Work Bench Thickness

[Sean Troy]

Hey all, what is the ultimate thickness for a work bench made out of hardwood ? Any difference if SYP is used? Thanks, Sean

[David Bodkin]

You could probably make it as thick as you want but after a point it wouldn't be practical. I'll let others speak on what that point is though. SYP, if it's longleaf or slash, is actually a little stiffer than Hard Maple though the other two species aren't far behind.

If you'd like to do some more research into it Google "Wood as an engineering Material". Check out chapter 4 and look at the "Modulus of Elasticity" column. The higher the number the "stiffer" the wood. There are charts printed in different unit systems so make sure not to mix them up.

[Chris Padilla]

Workbenches are quite personal items in one's shop.

It's thickness will depend on how you plan to use it or how you think you'll use it.

I'm planning a workbench made up from several slabs of 18x36 maple tops once slated for kitchen islands or something or other. Got a great deal on them. I want to make an end-grain maple top because I think it'll be tough as nails and it'll be somewhat fun and unique to do it. I'm planning for the maple top to be about an inch thick but I plan to laminate that to a few sheets of 1/2" MDF and some maple ply for the bottom layer and then wrap it all in solid maple boards. All told, I'm shooting for 2 1/2 to 3" thick top that will probably outwiegh an elephant but that is what I think I want right now. I just want a massive, tough as nails workbench top and I think this will get me there. :)

[Tom Veatch]

Hey all, what is the ultimate thickness for a work bench made out of hardwood ? Any difference if SYP is used? Thanks, Sean

SYP has a very high stiffness coefficient which, along with weight and hardness, is what you want for a bench top. All in all, an SYP bench top can be made a little thinner for the same stiffness compared to many other materials. The high stiffness is one reason SYP is a material of choice for structural members.

That said, my bench top is made from SYP 2x4 material laid on edge and planed to a thickness of about 3". It's about 6' between end supports and I doubt you could measure any significant deflection under normal loading. I notice no "bounciness" even when chopping mortices near the center of the bench. Going thicker than that would increase the weight, but I doubt you'd gain much in noticible stiffness unless you were making an exceptionally long top supported only on the ends.

[Joe Chritz]

87 inches.

87 is the standard answer when there really isn't an answer. A bench is unique to each person and the overall dimensions will be different based on a lot of factors.

If I was building one from construction lumber it would be about 3" since that is about the most I can expect to get reliably from 2x4's. I have seen endgrain butcher blocks that are well over 10" thick and 3x3 foot or bigger. I doubt there is a max thickness beyond what is reasonable.

If you are buy hardwood for a bench every extra inch adds a lot of board feet and lots of cost.

Joe

[Chris Friesen]

Depends on workbench style and design, unsupported length, etc.

Chris Schwarz's recent workbench book has a french-style workbench with a 4" thick SYP top...but the legs are mortised directly into the top so a thicker top is necessary. He then did an english-style bench with a much thinner top...more like 1 1/2 inches thick or so, doubled up where the dogs would go through. Recently he did a Holtzapffel-inspired bench with a 3" thick ash top.

If you go much thicker than 4" or so apparently you can start to have problems making holdfasts work reliably.

[Dave Lewis]

RE: Ultimate thickness

My dad & I built a (modified) bench from the Taunton book on workbenchs. My top is maple and about 4" along the dog holes and 2.5" thru the main body.

Just as important is weight - you want enuff mass to resist movement; whether it be hand tools (chiseling, sawing, rasping, etc.) or placing heavy, akward pieces in the vise(s).

Heavier is better. So you need lots of pine or a wider design than "classic" to get an ultimate.

[Sean Troy]

I've been reading a couple of books I bought that were recommended here and have great info in design but just can't decide how thick to go. I guess I need to figure out vise selection and that may help me decide on final thickness. This is one project I'll be taking my time on.

[glenn bradley]

Base it on expected use with a healthy lean toward what vises you are going to use. Mine is 3" and is just right for me. I would not go thinner (dogs, you know), YMMV.