Wood to make workbench

[Kent Adams]

Ok, now that I have my first planes, I need to make a workbench. I've attached a link to hardwood I can source locally. Which of these species would you choose to make a bench from? I'd like to make my bench 2" thick, though I'd like to go thicker but holdfasts from what I've read don't work beyond a 2" thick top.

http://hardwoodstore.com/lumber-prices

[Matthew N. Masail]

The gramercy holdfasts and the LV ones work great in tops over 3" thick. If the tip is thicker a shallow counterbore on the underside of the hole solves it. 2"in not thick enough IMO unless you add a good apron but now getting into bench design. I normally use softwood for benches and I like it very much. A harder soft wood like D. Fir is nicer than pine but pine works perfectly too. I would save the money spent on hardwoods for furniture. If the price is not as much a concern I would go with ash or oak for the top.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

On that list I would think about yellow pine.

[Joel Thomas Runyan]

Depends entirely on your build and tooling. If you're going to laminate a top, go thicker than 2" (counter-boring takes no time if your holdfasts are flopping) and build it out of the cheapest, thickest, clearest stuff you can find, which on that list would be yellow pine.

[ken hatch]

Ok, now that I have my first planes, I need to make a workbench. I've attached a link to hardwood I can source locally. Which of these species would you choose to make a bench from? I'd like to make my bench 2" thick, though I'd like to go thicker but holdfasts from what I've read don't work beyond a 2" thick top.

http://hardwoodstore.com/lumber-prices

Very good prices on the wood, I wish we had as good here in the desert.

My last three benches were built using Southern Yellow Pine, European Beech, and Douglas Fir, in that order. Of the three, the Beech was the easiest build and made the nicer bench. While Beech is not on your list, Soft Maple and Beech are much the same in weight, workability, and strength. Of the woods on that list Soft Maple would make the nicest bench. Of the three woods I used Douglas Fir was the most difficult to work, with Southern Yellow Pine being in the middle. Depending on the type of bench, Roubo based if you are going with fashion, German or Scandinavian if you go back a few years to what was in fashion BCS, or an English type if you want simple that works. Depending on type and size you will need 75 to 300 BF of wood. Let's say you are building a larger Roubo and need 250 BF. Built with Soft Maple the wood would cost less than $970 USD, out of Doug Fir the cost would be less than $940 USD, and the cheapest would be SYP at less than $640 USD. Less than $350 USD difference between the most expensive and the cheapest. Of those three woods with the best being Soft Maple and the not so good being Doug Fir I would build a Soft maple bench but if cost is driving then SYP is a no brainer.

ken

PS, unless you are building an English style bench, the working area of the top needs to be at least 3" thick, 4" is better. All my benches are around 4" thick and I use holdfasts and battens as my primary holding system with no problems.

[mark kosse]

I'd be looking at hickory. Way harder than yellow pine but only a buck pbf more.

[Graham Haydon]

Depending on your experience Kent a traditional workbench can be a big project. If you already have plenty of experience then carry on, if you don't have so much one of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_xJD_aylYw or something like it would give you something to start with.

Although I don't live in the US it seems Southern Yellow Pine from Home Center type stores offers a convenient way of picking up good workbench material. Also Ash seems pretty good value if you want to go a step further on cost.

A holdfast will work well in a thick top if set up right http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-ca3b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 you'll notice how the holdfast is in what looks to be quite a large hole relative to the holdfast diameter. The holdfast is also very different, massive would be a good description! A couple of examples http://www.negrelantiques.com/antique_tables.html?itemid=1966 & http://www.negrelantiques.com/antique_tables.html?itemid=2165.

I don't have any personal experience of the French style bench though, favoring the more economical English style.

[Mel Fulks]

Those prices look high to me ,but I retired several years ago. First thing I would do is check with a place that buys and sells used restaurant equipment ,often they have good quality maple tops ...that smell like bacon.

[Pat Barry]

1st choice = hard maple, 2nd choice = ash

[Curt Putnam]

Depending on the budget .... Many claim that hard maple is the bees knees for bench tops while others like softwoods for the top because it will generally dent before your project does. I scored some soft maple so that's what I will be using. Mine is all 4/4 rough so I've got a load of planing and laminating to do. I plan to put in a stick of hard maple for the dog hole strip. May I suggest that you consider setting up a pair of sawhorses and use them to laminate your top, when done you will have a useful bench from which to assemble your base. Good Luck!

[Jim Belair]

Poplar. Not to soft. Not too hard. Just right. Same price as yellow pine.

[Kent Adams]

Anyone see a problem with using domestic cherry?

