Benchtop wood recommendations in So. Cal - Please?

[Mike Allen1010]

I know there are a million posts here in the Creek related to workbenches -- frankly I've enjoyed many of them!

I don't want to re-create the wheel but have a quick, specific question I'm hoping Creekers can help me with:

I'm looking for recommendations about what kind of wood to make a benchtop out of, that would be available commercially in my area. I live in Southern California which is certainly not known for an extensive group of native hardwoods.

I'm looking for wood that meets all the usual criteria: would allow a 4" thick top, straight, stiff, light colored/close grained, dry and reasonably affordable. My last criteria is that it needs to be reasonably workable with hand tools because that's the plan -- no joiner/thickness planner here.

I enjoy the stories of people who built a workbench out of the 100 year-old cherry tree in their yard, but unfortunately that's not going to happen for me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to buy commercially available lumber. My local hardwood lumber yard has Cherry, Ash-- and occasionally Beech in 8/4, as well as a reasonable selection of other North American hardwoods, although none are especially inexpensive. They do have Poplar in 12/4 and that is more affordable - any thoughts/experience regarding Poplar as a workbench top?

I recognize the vital importance of my workbench as the heart of my shop. If I need to, I'm willing to pay top dollar if there is a particular species of wood that offers clear advantages. I just don't want to pay a fortune if I don't have to.

I really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions!

Thanks, Mike

[Bill Moser]

My last criteria is that it needs to be reasonably workable with hand tools because that's the plan -- no joiner/thickness planner here.
Thanks, Mike

My top is hard maple -- really hard, seems like I had to sharpen every 5 minutes or so when flattening it, so I'm not sure I'd go that route that again. If your local yard carries beech, I'd go with that, its supposed to be very stable. My top is about 3 1/2" thick, but I'm not sure that's really necessary. With a little engineering of the supporting structure, you can easily go with 8/4 lumber for the top without compromising utility as a work surface

[Andrew Joiner]

Poplar would be to soft for me. Get a sample and pound on it to test for yourself. Shop around. Get familiar with the Janka scale , generally the higher # the better for a benchtop. Maple is the most common choice, but lots of cool benchtops are made from alternative woods . I wouldn't consider sliver prone woods like Fir.

I went with Tali for the front 12" of my new bench and MDF for the back 24''. Tali is an African wood that's as dense as Purpleheart but looks like Mahogany. I got the Tali cheap.

[Jeff L Miller]

Look for a local lumber yard that specializes in saving wood from trees that were either knocked down, dedicated for removal, damaged, etc. In Portland we have a few places like that and you can get either reclaimed wood or "saved" wood such as maple, cherry, fir, etc.

I agree that poplar might be too soft and after all that work, you might be disappointed. Maple is always a good choice but I like the beech option also.

A quick search for your area showed this site as well as several others specializing in reclaimed wood.
http://www.vintagetimber.com/


Jeff

[Jim Koepke]

I think one main qualifier is what wood is available inexpensively locally.

When I lived in California, it seemed pallets from heavy equipment offered the best source of cheap wood. I was prepping a lot of salvaged wood when I decided it would be a lot easier to just buy a manufactured bench.

I am not sure if there are many independent saw mills in your area, that would be one place to look.

If you can find a few sources of decent pallets that might be another source to make a laminated top.

One thing to consider is a lot of paper products come from the east. The pallets used for shipping paper usually have hard woods compared to the softwood pallets made in the west.

If poplar is inexpensive, you might consider that. It might be too soft for holdfasts in dog holes, but then maybe a strip of maple for the dog holes would solve that. Same for vise chops and clamping skirts.

In my current living area there are a lot of wood and paper mills. The local landscaping supply company carries mill ends and scraps. Most of the locals buy this for fire wood. There are occasionally some big pieces. I just bought a load that had a piece from the center of a log that is about 5"X8"X6'. I am thinking of using it to make a planing stand or some other useful bench stand in.

