Framing lumber for bench? What is the trick?

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I have been wanting to build a bench for years now but I have had several excuses that I keep coming up with for not doing it. No money for hardwood for one. No jointer/planer. Need a bench to build a bench etc. I have decided I am just going to do it. I will be following the lead from others and using framing lumber for it. I have decided that even though I would like a hard maple bench, since this IS my first bench, I would rather screw things up using framing lumber. Plus it will allow me to see what I like and dislike about the design and THEN, later on, I can make my "good" bench out of hard maple.

So here is my problem. I have seen all these guys posting photos of their great looking benches made from framing lumber obtained from Lowes/HD and what not. I go down to start getting ideas of a cost for this project. I am in upstate New York and stopped at the Lowes, Home Depot and another more local lumber yard. We don't get southern yellow pine up this way. But I know folks make very nice benches out of Fir as well. Problem is, all I see available is knots with a little wood holding them in place. This lumber is junk. It is all knots! Where are people finding even reasonable framing lumber to use for making a bench? I am looking at 2x10's and 2x12's in 12, 14, and 16 foot lengths. I can barely find anything that I would be able to get a 7 or 8 foot length of wood from that would not have knots on the edges, which would then become part of my bench top. What am I missing here?

[Prashun Patel]

What you're 'missing' is that the quality and quantity of lumber varies from store to store in these big boxes.

For instance, I can get quite clear, straight KD DougFir 2x4's where I am, but the same store doesn't sell 2x6's or larger that are KD.

If you are going to go the Big Box route, then you gotta (IMHO) be prepared to shop a few locations.

That being said, straight, clear stock is really only important on the top, where flatness over seasonal changes is demanded. I submit that without a jointer or planer, you might have a tricky time getting any lumber flat enough with just the tablesaw for a good glue up. So, have you considered using framing lumber for your support structure, and MDF or plywood for the top? This can make a great bench that can serve your needs until (and IF) you want for more cowbell.

I'm on my 3rd bench now, and with each I really learn a lot about what I like and don't like. I'm glad I didn't invest a lot of effort in my very first (I think I built it in an afternoon: PARTICLE BOARD and 2x4's).

[Guy Laporte]

Hello, Building an "ugly" bench is to me very worthwhile. I've had mine for about 5 years now and it I keep changing stuff here and there. One of these days I'll make a pretty one. This bench has a maple top from an auction and otherwise built using 2X6s. I used a plane a squared them up, glued and screwed. My first bench was built using plywood cut, screwed and glued (laminated)to make dimensional lumber. I did that because it was to be the base for my wood lathe and I didn't want anything to move. It was a pain but I still have it and it is still solid as day one. If the wood where you are at really sucks then maybe laminating plywood may be the way to go. Like I said, a lot of work but it gets the job done. Good luck!!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Living in the northeast, I've had better luck waiting until the building season picks up; once lots of construction is going on, you'll see the stock start rotating a lot faster. (At one location in my area, multiple times a day from what I've heard.) In the winter, it seems like stuff takes a lot longer to move, so a lot of times the junk you see is are the leftovers other people left, and have been sitting there for weeks. Sometimes you just have to go more than once. If you go when it's slow, sometimes you can get them to let you pick into a new pallet.

Also, if you're going to be ripping 2x12s and laminating them, if the edge has a few knots and the center is clear, you could in theory put the knots on the underside. Still not the best solution, I know.

Nothing I can really add to this but sometimes you have to go back a few times. If you can find a manager who's helpful, they might give you an idea what time of the week new shipments come in or things get rotated.

I've had better luck at other home centers, smaller regional chains like Curtis Lumber, but because of the way they operate, you're not always able to go picking through the lumber yourself like you can at a HD/Lowes type place, unless you get someone to bend the rules a bit. Helps to not go in the morning when they're hammered with contractors.

