Wood Choice for Workbench

[Stew Hagerty]

I'm a hybrid woodworker which is why I posting this in this forum instead of the neanderthal one. I may be building a new workbench. I'm 100% sold on a split-top Roubo with Benchcrafted vises. However, I am trying to decide on the wood species to use in it's construction. I've seen and read about using both hardwoods and softwoods. My first thought was of hard maple for it's durability. My second thought was of douglas fir for it's relative ease of maintenance (flattening). Of course there are many many other possibilities. And that is just for the top. The structure is a whole other story. There, oak is a strong candidate (pun intended).

So I guess my question is what have you, or would you, use and why?

If there are already threads on this topic, I apologize for the repeat. I didn't find any specifically on it when I did a search. Although I am certain it must have been discussed on here countless times within various other threads.

[Frederick Skelly]

I used dimensioned lumber, fence posts and "all thread". It's a good looking, functional and relatively inexpensive bench. It is rock solid and has been for 8 years. I never cry when I nick/dent/scratch/cut this bench. It flattens well and easily. It handles any task I throw at it, from planing, to sawing, to assembling. A few details follow if you are interested.....

I built my top from 2x4s, glued face-to-face. I built my base this way: I made 2 identical "sides" for the base, each using two 4x4 douglas fir fence posts for the legs and four 2x4s to connect the 2 legs together in a unit. I connected the two base units together using two 2x6 stretchers and "all thread".

YMMV.
Fred

[Ross Manning]

I prefer a softer species for the benchtop - its easier to work, easier to maintain & less likely to damage projects you place on it. And likely cheaper than hardwoods.

Douglass Fir is excellent -if you can find old growth with tight grain that would be ideal.

For a spilt top, see if you can find some 12" x 4" - maybe from a demolition center/timber recycling supplier.

While not quite a traditional design, see my bench renovation project pictures here - I have a 12x3 as the main bench surface.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f213/bench-renovation-205992

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[Frederick Skelly]

That's one heck of a nice bench Ross!

[Ross Manning]

Thanks! It works really well & is rock solid.

I can highly recommend the Hovarter X-Link, I just used a cheap vise screw & it works as a fantastic quick to adjust vise due to the scissor mechanism.

[Ron Citerone]

My bench top is poplar and it does dent pretty easily, but I don't use it that much. I just built one for my daughter ans son in law and used all hardwood/multiple species and it looks nice, maple/red oak,walnut/white oak/cherry. What I did was just shopped hardwoods on Craig's list that was cheap. A lot of baby boomer woodworkers are unloading wood from their shops.

If I used something soft like poplar or a soft wood I would glue a strip of something hard on the edges as that takes te brunt of the abuse.

Don't worry, be happy! Good luck!

[James Pallas]

Stew, I've had both. I'm on bench number six now. Hard maple on an Adjust a Bench now. Big long (10 ft. 4" thick hard maple before this one). I couldn't move that one or I would still have it. Here is what I found. I did a lot of chopping, mortises, dovetails. You always have that sweet part where you like to chop. Even though you are careful and don't chop thru much you still beat on that one spot. Softwood just doesn't seem to hold up. Each one of those hits goes thru that whole area and weakens the wood by crushing and it just gives up. I would at least have hard maple on the side of the bench where you think your sweet spot will be. The rest would not matter to me. If your not doing a lot of work that requires a lot of hits any good solid wood will do, fir, yellow pine, ash. Just an opinion of course.
Jim

[Scott Adams]

I have read a lot of posts about this. Yellow pine seems to be a happy medium. It's a harder soft wood. If you do finer woodworking it may be better to have something a little softer. I will probably build my first bench from yellow pine and see how I like it. I have a lumber Mill about 5 miles from my house and have easy access to some good stuff. I may end up building a second bench out of White oak or Ash. I can get them for about $1 a board foot...or less depending on the day. Heck, I think a Walnut bench would be beautiful.

[Gary Radice]

I used hard maple for my first bench for its density and relatively low cost where I lived at the time (southern Indiana, 35 years ago.) It held up very well and stayed flat. I recently built a new bench and used European beech since around here it was cheaper than maple, much better quality, and I found it easier to mill. I like the look, too. I’ve worked with SYP for other projects and agree it would be a good choice for its stability but you still have the early wood/late wood difference in density… which may not matter to you one bit. I’ve made shop furniture of Doug fir and I like the look. Here in Oregon it is easy to come by but not as common in the Eastern US. Can be splintery. I probably would prefer a harder and denser wood for a top but it would be fine for a base.

Another good choice is ash if it is available near you. For me, between ash and oak would be a coin flip.

