Skirt on bench top?

[Dave McGeehan]

Recently a friend told me about a great deal on 2 maple tops from a butcherblock company in which the customer cancelled and the company would sell cheap, cash/no refunds. They were supposed to be 1+3/4" X 32" X 96". When he brought mine to my shop it was only 1+1/2" thick. My plan is to shorten it to 76" and attach breadboard floating ends. It is thinner than I wanted but I plan to beef it up where the Tucker vise will be located. I put 125 lbs. on that part of the top to see if there would be any deflection and saw none. Am I correct in assuming that a 50 lb. Tucker vise will be OK at that same location (left-hand/front) that will be used mostly for carving with mallet and chisels?

Also, what is the purpose in skirting the front and rear of a benchtop other than another place for benchdog holes? Would skirting add any stability to a top that might be a little on the thin-side at 1+1/2"?

Dave

[Brian Kent]

Yes, absolutely. A 4" skirt would really help the stability. My maple top is 1 3/4" thick. I recently thickened my apron. Previously it was 4" thick for 1 3/4" from the front, so I added some wood until I had 4" thick a full 4" from the edge. It feels a little better, but is a great help in my clamping foundation.

[Don Bullock]

I could be wrong, but I'll toss out and idea anyway. Before putting on the skirt, which is definately needed, put a piece of MDF the size of your top under the top to provide more stability and weight.

[Dave McGeehan]

I guess my biggest question is: why does a benchtop have to be 3 or 4 inches thick? Does sanding, dovetail-cutting (router or by hand), carving, hand-planing, trimming tenons, assembling, finishing, etc. really put so much stress on a bench top that 1+1/2" maple wouldn't be able to handle it? Over the years I've done everything from ball-and-claw legs, free-form in-the-round carving in cherry, bent tapered laminations, and most standard woodworking techniques and never had a problem related to stability with my old crappy benchtop that was a piece of particle board screwed to a bunch of uneven 2X4s.

I've learned a lot from the Sawmill Creek site. Any opinions out there as to the reason benchtops have to be so thick and what problems could be encountered with a 1+1/2" maple one?

[Mark Stutz]

I'm no expert on benches (but I have slept at a Holiday Inn Express before:D :eek) but my understanding was traditionally it was for the mass. I can easily scoot my bench while useing my shooting board, and occasionally when face planing large boards. I'm not sure you need a skirt board on a 3 to 4 inch thick benchtop, unless it's to put holes for a board jack or other support for long stock.



Mark

[Dave McGeehan]

That makes sense, Mark. I have a couple friends who have benches you could park a car on and always wondered what the purpose of all that weight was (especially when one of them relocated his shop and asked me to help him move :eek: ).