[Will Boulware]

I live in the south and love southern yellow pine for shop furniture. I'm also in the process of building a bench. I don't know how The Schwarz did it, but I have been unable to find enough "usable" SYP in one trip for a bench regardless of where I shop. I'm rather picky, and they just don't have a bench-ready pile sitting around. However, I've made a habit of digging through the entire pile of 2x12x12's and 2x12x16's every Friday or Saturday. A week is usually enough time for my FLHS to go through whatever is on the bottom bunk and open a new one (they yell and engage in large amounts of arm waving and manager calling if you climb to the top one. Don't ask how I know this.)

My "board a week" strategy works well for me. I'm usually able to find a board or two that is sufficient, and in some cases actually really nice, clear, and straight. If you're in a hurry to build your bench, YMMV. You could also try an actual lumber yard or sawmill. They could have just what you're looking for.

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I had thought about the laminated plywood route or MDF for a top but I really want to do a laminated timber top...just the principle of it all. Like I said...I would like to use this cheaper lumber as my first time/model for a better/higher quality bench down the road. I don't need the timber to be perfect, especially on the framing, but I don't want big voids and holes in my bench top. I know that it is not ideal, but I had planned to use a hand plane to get as nice of a glue surface as possible for gluing up boards for the top. I was also going to incorporate two or three 3/8" threaded rods to assist in holding the laminations all together after the glue up.

[Johnny Kleso]

All you need is a Bailey Stanley No6 and some way to sharpen the blade
You can pick one up on ebay for about $65 and a new blade and chipbreaker from Stanley for $17.50
http://www.stanleytoolparts.com/12-325-1-02-0c-02.html

You can flatten the top of a 2x12 glue up in less than one hour maybe two hours for perfection

[glenn bradley]

Maybe a secondary wood from a yard where they have properly cut, dried and stored material available. I did the math (after the fact unfortunately) and I would have spent very little more on poplar at a good yard than than I spentd on BORG construction fir by the time I factored in the waste.

[Jeff Wittrock]

What others have said about multiple visits....

I live in Indiana, and southern yellow pine is available here at a reasonable price.

Every time I go into a Menards (even when I'm not looking for wood), I check the 2x8 and 2x10 piles to see if there is something I can use. Often I don't find anything. Even when I do find something, I seldom walk out with more than two. I just stock up for when a project comes along, and have the advantage that the wood can acclimate a bit.

Happy Hunting :).

-Jeff

[Casey Gooding]

You may want to try heading to the back of the store where they carry wood intended for floor joists. Dig through the stacks and you can usually find some straight and pretty clear boards. Usually, the longer and wider boards are the best. So, if you have the means to move 16' 2x12's, then you should be good to go.

[Mike Siemsen]

The advice to look through the longer wider planks is good advice. Take it a step farther and build a Nicholson joiners bench. Keep it simple. You will find that the softer SPF type lumber is a bit grippier and being softer the bench dents instead of your project. It is also easier to flatten with a hand plane. This type of bench can be built with hand tools in a weekend. (We built one with power tools in about 5 hours) I posted about building one at
http://schoolofwood.com/node/22
Bob Rozalieski also posted on his
http://www.logancabinetshoppe.com/1/post/2010/04/episode-20-workbench-design-considerations.html
The material doesn't have to be perfect.
Mike

[Greg Portland]

Problem is, all I see available is knots with a little wood holding them in place. This lumber is junk. It is all knots! Where are people finding even reasonable framing lumber to use for making a bench? My local store has 2 piles @ 2 different price points. One is kiln-dried and fairly free of knots. The other is wet and full of knots (and cheaper). I ended up spending a good bit of time picking through the "good" pile to find enough lumber for my bench. Also, I built a torsion box design which used significantly less wood & allowed me to use good plywood for the surfaces. The dog holes were created by laminating pieces of a 1x6 between two 2x6s (which was then attached to the torsion box top).

[Bill Bukovec]

I built my bench from shipping pallets we received at work.

The lumber was all 2x6 and 4 x 4's.

It does the job and I couldn't beat the price.

Bill

[David Keller NC]

Rick - You can easily build a bench top out of Eastern White Pine instead of SYP. While it won't be hard, that really won't matter for the top - and it will be very easy to flatten when the time comes. I'm guessing here, but I'm thinking that EWP relatively free of knots shouldn't be too hard to find in your area. You will want to use something harder and stronger for the base, though - EWP will deform under load, and quite soon, your base will be very loose.