If Douglas Fir is available in your area, it might be another wood to consider. I think a few folks here have used that with success. I even considered it at one time, then found a deal on some ash.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

We've got doo-dah to speak of for sawyers in SoCal. I would select a readily available, cost effective wood from your local provider. You're in Carlsbad so Saroyan (http://www.saroyanlumber.com/) over in San Marcos is just too easy for you. I drive down there for my larger orders as my local yards cater to contractors primarily and the quality is not what one would prefer for the prices. Say hi to Dan if you stop in; great bunch of guys. Not all snooty and 'too cool to move' like the folks over at Lane Stanton Vance a few blocks away.

[Rick Fisher]

Maple or Beech..

Mine is 2-3/4" thick Maple. I find it very solid. My original plan was a 3" thick top... lol

If your doing it end grain, the thickness of the bench becomes a real waste issue.. If you could find a whole pile of 2x4 or 2x8 maple, fair enough .. but In my case, I got 2x6 thru 2x10 stock when I ordered it .. It was heavy to 9-1/4 wide ..

[Damon Stathatos]

I'm sure this guy (Rob) would be able to supply you with multiple choices and he's pretty close to your area. If you were closer to me, then my suggestion would have been a different one.

http://www.tulepeaktimber.com/site/main?page=Home

Best of luck with 'the bench.'

[Mike Allen1010]

Thanks a lot I really appreciate the suggestions.

Glenn, thanks for the tip about Saroyan's -- never knew they were there - can't wait to go in and dig around. Looks great.

I didn't know recycled lumber was available to me locally here in Southern California -- Jeff and Damon and thanks for your tips about Vintage Timber and Tule Peak Timber company. I am really interested to find out what they have.

If I decide to go with virgin timber, I'm thinking either beech or maple, probably leaning towards beech because I think it would be more workable with hand tools than maple?

With regard to the recycled/reclaimed old-growth timber -- do I still need to stick with the same species (maple, beech, ash, cherry etc.), or because this material has been aired trying for decades, some of it is old-growth with higher ring counts/density and because I might be able to get the entire work surface out of 1-2 slabs; should I also consider some woods like Douglas Fir, or local some of the Oak's (I think White Oak is available)?

Thanks again, I really appreciate the help!

Mike

[Bill Moser]

Mike - with 8" wide 16/4 maple, cupping was a problem. Not one I couldn't fix with a lot of work, but just be aware of that sort of thing (cup, bow, twist) when thinking about making a bench top out of just a few slabs. I haven't worked with doug fir, but have recently made a small bench out of white oak, and was very pleased with it's working qualities. It's hard, but not too hard. Heavy -- always good for a bench, and not too hard on your blades.

[Rob Fisher]

It is my opinion that almost any wood will work. Including construction grade softwoods. Douglas Fir should be available on the west coast, though I don't know if you can get it that far south. I am in the process of acquiring several 2x12x16's DF from the local BORG. At about $1 a BF it is less than half the price of the cheapest local hardwood (poplar).

[Jim Foster]

My thoughts would be go with softwood if you can, but it also depends on what type of bench your building, IMO. Douglas Fir if you can get it reasonably inexpensive. You may even be able to find 4x6 or 6x6 beams that are affordable.

[Mark Salomon]

I find it interesting that people drool over the Roubo benches built with SYP but say that poplar is too soft for a workbench. My bench is 4 in thick poplar and is just fine. Sure, you don't want to put your alternator with the frozen bolt on it and start pounding on it but it works just fine for woodworking including all of the the chopping that you're likely to do. Dog holes work well and it's easy to plane the top every couple of years to re flatten it if it needs it. I also built a bench for my son-in-law out of hard maple and I prefer the poplar. To each his own, I guess.

[Paul Incognito]

I'm with you on that Mark. I've wondered why we don't see more poplar benches. My current benches are made from reclaimed doug fir, and I'm in the process of building a reclaimed yellow pine bench, but if I had the poplar, that would be my first choice.

