workbench material

[Ian Haywood]

I've seen lots of benches that are made of maple, or at least have a maple top. Is there any reason why that is the material of choice? Would oak, hickory or any other hardwood accomplish the same?

Ian

[Brian Hale]

Mine is solid oak and so far i'm real pleased with it

Response #10
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=68556&highlight=oak

Brian :)

[Jim Becker]

There are a variety of materials and methods used for building workbenches. "Traditional" workbenches most often have hard, dense species, such as maple, European beech, etc., but oak, hickory, others or tropical hardwoods get used. Some folks build them of douglas fir, pine or even milled construction lumber...

There are also some alternative methods, such as using a triple layer of MDF for the core of the work bench with a 1/4" hard-board "topper" that is replaceable. The dog area may or may not be made of hardwood for durability in that case. Were I building a bench today, I'd very likely consider this method as it provides tremendous mass at a relatively low cost.

[Ian Haywood]

That's a nice workbench Brian, looks like a lot of work to make it.

that thread answered my Q... should have done a search..

Ian

[Danny Thompson]

Maple is very light in color, so it reflects light onto the bottom and into corners of your work better than walnut or other dark woods. Hardware is less likely to get lost on it, you are less likely to set your work on a stray nail that was left on the bench, etc.

But you can go dark. For example, David Marks's workbench is quite dark; I believe it is made of walnut.

[Thom Sturgill]

A couple of years ago Popular Woodworking did a special issue on Workbenches in which there was an article named $230 Workbench by Christopher Swartz who also has what is probably the definative book on workbench design. In the article they used Southern Yellow Pine for the top.
Thats what I used here :
http://thomjoy.us/00003.jpg

[Ian Haywood]

Interesting that you should mention Christopher Schwartz... he's teaching a class or two at Kelly Mehler's place. I went down and met Kelly a couple years ago when I started getting into woodworking before. His shop is only about 40 minutes away. I'm on the waiting list to get into the Classic Joints with Power Tools class in June. My wife has offered to pay for half the class, bless her heart. I'm sure she expects bountiful household projects as payment. :)

Ian

P.S. How do you folk manage to keep your workbenches so clean? Mine would end up oily or at least very dirty.

[Terry Rothwell]

Interesting that you should mention Christopher Schwartz... he's teaching a class or two at Kelly Mehler's place. I went down and met Kelly a couple years ago when I started getting into woodworking before. His shop is only about 40 minutes away. I'm on the waiting list to get into the Classic Joints with Power Tools class in June. My wife has offered to pay for half the class, bless her heart. I'm sure she expects bountiful household projects as payment. :)

Ian

P.S. How do you folk manage to keep your workbenches so clean? Mine would end up oily or at least very dirty.
Keep those durn chainsaws off of your benches Ian and they wont be gettin' oily. LOL.

[Ian Haywood]

http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/sign/sign0103.gif Lies I tell ya... rotten dirty lies... my chainsaws do not leak oil, they just get overfilled sometimes! :D

[Dave Lehnert]

A couple of years ago Popular Woodworking did a special issue on Workbenches in which there was an article named $230 Workbench by Christopher Swartz who also has what is probably the definative book on workbench design. In the article they used Southern Yellow Pine for the top.
Thats what I used here :
http://thomjoy.us/00003.jpg

What issue was the bench in or know of a book that is available?

[Jon Bonham]

What issue was the bench in or know of a book that is available?

A quick google search yielded this:


In 2000 Chris created an inexpensive workbench, with a cost of $175. The same bench was modified slightly in construction and published in a PWW special issue "Workbenches and Toolboxes" which was available in May of 2005. Chris was the main force behind this special issue, IMO, and did much of the article writing (that spalted maple toolbox is the cat's meow). The $175 workbench was now $230, but improved. Chris did his best to keep the cost down to enable as many folks to build a decent workbench as possible. Then he built the Roubo a year or two ago, the Nicholson, and the Holtzapffel even more recent. Each bench was quite different but he tried to find as many solid designs that haven't been common as of recent, without being impractical. This has opened many woodworkers to different benches, and many folks are building Roubo, Nicholson, and Holtzapffel benches as I type.