[Jim Matthews]

There is absolutely no reason you must use laminated lumber. You can make a perfectly solid, serviceable bench from Medium density fiberboard and plywood.

Craigslist is a resource for old, serviceable benches.

Don't waste time building a showpiece tool that only you will see.

Workbenches are tools - not jewelry boxes.

A phone call to SUNY Delhi could shorten the process, or help you find raw materials.


Address: 2 Main St., Delhi, NY 13753
Phone Number: (607) 746-4000

An honest phone call to a local sawmill is appropriate, ask them when a convenient time would be to come over.
These guys encourage beginners, that's who buys their stuff...

http://www.yellowpages.com/cayuta-ny/mip/collins-robert-sawmill-18574517?lid=18574517
Collins Robert Sawmill (http://www.yellowpages.com/cayuta-ny/mip/collins-robert-sawmill-18574517?lid=18574517)

1100 Conkrite Rd, Cayuta, NY 14824 » Map (http://www.yellowpages.com/cayuta-ny/mip/collins-robert-sawmill-18574517/map?lid=18574517) (607) 594-3490

Lowes and HD have enough money - shop local!

[Steve Friedman]

When I priced dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6 and 2x8) for a project, I was shocked to discover that the price at the local lumber yards wasn't any more expensive than the big orange or blue store, and sometimes even cheaper. The lumbers yards do say that it's better to buy longer and wider - to stay away from 8' lengths and 2x4s. They claim that the 16' and 20' lengths are of much better quality than the 8 footers and that quality in 2x4s is much worse than in anything wider.

FWIW, don't discount the possibility of laminating 4 sheets of 3/4" birch plywood (not baltic birch) for the top. After it's laminated, cut the perimeter to square and apply marine grade epoxy on the edges. Quick, easy, and flat. A little more expensive than fir, but you can have a 3" thick 2' x 8' top for around $100 and a couple of hours of work (including the trip to buy the plywood). Two sawhorses will let you turn the top it into a temporary bench to use while you're building the base. I know that a lot of people have made tops from 2x4s, but hand jointing 16 lengths of construction lumber (for a 24" top) to glue up, and then flattening the whole thing will be a bear. You'll want to build your 2nd bench within 6 months anyway. At least that's how long I waited.

Good Luck!

Steve

[Jim Koepke]

I was by the Orange Box today and some of their wood was wetter than the stuff in my yard that has been laying in the rain. Much of it is terribly rough even after it has been surfaced on all four sides.

Sometimes they do have KD Doug Fir, often though it looks like the 2X12s were made from trees that were barely more than 11" in diameter.

I do want to build a bench, but I think I am going to bite the bullet, save up a little more and try to find a bit better than the construction grade wood from the big boxes.

jtk

[Rob Fisher]

When I priced dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6 and 2x8) for a project, I was shocked to discover that the price at the local lumber yards wasn't any more expensive than the big orange or blue store, and sometimes even cheaper...

I have found this too be true in my area as well. I have been trying lately to patronize the local lumber yard and they have been price competitive. In addition they will usually deliver a small load for a few buck or free if I am flexible with the delivery time, which is great considering I only have a station wagon.

Rob

[Tim Sproul]

Rick,

I live 3000 miles away so I'm unsure if my experience applies for you.

1. You are doing well to demand knot-free wood for your bench. Knots are really tough on cutters and even more of an obstacle to hand tool use so operations like jointing/flattening with a hand plane are difficult if you've knots galore. Having said that, you don't need absolutely knot-free lumber. You need the top surface of the lamination to be as knot free as possible.

2. I find 4x8 or 4x10 or 4x12 sticks to be much better quality than the 2x.

[Caspar Hauser]

There has to be a timber yard or two locally, I should go to one of those rather than a home improvement shop.
Only the top of the bench needs be relatively knot free so just keep an eye to a clean cut line in a wider board making two sticks from one. Poplar makes a nice top, but Doug fir makes a nice bench, Spruce will do it too. If the top is too soft then skin it with hardboard or some such, it's a stiff work table after all.

