Workbench Maple vs European Beech

[Jim Taylor]

Hi Guys,

Seems like this is the best place to pop this question down...

As a side project, I am working up the parts for my first (nice) workbench. I had about 70 bdft of 8/4 Maple, and decided to work something up like seen on the cover of FWW tools issue of last year. Well, I have all the base parts to rough dimensions, and it is apparent that I will not have enough Maple to finish off the bench top.

So, I need more wood, who doesn't? I will most likely have the wood shipped to me, and have in the past ordered from several of the on-line mills. After shipping costs, it looks like I can get Maple or European Beech for about the same price... The base price for the Beech is higher, but I can get free shipping from West Penn if I order 250 bdft of Exotic wood, and I am sure that I can find plenty of other wood to fill the order in.

Anyway, I figure a Maple base with a Beech top would not look bad...

However, was looking for opinions on selection... any thoughts?

-Jim

[Chris Padilla]

To my knowledge, Jim, (eastern, hard, rock) maple is a denser, heavier wood than beech.

For looks, I think it would be dynamite to have the two species mixed.

[Matthew Dworman]

The maple is going to be a lot more stable than the beech as well, meaning that you won't have to spend as much (if any) time each year flattening the top. Living in Massachussets, there are many places that you can get Maple at a good price without having to pay for shipping. I would look online at www.woodfinder.com (http://www.woodfinder.com) and enter in your zip code to get a list of most mills within 25, 50, or 100 mile radius of you. On the other hand, if your bench is going to be appx 7' x 2-2.5', you should have more than enough maple for the top - the main section of your bench can be 1.75" thick with a front apron of 4"-5" thick and be very stable- which should be easy to do with 70bf at 8/4
Good luck - keep us posted with pictures when you start making it. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we'd love to see the outcome.
Matt

[Tim Sproul]

The entire top doesn't need to be 4 inches or so thick....only the first 12 to 18 inches is where you'll need the heft/stability of a really thick top.

Shaker's traditionally used softwood towards to back of the top.

And euro beech moves about the same as hard maple. American beech is the one that moves like mad.

You might consider using something like ash or other relatively inexpensive hardwood for the base....but it doesn't seem as if the cost of the lumber concerns you too much. QS euro beech can have spectacular ray and fleck pattern. You might also consider some contrasting woods - walnut or padouk or bloodwood or purpleheart or......for smaller parts of the bench such as the tail vise or vise jaws or use them as pins or wedges for m/t or end caps etc.

[Alan Turner]

My vote is hard maple. I used to have a bench with a thicker front strip, followed by 8/4 for the rest, and found claming to be a PITA. Seems like I always wanted to clamp right onthe ridge. Life is like that, sometimes. So, when I built a bench, I elected 12/4 hard maple throughout, and it has worked well for me. It finished at about 2 7/8" or so. I can pound anywhere without noticeable bounce or deflection, and the top has remained flat. I have never had to flatten it.
Alan

[Jim Taylor]

Thanks for the input guys...

I think that I will be going with the Maple.

Tim,

I do plan on using Walnut for both Pins and Wedges (as seen in the FWW article). I would like to put the Walnut in on a few more accents, but was unsure of its durability. You think that I can use it in the vise's as well?


Matt,

Thanks for the woodfinder link. I've used this website before, but might not of ever used the zip code locator. Found a mill within a few miles of me, never knew it was there. Talk to them on the phone, and they sound like great folks. I'm going to head over on Monday, and look over their Maple. I have used the yellow pages to look for wood, but have been reluctant to travel too far... it is a bit tricky for me to pick the material up myself, and it seems that I can generally get slightly better prices per bdft on-line (but of course the shipping can tip the scales). BTW, what the heck is on your head in that picture?

[Chris Padilla]

Jim, he is a fireman! :D (I asked him the very same thing in a PM....)

[Tim Sproul]

I'm sure you can. Walnut...like any other wood....will have variance in density from board to board and even within a board. The heartwood in general is quite durable. It isn't as hard as maple or beech...but if you need to tighten your vise(s) that much, you have problems besides denting the vise faces.

For vise jaws...I've often seen a piece of hardboard attached to act as a replaceable insert.

[Alan Turner]

Nice work on finding a local mill. As to 12/4 maple, if that is what you are going with, please note that it is difficult to dry thoroughly becaue of its density and thickness, so you need to be a bit careful, and use a moisture meter if possible. If you do not have one, the mill should, assuming that they do their own drying. This is also true of 8/4. You might note the grain direction of the boards for the top, assuming that they have enough so that you can be selective. Quartered, or rift, and if possible, all of the grain running in only one direction in each 6 foot length. That way, when you do your edge joining, you can orient the boards so that for later planing the top flat, you can always be planing uphill, which is much easier, esp. on hard maple.
I'm not sure where you are thinking of putting walnut, but I would shy away from it for a structural piece, or a piece getting a lot of wear as it is far less hard than the maple. There are other woods that are as hard, and with different colors, if contrast is a part of your intended design.
I know that on my bench, I needed a dutchman to stop a small radial split from running, and used teak, and to attach the tool well at the back of the bench, used mahogany, let in with sliding dovetails. Just wanted to add a bit of color.
A good bench is a probably a neander's most important tool, so I know you will enjoy this project for many years to come.
Alan