SYP workbench top??

[James Carmichael]

What's been your experience with Construction Grade SYP?

I know there's been a lot of folks building benches of SYP since the Schwartz book was published, but I have to wonder: isn't the big box stuff awfully green? I bought some 10' 2x8s from HD recently for a lumber rack project that turned out to be dripping wet. Ripping them to 2x4, a couple of boards bowed immediately on cutting, closing the kerf and pinching so hard on my table saw splitter, I couldn't safely feed, I had to shut down the saw and drive a wedge into the kerf behind the splitter to open it back up. Though laid out flat after ripping, the boards twisted up like pretzels, and they were pretty straight-grained, too.

I had been contemplating an SYP bench, but this experience has given me severe pause to that idea.

[Mike Wilkins]

You will have to let the wood sit in your shop for a few weeks, or maybe months, stickered to allow air to circulate and dry the boards. Framing lumber is only required to be dry to about 20% MC, which is much too high for something like furniture or a workbench. I too have had pine framing lumber begin to pinch the splitter upon exiting the sawblade, making it difficult to push through the saw.
I could be mistaken, but I think the builders of these SYP benches may have purchased their lumber from a traditional hardwood lumber dealer. They sell pine lumber for furniture use, although it is not a popular furniture wood.
Good luck and watch those fingers.

[Randy Klein]

I could be mistaken, but I think the builders of these SYP benches may have purchased their lumber from a traditional hardwood lumber dealer. They sell pine lumber for furniture use, although it is not a popular furniture wood.


Nope, I got mine from HD and Carter Lumber. HD's was #2 grade, but Carter Lumber's was #1 grade. Slightly more expensive, but much clearer and well worth it. I talked about this here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=84739).

The gist of it was, get the 14 or 16 footers 2x12's. If you can't transport those lengths, have the stores cross cut them to your rough lengths (bring your cut sheet of course). Most of the time, they don't charge you and if they do, it's practically nothing.

Then let them acclimate to your shop. For me it didn't take long, since I'm in a unheated, uninsulated, unair-conditioned garage and so was the lumber at Carter's.

[Tom Veatch]

What's been your experience with Construction Grade SYP?... I bought some 10' 2x8s from HD recently for a lumber rack project that turned out to be dripping wet. ....


Are you sure you didn't get Pressure Treated lumber. I've not experienced what you report except with PT. I've had PT stuff that would throw a rooster-tail when you cut it. But the non-PT SYP I've gotten was kiln-dried and much better. Still tends to wander a little, but nothing like the green PT stuff.

I made my bench top from #2 SYP 2x4's from a local lunber yard several years ago - jointed and planed to 1 1/4 x 3 actual dimensions - and have been very well pleased with it. Not quite as pleased with the overall design of the bench, but when I replace it, I fully intend to use SYP again.

[John Dykes]

Are you sure you didn't get Pressure Treated lumber.

+1

Not sure about SYP elsewhere, but the Douglas Fir here in Denver at HD is kiln dried. The 4x4, 4x6, etc is green.

The only SYP here in Denver is pressure treated. I even picked through the stack for an hour before realizing I was being stupid....

I finally gave up on Fir and SYP - checked around and found ash for $3 bf. Was elated.

- jbd in Denver

[Johnny Kleso]

It works Great!

I made my bench about 5 years ago..
I took plain 2x4s and Gorilla Glued them together, no planing no ripping..

It has been out doors for 5 years, I try to cover it with a tarp but they always leak and not till this year did I notice some joint failure..

You can tell from the pic below and the bright yellow color and spar varnish finish its SYP

http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/k2-1.jpg

Its time for me to refinish the top again..

Make sure to add a second/ third dog hole marked in blue marker..
It will make a much better planing stop there than those that use a flip up end board as a stop..

I would not like leaning over my front vise vs leaning on the bench apron..

The way to go is to buy 2 x12s as they are much more clear and rip them into 3 but gluing plain construction grade framing boards has worked well enough for me..

If you check my website My Projects youcan see how I glues the boards in 3-4s I then might have planed the 3 packs to fit with another 3 pack after routing the dog holes..