[Scott T Smith]

A couple of comments.

First, keep in mind that framing lumber is only kiln dried to 16% - 18% or thereabouts. It's a good idea to let it acclimate inside your shop for a few weeks before using it; otherwise you may see some unanticipated movement.

Second, the reason that larger beams produce more stable boards is because they come from older logs. Many SPF and SYP 2 x 4's come from trees that were only 15 - 20 years old when harvested (and with wide growth rings). Larger boards come from older trees - 30 - 40 years old or more, which often have tighter growth rings.

[David Keller NC]

Rick - I did a search on your location (zip 14580) on woodfinder.com. There are at least 10 small lumber companies within 60 miles of your location. One of them (I didn't look at all of them) was Garreson lumber company (www.garresonlumber.com (http://www.garresonlumber.com)). Their wholesale prices (which requires a minimum order of 200 bf, but you'll easily need that to build a standard-sized bench) for soft (red) maple, white ash, beech, white oak and tulip poplar are well below (around $2/b.f.) what it will cost you for framing lumber at the big-box stores, ad that's the select grade - economy grades are cheaper. All of them are kiln-dried, and all of these species are well suited for a workbench.

You're also within 50 miles of Irion Lumber in Wellsboro, PA. While their main product is wide cabinet grade hardwoods that, while cheap for what they are, are a bit pricey for a workbench. However - I've bought some stupendous wood from them in the past that was wide and thick in lesser species for very little money. They tend not to advertise this stock, so you will need to call them and explain what you're looking for. I can guarantee that if they don't have it, they will know someone local that will.

I, and probably many others on this forum, dearly wish we were within 50 miles of Irion!

[Rick Cicciarelli]

Woodfinder.com...cool. Thanks David for the links and input. A new site to search for lumber sources and some great things to consider...hmm.....yeah.....good stuff :) Thanks again!!

[Randy Bonella]

Rick,
One thing to keep in mind when you rip to width the lumber for glue up is that you only need one clean surface for the top. The laminating process takes care of any side stability issues and the bottom, well doesn't matter. My bench was built from reclaimed wood and I had substantial amount of scrap because of heavy checking and large knots that were not stable. Pretty much just cut out the bad stuff and in the burn pile it went. So it took me quite a bit more material to get the stuff that would work so factor that into the cost as opposed to just pure board foot calculations. I would definitely check out your other local sources and you should find substantially better quality per what others have said.
Randy...

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I don't have a whole lot of experience with hardwoods so I am not that familiar with pricing and quality. I am not a big fan of the looks of poplar, but if Maple tends to be too pricey, are there are hardwoods that might be less costly but still offer good quality for a bench build?

[Prashun Patel]

Ash is cheap, stable, hard, and heavy. I think it's great. The only possible downside is that it's opengrained, so it can be a *little* harder to sweep and not so friendly to write on as closed grain woods. However, these too are not insurmountable: a wetsanded oil/varnish topcoat can fill some of the grain.

[David Keller NC]

Rick - In your area, it looks as if maple (soft maple - but it isn't actually "soft") is about the same price as poplar. Regarding poplar, the greenish color of poplar rapidly goes away when exposed to air. After a couple of months, it's a nut-brown color. This is assuming that a finish is not applied, though it will still turn color, just more slowly. In my view, the ideal bench material doesn't exist - it would close-grained (no open pores to accumulate dirt), non-resinous, cheap, hard, dense, strong, straight-grained, and (the kicker) easy to work with hand tools. That last one is what makes the ideal non-existent - hard, dense and strong usually is diametrically opposed to easy to work with hand tools.

However, my short list would be: maple (hard or soft - both species/groups are really hard), beech, yellow birch, hickory and white oak. Running close seconds would be walnut, cherry, & poplar, though walnut and cherry would only be cheap enough if you live where the trees grow and can get it from a micro-mill or a wood-mizer owner. Thirds would be the softwoods and open-grained woods: southern yellow pine, douglas fir, ash, and red oak. Running fourths would be eastern white pine (because of its softness and weakness, though it would still make a great top, just not so great of a base), hemlock, spruce, basswood, and white fir.

