Workbench Top

[Joe Denney]

Following up on a new direction from my last thread, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=60721, I now have some questions about lumber for the top of my workbench. I have searched previous posts, and didn't see answers to these specific questions.

1. Is there any reason not to use doug fir 4x4's for the top? The ones I see now have fewer defects than the southern yellow pine I have found, and although they are more expensive, should make a nice top.

2. Is there any functional difference between douglas fir and hemlock fir for a bench top? I have also found some hemlock fir 2x4's that look ok, so if there is a problem w/the 4x4's, I could use these.

Sorry for all the questions, but having never done this before, I'm sure I'm obsessing over the details.

[James Mittlefehldt]

I am assuming that by hemlock fir you are referring to the species hemlock, Tsuga which if I am not mistaken is somewhat splintery and knotty. If those are your choices then Douglas Fir would be the best, assuming the price is right and availability is not a problem.

[Jason Beam]

#1: I'd be suspect of those 4x4's actually being dry when you buy them. When they do finally dry, they're likely to split and twist and do all sorts of weird dances on you. If they're glued into a top, you may end up with just a warped top. Then again, it could rip itself apart if the warpage between adjacent boards are opposite one another.

#2: Hemlock v. Fir? They're both fairly soft, but I think Fir's a little bit harder which would mean it'd wear a little better. It'd be no question if you could find old-growth fir. It's WAY harder than any softwood you can buy at the lumberyard these days.

[Wilbur Pan]

On using Douglas fir 4x4's for a top:

It depends on what kind of 4x4's you are talking about. Most of the 4x4 material in my area is pressure treated Southern yellow pine, which I would never use for a workbench (because of the pressure treated part, not the SYP part). But one of the Borgs in my area carries kiln dried Douglas fir 4x4's, which is much straighter, drier, even-grained, and knot free than the Douglas fir 2x material available here. I've been stopping in at this particular Borg every few weeks, picking through the pile until I find three of the best pieces, and buying those three at a time.*

I have no idea why this particular Borg stocks this stuff, but I am very glad they do. And yes, I am planning to make a workbench using this material. So if the Douglas fir 4x4's you are talking about are kiln dried, and have good grain, I don't see any problem with using it.

*Why three? That's how many I can fit into a Toyota Camry. In fact, this Borg is near one of the locations where I work, so I think I am amusing the staff there when they see the guy showing up in business attire, picking out 3 4x4's and coming back in a few weeks for the same purchase. :)

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi Joe: A fellow on the Old Tools List mentioned that he used Oak T&G flooring scraps for his bench top.

As it happened, last February, Lumber Liquidators had bundles of oak flooring on sale for 89 cents per foot.

I like my oak bench top, made a skirt of pecan with oak buttons every 8 inches.

You can stain it to a color of your choice.

Just an idea.

Best regards, Tom

[glenn bradley]

I framed my 4 x MDF laminated top with Doug Fir. I knew it wasn't real hard but the bench will probably only be around a couple years (yeah, right). I bumped the frame with a chunk of hardwood and put quite a ding in it. Not a problem. It will get a lot more over time.

The problem I might see with Doug Fir for a top is dog holes. It is mighty soft; at least the KD dimensional I machined down to make my frame is. Maybe someone who has used a softwood for a work top could chime in as to strength under vise pressure, dog to dog. I would see them malformed and becoming pretty loose.

There is a good argument for soft tops. When you do 'oops' with a piece you've got 10 hours into, the top dings, not the piece.

[Joe Denney]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I found a local (non-chain) lumber store w/#1 Southern Yellow Pine for 2x4 in 10' lengths for $3.00 per. They are also going to surface them on 2 sides so I'll have nice flat glue areas when I laminate the top. I'm planning on fully documenting the build process of the bench, and I'll post info here as the project develops.

[James Carmichael]

Joe,

S2S does not equal flatness, it just means you'll have two planed faces that may be parallel to each other.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Joe, I hope it's not too late, but I have a suggestion. Rather than using 2x4s, buy some 2x8s and then rip them into halfs. The quality of the wood used for 2x6,8,10,12 is better and far less likely to have wane, warp, twist, and a large number of knots. For stability, strength, and grading purposes for construction, the larger dimensions are always of a higher quality and quite often are drier.

[Wilbur Pan]

S2S does not equal flatness, it just means you'll have two planed faces that may be parallel to each other.
This is true, but for this purpose (gluing up the boards), unless the boards are so bowed that the glue line would delaminate, S2S may in fact save time. And if the boards were really that bowed, they should be sent back.

[Raymond Stanley]

Sounds like surfaced your surfaced 2x4s from the lumber store might work out well. Joe, you may want to let everybody know that you are using hand tools only (I guess I just did for you ;) )- this may effect some recommendations.

For my workbench top, I used whatever was at Home Depot for 2x4 studs, I think it was SYP, but I'm not even really sure what it is!

I haven't used my new benchtop enough yet to comment on its strength, but many have built their benches after Bob Key's design using construction grade lumber. Glenn's comment about soft tops reminds me of my problem with my wedding band...it is made out of tungsten carbide. It never scratches. But guess what? Everything I bang it against gets scratched by the ring...including our new used car and cast iron planes :(

I'm clueless when it comes to wood types...still lots to learn on that subject. All I know is that exotics are pretty but can be toxic, and that Home Depot lumber has lots of knots.

[James Mittlefehldt]

Southern Yellow pine is scarce up here in the great white north, so what you generally get for construction wood is white or black spruce, which has such artisitic twists in it when it dries.

I faced the top of my bench with 3/4 maple veneer core plywood over 2 1/4 white ash, and it is quite beat up but then I don't worry about that with htis bench. I also notice that whenever I see an older bench in antique stores and such they are generally really beat up as well. I don't think therefore there is a problem with SYP, or redwood. Just my .02 cents worth.

[Joe Denney]

Thanks again to all who responded. I'm still new to this method of communication, so I think I didn't give enough information. I'm building this bench by roughly following the directions in Bob Key's (now archived) web page, along w/some ideas I've gleaned from magazine articles (especially from Chris Schwartz), searches on this site and googling "beginner workbench". The current plan is a bench 24"x84"x flat palm high. Laminated SYP from dimensional lumber for the top, with a big base from either laminated SYP or doug fir 4x4's for the corners and SYP 2x8's for the long rails. Clamping duties will be handled by a front vise in the left corner, a Wonder Dog from Lee Valley in dog hole substituting for an end vise for now, round bench dogs, and a couple of holdfasts from Tools for Working Wood. Joinery will be through mortise and tenons w/glue.

I will be building this (my first project) with all neader tools. I'm buying a rookie neader toolkit piece by piece, again w/lots of research from here. Currently have a good, well tuned #4 and #5 Stanley planes, basic set of blue handled (Irwin/Marples) chisels, a simple scary sharp setup and a couple of saws. My smoothing kit still needs a low angle block plane(if I don't find an older one soon, I'll break down and buy an LV apron plane, I think) and a jointing plane (#7 if I can find one at a reasonable price). Layout/marking tools include some older steel adjustable squares from the flea market, a cheap inside/outside micrometer and a 24" framers square I found when we moved into our house. Still need to buy a marking/mortise gauge, a good set of small (engineers??) squares and eventually a marking knife. I'll make (mostly) round holes w/a brace and bit set, which I don't yet own, but will soon.

All that said (whew!), I'm planning on flattening the top of the bench by hand, so I didn't think it necessary to have all four sides planed (S4S??). The other cool thing about this project is that this is my first bench, and I won't have more than $150 in non-reusable parts in it, so I can always build another!