Workbench top thickness?

[Chris Skoglund]

I'm new to woodworking and am looking to construct a workbench. I see that 3"-5" of thickness is called for in many plans. I don't have access to a jointer or thickness planer but I can get a top made out of hardwood by a local manufacturer. However, they only go to a thickness of 1 3/4. So....should I a: by more than one top and laminate and if so what's the best way to handle that? b: should I just go with 1 3/4 and that will suffice? or c: should I source thicker lumber and hand plane and if I hand plane will I get a satisfactory result? Thanks in advance.

[Jim Matthews]

Well braced from underneath, a 1 3/4 top should be plenty stiff to support most work.

If you want to use a holdfast, leave clearance underneath for the upright section to clear.
If you want more than the 1 3/4 thickness, I would laminate a sheet of 3/4" plywood beneath.

My bench is a hair more than 2" thick and it's plenty stable.

[Alan Schwabacher]

1 3/4" is fine for most things. The very thick tops mimic early workbenches made at a time when almost the entire cost of lumber was in the sawing, so using 200% more lumber to make the bench 10% more stable was perfectly reasonable. A thick top can be repeatedly resurfaced as it gets damaged, dirty, or out of flat. Keeping a thinner top stiff and flat with bearers and/or aprons works well. Mike Siemsen's is one place to look: http://schoolofwood.com/node/27

When pounding on a bench, you don't want it to bounce. With a thinner top, you can avoid that by pounding directly over a leg, or by making the front edge (4-6"?) of your bench double thick by lamination. The thick top allows it to be quite stiff without an apron that can interfere with some ways to clamp to the top. If you use holdfasts, you shouldn't need those ways.

I would not thicken an entire solid wood top by laminating to plywood, since side to side expansion of the solid wood with humidity will not be matched by the plywood and it will tend to curl. Laminating plywood to plywood, or using narrow strip(s) of plywood under solid would be fine.

[Prashun Patel]

Get the 1 3/4 top and laminate an apron under the front edge. A thicker front apron will serve as a rear jaw for a front vise and will provide more meat for dog holes.

[Stephen Cherry]

Maybe check ikea for wood counter tops.

[Aleks Hunter]

Look around in your area for salvaged bowling alley lanes. They're made of hard maple, about 2.5" thick and come in slabs big enough you''ll likely want to cut down to size for a workbench top!

[David Kumm]

Do whatever is cheapest as long as it is flat. As you work you will develop an opinion as to what and how your bench will be used for. Then you can build what works best and fits your needs. Dave

[Jim Matthews]

I would not thicken an entire solid wood top by laminating to plywood, since side to side expansion of the solid wood with humidity will not be matched by the plywood and it will tend to curl. Laminating plywood to plywood, or using narrow strip(s) of plywood under solid would be fine.

I'm not suggesting it needs to be glued to the top. It could be held on with something as simple as double-sided tape.

[glenn bradley]

I call my current bench my "next bench" as one will change them as they establish or change direction as a woodworker. Start simple and plan for change ;-)

[John Coloccia]

I guess I'm going to be the weirdo of the group and say that a 1 3/4" bench top seems marginal to me. You're going to find yourself doing things like always having to work directly over a leg to get a solid blow. Holdfasts will work better in a thick top. The whole bench will be heavier, which will make it easier to plane without moving the bench.

I have no idea how you could possibly laminate two bench tops to each other. You would need some sort of press. Even driving your car on top of it would not even begin to give you adequate clamping. How much is the 1 3/4" top? If it's not very much, just get it and use it as the practice-bench-and-bench-to-build-the-real-bench bench.

[Jim Matthews]

Look around in your area for salvaged bowling alley lanes. They're made of hard maple, about 2.5" thick and come in slabs big enough you''ll likely want to cut down to size for a workbench top!

My first bench was built with reclaimed bowling alley sections. It was full of corrogated steel fasteners used in the assembly of each section.
It was a nightmare to mount vises or drill dog holes through.

If you do go this route, get a simple metal detector - 3/4" drill bits are expensive.

[Jim Matthews]

Do you think a 1 3/4 top with a supporting layer of 3/4" ply beneath would be stiff enough?

[John Coloccia]

Do you think a 1 3/4 top with a supporting layer of 3/4" ply beneath would be stiff enough?

Honestly, I'm not really sure how stiff plywood is. I rarely use it in any sort of structural way. The way I look at it, I never have enough bench space anyhow, so if the thing didn't break the bank i would just buy it and make my bench. In a year or two, I'd know what I REALLY want from a bench and I'd rebuild it with a massive top and base. I just wouldn't spend a year fiddling around with this one. Get it together, learn how to build a bench, get some vises and things like that on it, and get to work building real projects.