[Brian Holcombe]

Straight grain? Would likely be really nice work with and make a fine bench. The thing I really like about cherry is that it planes beautifully. There are a couple woods that will really spoil you and cherry is one of them.

[Jim Koepke]

Anyone see a problem with using domestic cherry?

Kent,

One of the common suggestions is to use what is local and inexpensive. The pleasant conundrum many of us in North America have is the wide domestic variety in our choices.

Another thought is to use a wood you would like to use for making furniture. Building a bench will give you a lot of experience working that wood.

So much has been posted about Southern Yellow Pine I wish it was available in my area.

jtk

[Tom Vanzant]

Anyone ever use cypress for a bench? I have access to 15-20 rough-sawn 2x10s (actual size) x12' long. Also a slab of red oak 3"x12" X 8' long as well as a couple of 2"x4"x8' cut from RO from the same batch. All have been in a barn in central Louisiana for 10-15 years.

[David Eisenhauer]

I used cypress recovered from an old water tank off of my grandfather's farm for outdoor furniture. It was soft and light, easy to work with. Makes lots of fine, fine sanding powder if sanded. My memory of working it is that it may be a little too soft for a work bench, but that is the only time I have used it. Other cypress may be a little harder.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Kent, I agree with Mel, I think those prices are bit on the high side for this side of Tucson (sorry Ken). I'm guessing there are lots of local mills near you that are more reasonably priced. I found Wall Lumber in Mayodan, just a bit north of you that appears to cater to woodworkers - no minimum order for cash and carry - ( http://www.walllumber.com/premier). They can straight edge the stock and even plane it for you which for a bench build you might have them do unless you really want to put those new hand planes to work.

If you are going to build a bench, then go to your local library and see if they have any workbench books. The Workbench book by Scott Landis is a good resource as is the Chris Schwarz "The Workbench Design Book". Another good book is Lon Schleining's "The Workbench - A complete guide to building your perfect bench". Hard Maple is a favorite species used for workbenches, but many, many other species are used as well. Chery is not a common choice, primarily because there are harder, less expensive woods better suited to the use (and abuse). The Gramercy holdfasts (Tools for Working Wood) work just fine in my 3 1/4" in thick top. I had to rough up the shafts with some 100 grit sand paper, but after that, they grip the work just fine.

[Charles Wiggins]

Southern Yellow Pine. It's a workbench, not furniture. SYP readily available in the Southeast, reasonably priced, easy to work, has a fairly good strength to weight ratio, and will harden over time as the resins in the wood dry out.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/strategies-for-using-southern-yellow-pine

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2014/08/14/crap-wood-for-good-workbenches/

[Phil Mueller]

Kent, I'll throw in my 2 cents, as I'm relatively new to hand tools and in the midst of a bench build. I went with a bit of a hybrid. The majority of the wood is pine. On the front legs that will have a leg vise and dog holes, I faced the legs (front and back) with hard maple. I also faced the front rail with maple that the deadman will slide on and the front and back of the top is maple. I'm using hard maple for the leg vise chop and some Purple Heart I had for the deadman.

In the course of the build, a couple things became apparent. The pine is much more forgiving when it comes to tool sharpness and that made it much less frustrating. On the other hand, when you pound a part to check fit, use a scrap...the pine will dent. But throughout the build, I keep reminding myself this is just a workbench...a tool and it's going to get a few dents and nicks over time.

I agree with a few suggestions above. Get a book or two on bench building. Also check out Paul Sellers bench build video.

[Robert Engel]

I agree re: SYP but for 70 cents more I would also go with ash.

IMO a workbench top should be of a dense wood although a softwood will probably work just as well.

IMO 2" is not thick enough. How thick? I think 5 is overkill and 3- 3 1/2 is probably ideal.

[John Sanford]

Anyone see a problem with using domestic cherry?

A problem? No, nor would I see a problem with using air dryed walnut, honduran mahogany teak. All, however, would be a suboptimal allocation of resources. Almost any wood will work, the question is how much does it cost, how stable is it, and how easy is it to work with the tools you'll be using? IF somebody gave me a thousand board feet of cherry and I had no cash for other wood, then I might use the cherry, but I'd cry when doing so because cherry is a great wood for making furniture. (In a better world, I'd sell enough of the cherry necessary to buy soft maple for the base and hard maple for the top, and still end up with more cherry than if I'd made a bench.)

Setting aside the big box/construction lumber route, if cost were a concern, I'd go with a poplar base and either hard or soft maple top. Relative advantages and disadvantages of the two maples have been proferred by others. FWIW, cost not being the primary concern for me, and being my third bench, I'm currently building one with a soft maple base, hard maple top and some purpleheart accents.

