Good buy? And can I use this Oak for a Workbench?

[Chris Bruno]

I found a local guy who bought an old paper mill and was refurbishing the inside for his machining company. The mill had these large oak boards, 12/4 x 8" wide x ~11ft long, along the inside walls apparently used as guards to prevent the old machinery from banging into the walls directly.

I went and picked up about 150 board feet for $100... It was all I could fit in my Suburban, otherwise I might have taken more. Here are pictures of the pile with the smallest of the group cleaned up on the jointer and planer.

So, I got this 60 yr old 12/4 oak for about $.60 per board foot... From what you can see, is that a good buy?

The reason I bought it was to build a work bench from it. However, as I've searched for others' workbenches, I've noticed that almost none of them are made from oak. Is there a fundamental reason to not use oak for workbenches?

Thanks!
-Chris

[David Tiell]

I would say you got a GREAT buy on that stuff! And just from the looks of it, at 12/4, I'd venture to guess you got closer to 250 bf than 150. As for the bench, I see no reason not to use oak. And even if someone comes back with a reason, I'm sure it would be for just the top. That stuff would make a great base for a bench at least.

[Joe Chritz]

Good score.

Have you paid of the bank for the loan to purchase all those drawer runners?

I don't have a hand tool type bench. I can see some reasons why oak may (I say may) not be wanted for a cutting board/butcher block but I assume it would do fine as a bench top to work on.

Joe

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Looks like a good buy to me. Three inch thick timbers without a lot of checks and cracks are tough to come by. It should make a really solid substantial workbench. The reason oak isn't used in some projects is that it's a very open grained wood, and the open pores would probably catch a bit more dust as a workbench top but not enough to worry about. Depending on what you want to do in a workbench you could use the oak for most construction and cover the top with something slick. As a matter of fact if you are going to do a lot of glue-ups I would recommend putting a laminate top (Formica) on the top as dried glue will just pop off it.

[Chris Bruno]

Good score.

Have you paid of the bank for the loan to purchase all those drawer runners?

Joe

Haha.. Tell me about it! 34 drawers! The 2 columns of drawers on the inside (18 drawers) have the soft close features too!

For years I've dreamed about loading my garage up with a full array of Lista cabinets. I consider these my 'poor mans' Lista cabinets. I probably have about $1000 into them which is about $10000 less than if they were Listas.

The open pores of the Oak top makes sense. I'll seal it up and see how it goes.

Thanks for everybody's feedback!
-Chris

[Sam Yerardi]

Chris,

Wow. You got a tremendous buy! I bought 150 bd ft of walnut and cherry, F&S, 5/4, air-dried, this past weekend from a local mill for $100 and I was tickled to death to get it.

[michael osadchuk]

...... 3" thick by 8" wide by 11' oak boards for pennies, a great buy.......

oak may not be typical for a benchtop but I thick the dimensions of the boards you have and the cost outweigh any minor accommodations...... you have the makings of
a very stable benchtop with plenty of thickness to provide for several human lifetimes of occasional handplaning to restore flatness (if necessary) and just the spectacle of 8" wide planks will a nice talking point!

.... oak may have a bit more of a tendency to splinter than other species when machining but one would presumeably do minor easing edges (eg. at the dogholes) of assembled members to offset this trait; as far as oak being more open pored, yes and very awkward to fill the pores and I would not recommend trying to for the benchtop surface but live with the "granularity" of the grain - and a non-film finish like one based on boiled linseed oil or tung oil would allow you to handplane the top to restore flatness a decade in the future (if needed) will still be slick enough to allow you to easily pop off dried glue, if not, wax the top

btw, I just scanned Landis' Workbench book and there is an approving reference in there to someone recycling white oak barn beams for a workbench top
..... I suspect that you will be able to connect with woodworkers who have used oak for workbench tops....

"cover 8" wide oak planks with Formica" :eek:

enjoy collecting ideas on building a great workbench, designing it and bringing it into being

good luck

michael

[Ted Calver]

From the looks of the board you cleaned up, you got a great deal. I'd be making a few more trips for that price! Depending in the grain orientation, you might be able to resaw into quartersawn material for face frames on other projects.