[Howard Acheson]

Are thinking about a 1 3/4 solid wood top laminated to plywood? If so, that won't work. The solid wood will want to expand and contract with changes in relative humidity while the plywood will be stable. You will end up with warping and probably some splitting.

It would be best to laminate a double thickness of 3/4" MDF or particleboard and then laminate a 14" hardboard (masonite) skin to the top. This will give you a solid, heavy and quite durable benchtop.

Use a chemical contact cement to laminate the materials.

[Sam Stephens]

realize that the thickness is commonly achieved by gluing up 3-5" wide boards face to face that are 1-2" thick. For example, my bench is ~27" wide and consists of ~20 boards ~1 3/8" thick glued face to face. The width of these boards was 3 1/4" which dictates the "thickness" of my workbench top, not the thickness of the boards. HTH

as to the needed thickness, it kind of depends on what you're doing- hand tool work, assembly table, general work, etc. Figure that out, and then the bench necessities will be more obvious.

[Gordon Eyre]

M
realize that the thickness is commonly achieved by gluing up 3-5" wide boards face to face that are 1-2" thick. For example, my bench is ~27" wide and consists of ~20 boards ~1 3/8" thick glued face to face. The width of these boards was 3 1/4" which dictates the "thickness" of my workbench top, not the thickness of the boards. HTH

as to the needed thickness, it kind of depends on what you're doing- hand tool work, assembly table, general work, etc. Figure that out, and then the bench necessities will be more obvious.

+1. Sam is right on.

[Chris Skoglund]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I called back and spoke to a different rep and he confirmed that he can do 3". I'm assuming 3" will make for a good top, but I wanted to put it out here for discussion before I go on it. What say you? Good to roll??

[John Coloccia]

Oh yes, 3" will make a DANDY top :)

[Gordon Eyre]

Yes, go for it!

[Sam Layton]

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the Creek.

I built my current bench the same way Sam Stephens describes. Works out great. I think my bench is 3" thick. My old bench was 1 3/4" thick. It was a good bench, and I did many things on that bench. However, the 3" bench is ideal. A lot depends what type of work you do.

If you want to laminate two benches together, I think that would work out good. If I was going to laminate the two, I would take the bottom part of the bench, and drill a series of holes spaced equally. Then apply a layer of glue, and screw the two together. The screws will apply enough pressure to get a good bond. Just make sure you plan ahead as to where you want to have accessories on your bench, bench dogs, etc. If you draw out a grid and drill the holes maybe 7-8" apart, the screws will give you a lot of clamping power. Start in the middle and work your way out.

I would not glue a 1 3/4" laminated top, to plywood. They do not react the same to climate changes.

When you build a bench using flat sawn lumber, and you glue the boards face to face, you end up with a quarter sawn bench. So now if the bench moves, it will move up, and down, and not side to side. This is important when you install end caps to your bench.

What every bench you build, just make sure you have a sturdy base.

Sam

[Sam Layton]

Chris,

A few more posts while I was typing. 3" is the perfect size. You don't say what kind of wood you are thinking. I would suggest hard maple. Stable and strong...

Sam

[Chris Skoglund]

One last question, the style of bench I plan to build is a Roubo. I'm following Chris Schwarz plans. He recommends 5" and I'll be doing 3". Should I be looking at a different style if I'm only doing 3". I'm not married to this plan at all. I chose it because it seems like something I should be able to pull off (this will be my first ever large project). Is there another style of bench I should consider given my lack of experience and 3" top?

[Steve Keathley]

Are thinking about a 1 3/4 solid wood top laminated to plywood? If so, that won't work. The solid wood will want to expand and contract with changes in relative humidity while the plywood will be stable. You will end up with warping and probably some splitting.

It would be best to laminate a double thickness of 3/4" MDF or particleboard and then laminate a 14" hardboard (masonite) skin to the top. This will give you a solid, heavy and quite durable benchtop.

Use a chemical contact cement to laminate the materials.this is what I did, except I used Formica instead of hard board. It is 48x72 and sits on top of two old Craftsman steel workbench bases I have.

It is extremely solid and stable.

[Lou Ortiz]

3" shouldn't be a problem, but I'm curious why you can't find someone to run a thicker top for you. 5" shouldn't be a problem for a cabinet shop.

[Prashun Patel]

3 inches is fine. The style of bench is driven by how you like to work, not how thick the top is. The roubo leg joint does benefit from a thick top but 3 inches is good.

[Chris Skoglund]

I started by calling a hardwood seller and they sent me to a door manufacturer. They said that their planer wouldn't handle anything beyond 3.5" and they suggested 3". I'll check the cabinet makers next week.

[Sam Layton]

Chris,

I have never seen a bench 5" thick. I think 3" is the more standard. However, depending what type of vices you use, quite often a 3" wide x 6" apron is added.

Sam