgary seem accustomed to paying whatever price is demanded without much thought, and since I was buying such a quantity I figured I would look around. Found this source on Vancouver Island with a great rep, and they were very helpful in picking through the wood stacks to find good, straight, clear boards, in the best dimensions possible for what I needed, and even with the shipping and everything included, I save over 25% over what I could get it locally! That is a pretty sad commentary actually...

[gary Zimmel]

Always love a build thread. Looking forward to seeing the bench unfold.
Being a neighbor just north I know what your talking about with wood prices Bob....

[Steve Branam]

The plans for the Bencrafted Roubo says it will use aprrox 150 bf, but they typically recommend 200 to account for waste etc, and the point being that any extra is good to have around for other projects etc... I am okay with having extra left over...

If it's that much of a nuisance to get good wood, it's worth getting some extra, in case of warped or damaged pieces. And the occasional mistake during the build. Any good scraps will get used eventually, and it's so nice to be able to just grab something from the wood rack when you want to throw a quick project together.

For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost...for want of a board, the bench was delayed another year!

[bob blakeborough]

So the new wood has arrived! As I had mentioned mid thread, I ended up ordering this KD ash online from a company on Vancouver Island in B.C (I am in Calgary AB) All in it worked out to be approx $3.70 per board foot including shipping. The cheapest I was able to find locally was $5.00 per board foot so I am happy with the savings. I was a little worried about buying online, but the company has a decent reputation and I was pleased with the service I received and the wood seems very clear and very straight and flat other than of 2 boards seem to have slight cupping, but they look workable. Overall I think it was a good buying experience. I had the order dropped at my work (residential delivery would have been more expensive) so I will be bringing everything home this weekend and stickering the pile... This may be a silly question, but I have a bunch of leftover short pieces of flooring that I can cut up. Is this adaquete thickness to properly circulate air around the boards while it acclimatizes to my workshop?

Anyways, here is a pic of the lumber laying across the shop couch at work and a link to the place where I bought the wood if anyone would like to check them out!

http://www.westwindhardwood.com/

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/198824_10150457000410693_895470692_17836996_490569 _n.jpg

[Johnny Kleso]

I'd stack and sticker the wood asap........

[bob blakeborough]

I'd stack and sticker the wood asap........

Will a few days cause an issue? If so I will bring it home tomorrow and do it, but to get the wood home it will be hanging out the back of my truck for 1/2 an hour and it is extremely wet and dirty here right now with tons of snow and around freezing temps. I was more worried about making it dirty and wet on the way home for no reason...