Lots of choices that would work. It may come down to what your budget can afford and what is available in the dimensions you want where you live.

[Nick Shattuck]

I'm a weekender and just finished up a split-top Roubo with benchcrafted hardware. While way more expensive than yellow pine in these parts, I decided to use hard maple because I figured I'm already spending $$$ on the hardware I might as well make this a damn fine bench. I don't have any regrets. I think any hard hardwood would be fine and I'd stay away from pine if you want the top to last.

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[Andrew Seemann]

For a workbench top, find something that is at least relatively hard, readily available in good quality & quantity, and fairly cheap. If possible, go for a lighter wood also, so it is easier to see on the bench. I used hard maple for my Frid bench tops for those reasons; oak and ash were also options, but I know all those woods can be too expensive for a bench top in some places. It really just depends on what is easy to get in your area; what is cheap and good in one part of the country may not be in another. SYP is pretty uncommon here for example, except in roof trusses.

Note, if you are going to use thicker wood, make sure it has been dried properly.

[Ross Manning]

Nothing wrong with using hardwood if thats what you really want.

But for all the talk about durability advantages of hardwoods, I'll offer this:

That slab of Doug Fir on my bench above has been the primary top for my benches for over 25 years of regular use. And I don't baby it.

The design above is the third iteration of workbench I've used it on.

I would go with something that is inexpensive and reasonably dense. Mass is your friend.

[Ross Manning]

I'm a weekender and just finished up a split-top Roubo with benchcrafted hardware. While way more expensive than yellow pine in these parts, I decided to use hard maple because I figured I'm already spending $$$ on the hardware I might as well make this a damn fine bench. I don't have any regrets. I think any hard hardwood would be fine and I'd stay away from pine if you want the top to last.

Great work Nick!!

[Frederick Skelly]

I'd stay away from pine if you want the top to last.

Beautiful bench Nick! Like the hardware too. Been thinking about a Hovarter or Benchcrafted vise but haven't convinced myself yet.

Hey BTW, my pine bench top has lasted just fine. I don't expect to need to replace it. Have you had a different experience?

Fred

[Nick Shattuck]

Great work Nick!!

Thank you!

[Nick Shattuck]

Beautiful bench Nick! Like the hardware too. Been thinking about a Hovarter or Benchcrafted vise but haven't convinced myself yet.

Hey BTW, my pine bench top has lasted just fine. I don't expect to need to replace it. Have you had a different experience?

Fred

Thank you! When I was building this bench I thought I would use the leg vise a lot and not so much the tail vise. But I couldn't have been more wrong. The tail vise is the most handy thing in my shop right now... being able to firmly secure any board of just about any size to a huge unmoving mass in literally a matter of a few seconds is quite the difference maker. The leg vise is awesome too, I just thought I would use it way more than the tail vise.

Honestly, I've built a benchtop out of pine along with a few heavy equipment stands and have never had a problem with it. But I'm typically not hammering/pounding/chiseling/sawing on those either.

[Stew Hagerty]

I prefer a softer species for the benchtop - its easier to work, easier to maintain & less likely to damage projects you place on it. And likely cheaper than hardwoods.

Douglass Fir is excellent -if you can find old growth with tight grain that would be ideal.

For a spilt top, see if you can find some 12" x 4" - maybe from a demolition center/timber recycling supplier.

While not quite a traditional design, see my bench renovation project pictures here - I have a 12x3 as the main bench surface.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f213/bench-renovation-205992


I'm a weekender and just finished up a split-top Roubo with benchcrafted hardware. While way more expensive than yellow pine in these parts, I decided to use hard maple because I figured I'm already spending $$$ on the hardware I might as well make this a damn fine bench. I don't have any regrets. I think any hard hardwood would be fine and I'd stay away from pine if you want the top to last.

Great looking benches guys. Thank you all for your input. I definitely have some things to consider. As I said, I'm a hybrid woodworker but over the years I have found myself gravitating towards handwork more and more as I gain skill and confidence. I plan on spending a lot of time at this bench. I do a lot of planing and sawing by hand. I do chop some mortises, but I also have a Powermatic mortising machine that is just too good to not use. Right now I don't have an assembly table so this would serve that purpose as well.

This is my current bench, which I inherited from my father-in-law.
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[Jon Nuckles]

I used hard maple and, other than the weight of the bench top when building it, am very happy with it. I can't speak to the other choices, which may be as good or better. If you want a particular wood and can afford it, don't decide based on price; you will have the bench for a long time and using it can inspire you when you work on it or remind of a decision you regret.