I built a Charlesworth bench that LN now sells and have been very happy with the narrow section for clamping or edge routing as it is easy to clamp narrow boards from behind with slide out tool well sections..

PS: if you use Gorilla Glue where gloves, this stuff takes days to wear off your hands..
Also I have read some glue tests that say Titebond works just as well..

[John Schreiber]

As said above, the trick is to buy the big pieces. They are much better. I got 16' 2x12s out of the bin at Lowe's and Menards. I picked through the stacks and rejected five for each one I took. I stacked and stickered for about two weeks, then rough cut and planed and left them stickered for another two weeks, then started building.

SYP is no picnic because it is so unpredictable. Some bits are soaked in pitch and are as hard as teak and others others are soft as fir. The grain can be mixed - I rejected a bunch of boards for the bench top because they could not be planed from end to end without tearout.

If I had an unlimited budget, I wouldn't choose SYP, but it's a good choice for the price.

[Mark Berenbrok]

The SYP for my bench came from Lowes and I'll second what some have said - pick from the 2x10 or 2x12 stuff and you have to reject alot before you get enough. I got in the habit of checking every time I went to the store. It took awhile but I wasn't in a hurry. I laminated the legs and stretchers from three layers of wood that was 1 3/8" thick. After all the trimming and planing the legs and stretchers were 4 1/8" square. Its very easy to make mortise and tenons that assemble with bolts. You could have a party on top of the thing and it wouldn't bat an eye. One of the best things is that it can be taken apart.

[James Carmichael]

Are you sure you didn't get Pressure Treated lumber.

Yep, it isn't PT. I'm accustomed to that stuff behaving like pretzels when it goes from the big box to a 100-degree backyard.

[Jeff Wittrock]

I had the same problem when I made my bench. I used a mishmash of SYP and SPF.

I left the lumber laying around my garage for a few weeks before I started, but even then I ran into a few contortionists :). I just lived with the fact that I would have some scrap and managed to reuse some of the more misbehaved pieces on smaller stuff.

-Jeff

[Tom Veatch]

Yep, it isn't PT. I'm accustomed to that stuff behaving like pretzels when it goes from the big box to a 100-degree backyard.

I recall one 6' 2x6 PT joist while building my deck that overnight developed a 2" crown over it's length. Replaced it, but kept the piece around just to see if it would warp into a complete circle. The ends never quite touched, but it did resemble a drawn bow (as in archery) before I finally got rid of it.

Hate that stuff!

[Dave Anderson NH]

One major consideration when picking any lumber for a benchtop or any other use. Pick up 5 or 6 pieces and get a feel for their weight. Then go through the stack of lumber and pick out the straightest ones, about 50% more than you need and put them all aside. The final step is to pick up each piece and pick the ones which are the lightest in weight. These pieces will be the driest ones on average. Yes, there will be some weight variation based on density, but on average, the lighter ones will be the driest.

Another method of testing for dryness is to lay your palm on one of the long grain surfaces and feel for the temperature. Then put your hand on the endgrain. If the endgrain feels colder the wood is fairly wet. The lower the percieved temperature difference between the face grain and the endgrain, the drier the lumber is going to be.

[John Schreiber]

. . . Another method of testing for dryness is to lay your palm on one of the long grain surfaces and feel for the temperature. Then put your hand on the endgrain. If the endgrain feels colder the wood is fairly wet. . . .
Great trick. I'm sure a moisture meter would be better, but it's better to be able to make an educated guess than to throw your hands in the air.

[Dave Anderson NH]

The whole point of it John is that the closer the wood is to equalibirium moisture content the closer the temps will be. You can actually feel the coldness and the dampness on the endgrain of wood which needs a lot more drying time.

[lowell holmes]

The school at Homstead Heritage makes joiner benches using white wood from the borg. They had an article about workbenches a couple of yeares back in woodwork magazine. I have worked on their benches ad they do just fine.

I made my bench usind clear fir 4x4's for the legs and d grade fir 2x6's for rails. I attached a maple top I found at a local wood working store.