[Mark Kornell]

Anyone see a problem with using domestic cherry?

I made my workbench top from cherry, 4" thick. It is a good wood to work with in general, and presents no issues being used in a workbench. Allocation of resources is a personal choice.

[William Ignelzi]

I made my workbench using SYP from a combination of scavenged material and purchased from The Hardwood Store of NC. Two factors for the choice of SYP - expense and authenticity. It felt right to use SYP in North Carolina.

Been buying from The Hardwood Store for many years, it's a well run operation.

[Kent Adams]

Charles, one problem though with pine, I hate the look of it. ;)

[Charles Wiggins]

Charles, one problem though with pine, I hate the look of it. ;)

My natural response is, "Who cares what it looks like? It a workbench." Oh well, as the Schwarz says, just about any wood will do as long and it is dry so it's relatively stable.

"Any wood (even plywood) can be used to make a bench. The material should be cheap, easy to get, heavy (if possible), dry-ish and heavy (if possible). After a few years of use, your bench will look like every other used bench – beat up, broke in and awesome." http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/mistakes-first-time-bench-builders

[Kent Adams]

My natural response is, "Who cares what it looks like? It a workbench." Oh well, as the Schwarz says, just about any wood will do as long and it is dry so it's relatively stable.

"Any wood (even plywood) can be used to make a bench. The material should be cheap, easy to get, heavy (if possible), dry-ish and heavy (if possible). After a few years of use, your bench will look like every other used bench – beat up, broke in and awesome." http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/mistakes-first-time-bench-builders

Part of my joy in the workshop is working with material I find enjoyable, looking at material I find pleasing and working with tools that bring me enjoyment. Pure utilitarianism doesn't inspire me. I won't be building anything out of pine except maybe the outdoor raised bed. It's everywhere we live in our part of the country. I have pine overload. I may not choose cherry, but walnut and maple. Heck, I may build the top out of sapele :).

[Pat Barry]

Heck, I may build the top out of sapele :).
Cool idea. Please post pics of your progress

[George Sanders]

I am also starting to build a bench. I'm using an article from Popular Woodworking Feb. 2001 called the $175 workbench. I just bought syp yesterday. I am restricted on space so I will only make it 6' long and 26' wide. It will only have 1 vise for now and I can add an end vise later.

[Charles Wiggins]

Part of my joy in the workshop is working with material I find enjoyable, looking at material I find pleasing and working with tools that bring me enjoyment. Pure utilitarianism doesn't inspire me. I won't be building anything out of pine except maybe the outdoor raised bed. It's everywhere we live in our part of the country. I have pine overload. I may not choose cherry, but walnut and maple. Heck, I may build the top out of sapele :).

To each his own. If you have the means and it makes you happy, why not? Personally, I love to go into an old building and seeing SYP. When we first moved to Rutherford County we rented a house built in the 1920s. The paneling in all of the family spaces, and all of the floors were SYP. Thankfully, no one had ever painted any of it. The rooms were dark, but that wood was gorgeous.

[Adam Cruea]

I'd be looking at hickory. Way harder than yellow pine but only a buck pbf more.

Just curious. . .you ever made a workbench, completely by hand, from hickory?

Don't get me wrong, I love my hickory workbench. . .but I will probably not build another one in my lifetime.

[Peter Aeschliman]

At those prices, I'd go with Ash. Not the prettiest, but really hard and heavy for the price.

[ken hatch]

Just curious. . .you ever made a workbench, completely by hand, from hickory?

Don't get me wrong, I love my hickory workbench. . .but I will probably not build another one in my lifetime.

Adam,

What can I say....Other than: Way to cut to the chase. You are the man, I expect my poor old body would never recover from that experience.

Nothing wrong with SYP, I've a couple of benches in use made of SYP, they function well, but the Beech bench is an order of magnitude nicer to work on and to look at. Build was easier as well.

Other than the name and the cost per BF there isn't enough difference between Hard Maple and Soft Maple to amount to a hill of beans for use as a work bench. Either will make a very nice bench. I've worked on some White Oak benches, not bad but I like a bench with a little less open grain....personal opinion don'tchknow. I expect an Ash bench would be much the same as a Oak bench.

Bottom line the cost of a bench is in the labor to build and somewhat in the vises. The difference between a using a low cost domestic wood vs. a higher cost domestic ain't worth the worry. Of course as with all things wood....YMMV.

[Nick Stokes]

I built mine out of 2x6's and it almost killed me. Hickory? I aint tuff enough.

[Mike Cherry]

I agree with Nick. By the time I figure out everything I will do different on my next bench, I hope I will have forgotten how much work it is to build a bench lol.