[Marko Haarma]

Hope this isn't blasphemy here but after pricing out workbench materials I went with the pre-built Harbor Freight models instead. With coupon you can find them for 100 each and they have a hardwood top, vice, shelves, and drawers. Would have spent waaaay more trying to build them myself. I currently have 4 in my workshop, some alone, others mounted together for a larger work area...

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[Stew Hagerty]

Hope this isn't blasphemy here but after pricing out workbench materials I went with the pre-built Harbor Freight models instead. With coupon you can find them for 100 each and they have a hardwood top, vice, shelves, and drawers. Would have spent waaaay more trying to build them myself. I currently have 4 in my workshop, some alone, others mounted together for a larger work area...

!!!!!!!!!!

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[Dennis Tebo]

Stew,

Sounds like you are going down the same road I just traveled. I have about 10 hours of work to complete my split top Roubo workbench, outfitted with Benchcrafted vises. I also researched what wood to use and quickly found you can use whatever you want, just like you are seeing in this thread. There may be some small pros and cons, but I decided that if I was going to spend the money on the Bencrafted hardware that I would invest in some quality wood and make a nice bench. I ended up using Soft Maple with some Walnut for the trim. I really like the looks of the contrasting woods. I plan on posting pictures in the projects section once I'm done, but here is a teaser photo:

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Dennis

[Stew Hagerty]

Stew,

Sounds like you are going down the same road I just traveled. I have about 10 hours of work to complete my split top Roubo workbench, outfitted with Benchcrafted vises. I also researched what wood to use and quickly found you can use whatever you want, just like you are seeing in this thread. There may be some small pros and cons, but I decided that if I was going to spend the money on the Bencrafted hardware that I would invest in some quality wood and make a nice bench. I ended up using Soft Maple with some Walnut for the trim. I really like the looks of the contrasting woods. I plan on posting pictures in the projects section once I'm done, but here is a teaser photo:
Dennis

Thanks Dennis, I look forward to seeing it. Please write a quick post here to let me know when you do so that I don't miss it.

[Tom Bender]

Mine is 3" thick Hard Maple.

Pros
great for chopping on
durable
stable
can write and make layout marks on it
can do some drafting on it

Cons
difficult to flatten
slick
stains really show up (it looks used)

[Stew Hagerty]

I plan on using the same finish on it that I have on the top of my current bench. The traditional BLO/Wax/Turpentine blend. Although I substitute less odoriferous mineral spirits for the turpentine. It protects the top from glue drips and I think it gives it a "softer" feel.

[Herb Smith]

Several have mentioned using Southern Yellow Pine and having good results. I live in the greater Chicagoland area and my question is where do you find SYP around here? I know that it can be special ordered from Menards but if you do, you can't select the boards that you get. I'm not sure that I want to pay for what I can't see beforehand. Does anyone have anywhere else in this area that you've been able to find 2x8 or 2x10 SYP?

[Mike Berrevoets]

Several have mentioned using Southern Yellow Pine and having good results. I live in the greater Chicagoland area and my question is where do you find SYP around here? I know that it can be special ordered from Menards but if you do, you can't select the boards that you get. I'm not sure that I want to pay for what I can't see beforehand. Does anyone have anywhere else in this area that you've been able to find 2x8 or 2x10 SYP?

Sorry, I don’t have anywhere else but I have ordered from Menards and have found the wider and longer the boards the better the grade they seem to be. I get the #1 grade 2x12 and rip to what I need and add a few extra boards. Still cheaper than anywhere else even if I need to cut around some areas.

The last time I ordered I order some MSR (machine stress rated?) SYP thinking it would be even better and less knots but I didn’t notice a difference although one piece had very tight growth rings and was very very dense.

Your mileage may vary.

[Jim Dwight]

Jay Bates has an interesting video on his website where he says he likes his southern yellow workbench better than his hickory workbench. Worth watching. The two benches are almost identical. He does prefer the hickory leg vise. Hickory is heavy and really hard. Harder than hard maple or oak.

[Ross Manning]

I believe that SYP became popular for traditional workbenches in USA due to the "Schwarz Effect". However I do recall reading in one of Schwarz's posts that he only recommended SYP as it was cheap in his area, and available in the dimensions needed, stable & stiff. He went on to say just use whatever was available, inexpensive, dry & stiff.

A lot of mass & easy to flatten are good inputs to your choice. Aesthetics will also play a part - some will want to make a bench to showcase their skills & be a beautiful piece of furniture - nothing wrong with that.

[Ted Phillips]

I recommend that you visit several hardwood dealers in your area and get to know them. When I built my last bench, I went to talk with them to see if they had any good inexpensive hardwood choices. As it turns out, one dealer had a load of soft maple 8/4 stock that had some bad sticker-stains. They weren't able to sell it for normal cabinetry purposes and were on the verge of severely milling it down and taking a loss on the shipment. They gave me a very good price - and it made a fantastic bench. I didn't really care about the stains... they just added a bit of character...