Paul

[Curt Putnam]

I'm following this thread with interest because I'm also in SoCal and needing to build a bench. Back in '05 I bought a load of 8/4 poplar for use in building a bench (before I knew about the Janka scale.) I still have all but one piece of it. In '05 (the last time I checked) soft maple was very competitive with poplar in terms of price - and is about the same as cherry on the Janka scale. I would stay away from Doug Fir because it's all from the local hills - knocked down because of fires & bark beetles. There is a lot of it and it is mostly all very green.

If soft maple pricing is still in the range of poplar then that's the way to go. I would definitely go with edge grain rather than face grain for the top all things being equal. A super deal on big slabs means things are not equal :) It is a not inconsiderable expense and merits considerable investigation. Wish us luck.

[Gary Curtis]

Mike, if you can get to Los Angeles, you'll be surprised. I live in Santa Monica. But I have a home in Trinity County and bought lumber in Eureka at bargain prices. My shop is up north. For my workbench I chose 8/4 European Beech. It was on sale at 40% off, and they planed and laminated the timber for me. Less than $1.40/Bf.

So far, we're talking about wood species. I'm not entirely sure that Beech was the best choice. It was sure hard as hell. But it tended to warp easily and I wasn't comfortable until I capped the ends with those T&G breadboard caps to hold the wood flat. Lots of moisture and climate changes in that part of the country. Beech is way up there on the Janka scale. I think there were a bunch of posts on benchtop lumber choices in the Neanderthal section of this Forum, so you can hear from experienced folks on this matter. I haven't been totally convinced on Beech. And I never worked on anything softer.

I am sure about WHERE you should buy. You would think that Northern Coast is prime real estate for wood. Well, if you go to the railroad marshalling area of Los Angeles near Santa Fe Blvd, just south of the 10 Fwy you'll find Bonhoff Lumber. Because of the proximity of the rail yards, warehouses in the area have products from around the world. East Coast lumber is no big thing. This place is an 'industrial strength' lumber yard. Go there and talk to Happy. Way, way in the back they've got a section of seconds. In March, they had Eastern Hardrock Maple. 15' lengths of 12x12' timbers, perfectly straight. Slightly weathered. I think it was about $2/bf. They can mill it, plane, laminate for you on their equipment. These guys are heavy hitters.

I would take into consideration what other posters here said about Hard Maple not being fun to work with. If I were to do it again I would choose Hard Maple for the base and then perhaps Soft Maple (Western) for the top.

[Carl Beckett]

It is my opinion that almost any wood will work. Including construction grade softwoods. Douglas Fir should be available on the west coast, though I don't know if you can get it that far south. I am in the process of acquiring several 2x12x16's DF from the local BORG. At about $1 a BF it is less than half the price of the cheapest local hardwood (poplar).

I am in this camp as well - use what wood is available, and cost effective for you. One of mine was made from Elm - it was a stack of wood sitting in the corner of a barn, and was far from 'perfect' (pith in parts, difficult to machine, etc). But in the end its a great workbench, and it was...... FREE

Another bench is 2x8 and 2x10 lumber joined with face up. It works great. Still another one is two sheets of 3/4 hardwood plywood bonded together - again it works great.

Some of your choice on this is driven by your philosophy - do you want something functional, functionally perfect (again 'perfect' is defined philosophically), a heirloom masterpiece (personally I would want to sit some of these benches in my living room, and would be stressed the first time I put a big gouge in it), or some combination of these.

[Andrae Covington]

With regard to the recycled/reclaimed old-growth timber -- do I still need to stick with the same species (maple, beech, ash, cherry etc.), or because this material has been aired trying for decades, some of it is old-growth with higher ring counts/density and because I might be able to get the entire work surface out of 1-2 slabs; should I also consider some woods like Douglas Fir, or local some of the Oak's (I think White Oak is available)?

There's certainly a good chance that reclaimed beams, studs etc. will be old-growth douglas-fir, hemlock, etc with tight grain. No guarantee through, and with years of grime and aging it can be hard to tell until you start surfacing, or at least crosscut an end. My bench is old-growth douglas-fir from reused 2x4's that I bought from a place here in Portland that salvages such things. It is a little heavier and more dense than the construction lumber available today. Still has the same tendency to splinter along the edges though. But all in all I have been happy with it. Bear in mind with reclaimed construction wood, you'll want to invest in a metal detector if you don't have one... never know what's buried in there waiting to snag your plane (or planer).