Having said all of that, any of the afore-mentioned material will make a superb bench if it's designed right and due consideration is given to the properties of the wood. For example, I wouldn't hesitate to make a top out of EWP if I hand an opportunity to pickup some clear, thick beams - particularly if it's salvaged old-growth timbers. I would probably choose another wood for the base because I would be concerned that racking forces from planing would work the joints loose.

Finally, I'd say that there's a danger of paralysis by analysis when selecting the species of wood for a bench - you can drive yourself nuts over the relative advantages/disadvantages of a particular wood species. I'd note that most folks wouldn't have even considered making a bench out of SYP before Chris Schwarz put his book out, and in many ways, it's not the ideal bench building material from the workability, resinous nature and hardness aspects. But I would follow his lead - Chris basically decided that it was nuts to follow that unwritten "all workbenches must be made of clear, hard maple" rule, and dove in with the best selection that was readily available in his area. I've seen a bench made some 40 years ago entirely out of south american mahogany - it was beautiful, but more importantly, it was the right selection at the time. Mahogany back then was very inexpensive, it was obtainable in huge, knot-free sizes, and there are few woods with better workability.

[Bas Pluim]

I've made a habit of digging through the entire pile of 2x12x12's and 2x12x16's every Friday or Saturday.
In my experience, your best bet at getting good construction lumber at the big box stores is Tue-Thu. During the week, professional construction crews come in and buy the good lumber. The twisted, splintered and warped pieces are left in the rack. The store then throws that out on Monday and puts in new load from storage. There might still be some good pieces on the weekend, but it's usually buried under the rejects that the pros left behind.

[James Owen]

Take a look at the (non-treated) 4 X 6 lumber at Lowe's. At least here, it is drier, less twisted, and has fewer knots than the 2 X ** lumber. It will also require fewer laminations and you can easily get either a 3.5" or 5.5" thick bench, depending on how you orient the lumber.

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I can't say that I have ever seen any 4x lumber at Lowes except for the 4x4s. I'll look again, but I am pretty sure
I have never seen 4x6's.....

[Phil Thien]

I used LVL for the base on the bench I built back in 2006 (for the record, that was three years before Popular Woodworking did theirs).

I basically just got a big LVL and cut it into the sizes I needed.

I used a door for the top.

Notes:

(1) Some LVL I see these days have a sort of sticky substance on the outside. Mine did not. I purchased mine at Menards, but their newer stock isn't the same as this stuff.

(2) The sides are assembled with glued dowels. The stretchers are doweled (no glue) and bolted to the sides. I used wing nuts in place of cross-dowels.

(3) LVL is kinda ugly, you pretty much have to paint it.

[Matthew Hills]

I can't say that I have ever seen any 4x lumber at Lowes except for the 4x4s. I'll look again, but I am pretty sure
I have never seen 4x6's.....

Ask them where their beams are.
Sometimes these are stored in a different spot.

Matt

[Andrew Hecker]

[QUOTE=Steve Friedman;1674791]When I priced dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6 and 2x8) for a project, I was shocked to discover that the price at the local lumber yards wasn't any more expensive than the big orange or blue store, and sometimes even cheaper. The lumbers yards do say that it's better to buy longer and wider - to stay away from 8' lengths and 2x4s. They claim that the 16' and 20' lengths are of much better quality than the 8 footers and that quality in 2x4s is much worse than in anything wider.

You're absolutely right about 8' 2x4s. They're cheap and young, and barely dried. And they get away with it because they're intended for framing walls, which you'll never see once the siding and drywall are up.

I would avoid 2x4s completely. 2x10s or 2x12s are necessarily better wood because, as previously mentioned, they must come from older trees, which typically have the branches on the top third of the trunk, and no limbs down below where the tree is thickest.

Disclaimer: I have not built a bench before, so this is mere speculation.