[Jon Bonham]

I also found this:

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projectplans_display/?planid=11098

[Ben Martin]

Here is another article that I have found about reasonably price benches:

http://web.archive.org/web/20020613150123/www.americanwoodworker.com/200110/projects/index.html

[Jon Bonham]

Here is another article that I have found about reasonably price benches:

http://web.archive.org/web/20020613150123/www.americanwoodworker.com/200110/projects/index.html

All the links are dead, pictures, cut lists, everything but the basic article.

[Tom Veatch]

I've seen lots of benches that are made of maple, or at least have a maple top. Is there any reason why that is the material of choice? Would oak, hickory or any other hardwood accomplish the same?

Ian

If you are considering building a workbench the new Christopher Swartz book is almost a must-have. One of the things he discusses in some detail is the material choice.

I built mine several years ago using Southern Yellow Pine. Fairly heavy, quite stiff, readily available, comparatively inexpensive and, IMO, one of the best choices for material. It's about time for the second iteration in my workbench progression and I fully intend to use SYP for the next version as well.

[Ben Martin]

All the links are dead, pictures, cut lists, everything but the basic article.

Hmm, sorry, that has changed since I last looked at it. It has a basic 2X4 construction with an MDF top.

[Sean Troy]

If you are considering building a workbench the new Christopher Swartz book is almost a must-have. One of the things he discusses in some detail is the material choice.

I built mine several years ago using Southern Yellow Pine. Fairly heavy, quite stiff, readily available, comparatively inexpensive and, IMO, one of the best choices for material. It's about time for the second iteration in my workbench progression and I fully intend to use SYP for the next version as well.

Is the SYP what you find at the big box stores in the 2x6 size and up? thanks, Sean

[Thom Sturgill]

I'll have to admit that I only used the Swartz article as a jumping off point. The final design is a combination of several different designs. As to keeping it clean, I have a piece of 1/4" hardboard that goes on top if I am going to do a glue-up or anything that might damage the top with grease or oil.

[Bas Pluim]

Yes, you can find SYP at Home Depot (not all of them though). I built a workbench using 2x8s, ripped each one into two for a 3" slab. Spend your time sorting through the stack (bring a friend!) to get straight boards, or you'll be dressing forever. An hour sorting saves three hours jointing. Also, don't shop for 2x8s on the weekend, or you'll get the leftovers the contractors passed over.

[Matt Meiser]

I agonized for 2 years on what to build for a bench. Finally I decided to build a basic bench from SYP with a top made of 4 layers of 3/4" baltic birch with a SYP edge from plans in, I think, Popular Woodworking. It has turned out to be a nice bench with the only real drawback being that I'll probalby not be able to ever redo the top if it needs it.

I couldn't find SYP at the big box stores, but I did find it at my local lumber yard. The only drawback was that it was in 12' lenghts of 2x12. However, since they deliver for free, it wasn't an issue. I told the guy what I was doing with it and he and I picked out a few particularly nice ones which they brought out a day or two later. The material was over the normal 1-1/2" thickness enough that I was able to plane it to 1-1/2".

[Tom Veatch]

Is the SYP what you find at the big box stores in the 2x6 size and up? thanks, Sean

I was in a local Lowe's a couple of days ago and walked by their construction lumber racks. Some of the larger 2X material was SYP. But not all of it. I think their 2x6 stuff was hemlock or some other "white wood". Like another post mentioned I got mine from a local lumber yard which is what I plan to do next time.

When I was growing up in Louisiana, virtually all of the construction lumber used in the area was SYP, 1x's as well as 2x's. I'd never heard of "white wood" until I moved out of the South over 35 yrs ago.

[Dave Lehnert]

A couple of years ago Popular Woodworking did a special issue on Workbenches in which there was an article named $230 Workbench by Christopher Swartz who also has what is probably the definative book on workbench design. In the article they used Southern Yellow Pine for the top.
Thats what I used here :
http://thomjoy.us/00003.jpg

Thom PM sent