[glenn bradley]

I would go buy some more of that wood at that price, you lucky dog. That being said, oak is a bit open-pored for a workbench top in most folks opinion it seems. there have been a couple posts here where folks have done it.

[Ben Cadotte]

Wow, good thing you posted that picture. I didn't know you were so short of room. Not safe to have wood in the middle of the work floor like that. I can take that wood off your hands for the same price. I would hate for you to be working in an unsafe environment. Just let me know when its a good time to drive down. The sooner the better. Hate for someone to trip over them. :D

[Homer Faucett]

I bought a workbench at auction that was made from two 12" x 4" x 12' oak boards ganged together, held up off the ground with some 2" x 8" oak legs. Now, this was no fine furniture workbench, but it had clearly seen a lot of use, and it had a leg vice on it, and some dovetailed drawers mounted underneath, so there was some decent woodworking done on it. Since it had to be disassembled to get it out of the 1800's barn it was in, I'd say it had seen a good deal of use over its lifetime.

You got a great deal on some great wood. I see no reason not to use it for a benchtop.

[Chris Bruno]

Thanks everybody! Looks like I don't have too much to worry about...and I certainly don't have much to lose by giving it a shot.

For what its worth, this guy has probably close to 3000 more board feet of this oak. If anybody wants his contact info, just send me a PM. Hell, maybe I'll hook up the trailer this time and we can go together so I can pickup some of the 11 footers..

Thanks again!
-Chris

[Ben Cadotte]

Wow I really wish I was home right now. I would definately hook the trailer up and come down for a load. But unfortunately I am out in CA. Maybe there will be some left in a week. But now that the secret is out I doubt it. :(

[gary Zimmel]

Chris

Great score on the oak.... You lucky dog.

[Jamie Baalmann]

I would buy as much of it as you can and resell it you could make a very nice profit off reclaimed oak timbers.

[Bill White]

Just a REALLY BIG point of caution......
Make sure that the wood moisture content has equilibrated before you do any finish dimensioning. Even though it is "old" wood it will pick up moisture then shrink at the worst time possible. Wanna know how I know that?
Bill

[Robert Miller]

Chris, here is a link for a bench that I made out of white oak, so far it has been a terrific bench.
My aplogies to everyone, I have been gone for quite a while as I have been having severe personal problems.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=60706

[Matt Woessner]

You got a great deal, I am currently using some 60 year old oak for my workbench. Nice job!

[Mark Engel]

Wow, good score!

Is this the same guy that has an ad in The Want Advertiser? In Westminster?

I was just going to contact him. Looks like he has quite a bit of this stuff.

[Chris Bruno]

Hi Mark,

I found it in Craigslist. He's actually in Fitchburg, so maybe its a different guy. He's got a ton of it left, and after reading everybody's responses, I'm really tempted to go back and buy some more.

-Chris

[Mark Engel]

Yup, that's the same guy, based on the telephone #.

[Rick Gifford]

I wish I wasn't 12 hours from you. I'd seriously go with you and help clean the guy out. Those are great planks at a fantastic price. You can't go wrong with oak!

[Thom Sturgill]

I've seen Roy Underhill from The Woodwrights Shop make a couple of benches, both from oak! Of course he hand-planes the surface! :D

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

I would buy as much of it as you can and resell it you could make a very nice profit off reclaimed oak timbers
That was my first thought also - having seen a recent episode of TOH - and the prices they were asking for "old wood":eek:

[Thomas S Stockton]

The main reason people don't use oak as much is the preference for a surface that is as smooth as possible. That is why closed pore woods like maple and beech became popular and if you bought maple that was either sticker stained or with a lot of streaking it is not that much more expensive than oak. That being said 12/4 oak would make a really nice workbench and there is no reason not to use it especially at that price.
Tom

[Don Abele]

Thanks everybody! Looks like I don't have too much to worry about...and I certainly don't have much to lose by giving it a shot.

For what its worth, this guy has probably close to 3000 more board feet of this oak. If anybody wants his contact info, just send me a PM. Hell, maybe I'll hook up the trailer this time and we can go together so I can pickup some of the 11 footers..

Thanks again!
-Chris

PM sent.

Be well,

Doc