212817

As far as maple or beech or the like, they sure make a pretty bench, but beyond that I always wonder why people want to have a really hard bench top. Personally, I prefer something soft enough to not completely destroy the edge of my tools if they dig in. If hard and unyielding is the goal, make the bench out of granite.:confused:

[Gary Curtis]

Bohnhoff Lumber Co, Inc. Contact: Alan, Walt, Charlie, Dick. Address: 3411 E. 26th St. Get a Map! Los Angeles, CA 90058. Phone: 323-263-9361. Fax: 323-263 - ...

Show map of 3411 East 26th Street, Vernon, CA 90058-4170

T (http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=bohnhoff+lumber+los+angeles&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#)hey have seconds or cosmetically marred hardwoods at deep discounts. Vernon is the section of Los Angeles tucked into the corner where the 5 Fwy and the 10 Fwy intersect.

[Jim Foster]

Poplar is a lot more expensive where I live. Otherwise it'd be fine. The pieces of Poplar I have are a lot harder than my Fir bench. One thing I think I've learned about my tastes are that I probably would not build a Maple or similarly hard bench after using my Fir Roubo for a while. The other thing I think I'd do is get bigger timbers to start with 4x6 or 6x6 to start with. Gluing up 20 pcs of 5x1.25 lumber to make a benchtop was a pain. Maybe second time around it would be easier. If I build another bench, maybe the one I have now would be used to beat engine parts apart with :)



I find it interesting that people drool over the Roubo benches built with SYP but say that poplar is too soft for a workbench. My bench is 4 in thick poplar and is just fine. Sure, you don't want to put your alternator with the frozen bolt on it and start pounding on it but it works just fine for woodworking including all of the the chopping that you're likely to do. Dog holes work well and it's easy to plane the top every couple of years to re flatten it if it needs it. I also built a bench for my son-in-law out of hard maple and I prefer the poplar. To each his own, I guess.

[Mike Allen1010]

Mike, if you can get to Los Angeles, you'll be surprised. I live in Santa Monica. But I have a home in Trinity County and bought lumber in Eureka at bargain prices. My shop is up north. For my workbench I chose 8/4 European Beech. It was on sale at 40% off, and they planed and laminated the timber for me. Less than $1.40/Bf.

So far, we're talking about wood species. I'm not entirely sure that Beech was the best choice. It was sure hard as hell. But it tended to warp easily and I wasn't comfortable until I capped the ends with those T&G breadboard caps to hold the wood flat. Lots of moisture and climate changes in that part of the country. Beech is way up there on the Janka scale. I think there were a bunch of posts on benchtop lumber choices in the Neanderthal section of this Forum, so you can hear from experienced folks on this matter. I haven't been totally convinced on Beech. And I never worked on anything softer.

I am sure about WHERE you should buy. You would think that Northern Coast is prime real estate for wood. Well, if you go to the railroad marshalling area of Los Angeles near Santa Fe Blvd, just south of the 10 Fwy you'll find Bonhoff Lumber. Because of the proximity of the rail yards, warehouses in the area have products from around the world. East Coast lumber is no big thing. This place is an 'industrial strength' lumber yard. Go there and talk to Happy. Way, way in the back they've got a section of seconds. In March, they had Eastern Hardrock Maple. 15' lengths of 12x12' timbers, perfectly straight. Slightly weathered. I think it was about $2/bf. They can mill it, plane, laminate for you on their equipment. These guys are heavy hitters.

I would take into consideration what other posters here said about Hard Maple not being fun to work with. If I were to do it again I would choose Hard Maple for the base and then perhaps Soft Maple (Western) for the top.


Thanks Gary- I'm hoping to get up to L.A. and go to Bonhoff next weekend. Sounds like a great tip.

Mike

[Gary Curtis]

Ask about their 2nds. They might call it 'surplus' --- I can't remember. And they will plane it and glue up a top for you.