It pays to make friends with your local dealers.

[Chuck Nickerson]

I used DF on my split-top Roubo five years ago and have no regrets. One advantage of the split-top: I knew if I didn't like the DF top I could replace it one half at a time.

[Frank Necaise]

I used southern yellow pine 2 by 12s that I cut up for legs 3 plus feet and top 8 plus feet and split to 2 by 6 on table saw for my Roubo. Like someone mentioned it is a good balance between harder and softer woods at a great price
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[lowell holmes]

Or maybe https://www.amazon.com/Laminated-Maple-Bench-Top-Lbs/dp/B0035YESK6

[Russ Muller]

Happy 2022
The year of rmbench build. My 1st workbench build.
Shop is a small area (15×20 )in my 3 car garage Need advice on wood and style..
TOP - 6/4 BEECH or other and why not Beech (I have some I bought years ago at McClendons in Atl.
BASE: Oak or other and with just stringers or a solid tray base ( My current Grizzly bench is just a place to accumulate small tools and shaving/dirt
Any advise is greatly accepted and appreciated.
BTW - At least 1 vise is a 20" InKline turbo I'm excited to incorporate.

[Carl Beckett]

I built mine out of an Elm tree that came down on the back of the family farm. It is quite ornery to work with (twists, moves, a lot of residual stresses), I do not recommend.

But such a bench takes a fair bit of lumber and once I got it together (with some walnut and cherry contrast), it looks good and functions very well. I can not imagine what it would cost paying retail for hard maple. But those are beautiful benches.

I am of the camp: build it from the materials you can get your hands on.

[Michael Drew]

I was planning to use a 6" X 12" gluelam for split top bench. They are typically built with doug fir.

[Jim Becker]

I was planning to use a 6" X 12" gluelam for split top bench. They are typically built with doug fir.

What's your plan to surface it so it's flat and smooth? It will be stout for sure...but the nature of the material will be a challenge to get it prepared. "Dinging" it could result in splinters, too.

[Holmes Anderson]

I think most people who were going to the trouble and expense of building a split top Roubo with $1000 of high-end Benchcrafted vises wouldn't cut costs on the lumber. Beech and maple are the standard species. Lumber prices and availability may dictate your choice. Currently, ash is less expensive than all other hardwoods and even eastern white pine where I live so if I was building right now I might consider ash. Fir is too prone to splintering IMO but obviously some guys on this thread are loving it. My bench is rock maple, my dad's is beech, and I like them both. I can't seem to find a fir bench on the Benchcrafted or Sjobergs websites.

[Michael Drew]

What's your plan to surface it so it's flat and smooth? It will be stout for sure...but the nature of the material will be a challenge to get it prepared. "Dinging" it could result in splinters, too.

I figure that whatever wood I use for the top, I'll need to flatten it. My initial thought was to use a router sled.

The idea to use a gluelam came to me after reading Christopher Schwarz's book THE ANARCHIST’S WORKBENCH (great book BTW, and the can be downloaded for no cost). He goes into great detail about wood to use and two he recommends using are yellow pine and doug fir. Buy good, dry construction lumber. Preferably 2x12's and rip them in half, machine them and then laminate them. That's basically what a glulam is, and it's dry.

I'm very curious why you think this would be more prone to splinters?

[Mark e Kessler]

I used Hard Maple, easy enough to flatten with a sharp hand plane.

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[Clifford McGuire]

I made this 3" hard maple bench about 25 years ago. It has been my primary work surface all these years.

I flatten it with a No. 7 every five years or so. And I don't notice it's not flat.....it just seems like it's the right time to do it.

I've tried different finishes over the years. The last time, I used a water based General Finishes product. No other reason than I had some on hand...and I like the non-ambered look of the maple.

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[Jim Becker]

I figure that whatever wood I use for the top, I'll need to flatten it. My initial thought was to use a router sled.

The idea to use a gluelam came to me after reading Christopher Schwarz's book THE ANARCHIST’S WORKBENCH (great book BTW, and the can be downloaded for no cost). He goes into great detail about wood to use and two he recommends using are yellow pine and doug fir. Buy good, dry construction lumber. Preferably 2x12's and rip them in half, machine them and then laminate them. That's basically what a glulam is, and it's dry.

I'm very curious why you think this would be more prone to splinters?

My mind was picturing a manufactured product rather than what a glulam really is. My appologies. If you can get the material, it can certainly save you time over laminating your own.