My recommendation, if you're going to laminate a top with a softer wood, is to look for 1x6 or 1x4 door jamb boards. They are (supposed to be) straight and clear and good-looking, because they're extremely high traffic and extremely visible. A 1x6 ripped down the middle to 2-1/4", then laminated together and planed flat, seems like a very nice bench top to me. 4x6s and 2x6s might be good materials for the base, too. I've used door jamb boards (ripped in half, and gone over with a 1/4" roundover bit) for trim in my bathroom.

Incidentally 4x4s and 4x6s may be called "posts", rather than boards.

A~

[Rick Cicciarelli]

Well I am not sure where you guys are located but both the Lowes AND the Home Depot in my town do not
carry anything larger than 4x4s that are untreated. They do have 4x6's and 6x6's, but they are all pressure
treated.

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I am thinking maybe Poplar would be the way to go. From the looks of it the pricing would be reasonable...I am just not too sure about that green color.

[Matthew Hills]

Well I am not sure where you guys are located but both the Lowes AND the Home Depot in my town do not
carry anything larger than 4x4s that are untreated. They do have 4x6's and 6x6's, but they are all pressure
treated.

I'm assuming the treated woods are for deck building.

But 2x12, 4x8, 4x12 are used in home construction and those wouldn't normally be treated.
Is your local selection mostly laminates, or some wood species that you don't want to build a bench from?
I.e., if you're knocking out a load-bearing wall and putting in a beam instead, what would they have for you?

On Poplar, the green changes to a brownish color with time (think sunlight speeds this). I had a bit of green in an early box project. Some time in front of a window fixed that up pretty fast.

Can you buy thick poplar locally cheaper than SYP or doug fir?

Matt

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've had the same experience as Matt with the green going away after time, and this change was speeded by sunlight. I did find film finish tends to prevent this from happening, however. (Haven't tried it with oil finish, I'd imagine it wouldn't.)

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I'm assuming the treated woods are for deck building.

But 2x12, 4x8, 4x12 are used in home construction and those wouldn't normally be treated.
Is your local selection mostly laminates, or some wood species that you don't want to build a bench from?
I.e., if you're knocking out a load-bearing wall and putting in a beam instead, what would they have for you?

On Poplar, the green changes to a brownish color with time (think sunlight speeds this). I had a bit of green in an early box project. Some time in front of a window fixed that up pretty fast.

Can you buy thick poplar locally cheaper than SYP or doug fir?

Matt

By the time I work through the "waste" from all of the knots in the doug fir, I can probably get poplar for about what it would cost me in the long run for doug fir.

As for the question of what would you use if you knocked out a load bearing wall and wanted to install a beam....well unless you wanted to use pressure treated lumber for your living room wall, the only option you have from my local Lowes and Home Depot are metal adjust-a-posts. Otherwise you would have to sandwich up a few 2Xs....or use the 4x4s. They have nothing in the store that would be larger except the pressure treated stuff. (no laminated beams of any kind either)

[Jim Foster]

Hi,

I've just finished my lumberyard bench, sort of... still have to flatten the top. I live in MA and could not find southern yellow pine, so I went and got wet fir from a real lumberyard. The fir was 2x12x 28' (yep 28') I cut it down to 9'pcs at the yard. I let it dry and was able to rip it and machine it and my bench is 9'x25"x5" thick, lots of knots, but the top side is pretty knot free. Today, I would just use Hemlock fir from home depot, the fir from the yard was a pain in the but to work with and much knottier than the better pieces I see over time at the big stores. If you get the longest 2x12 hemlock-fir, you should be able to find pieces you can imagine getting one clean side. I am addicted to looking at the long boards whenever I visit HD or lowe's and the quantity and quality varies a lot over time. For the legs, I used glued up fir 4x4's from HD, these need to be cherry picked also. The challenge I've noticed with the Hemlock-Fir is it moves around a lot after machining it, so you need to glue it up ideally that night you machine it. The Fir I used stayed surprisingly stable after machining. Maybe because it dried in my shop for a couple months, and the Hemlock, even though it was KD, only sat for a week.