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Thread: Bench top: Ripped 2x8s vs 2x12s

  1. #1

    Bench top: Ripped 2x8s vs 2x12s

    Planning out my first real project, my workbench. Following many others footstep, I’m planning to do a 2x4 laminate for the top.

    After reading many threads, the most recommended option is to rip 2x12s into thirds to get the best wood.

    My question, how difficult will it be to find usable wood from 2x8s?

    It’s purely a price consideration. 2x8s are 4.93 a board and 2x12s are 9.60.

    So it would be $57 vs $40 to do the whole top.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Noah Starksen View Post
    Planning out my first real project, my workbench. Following many others footstep, I’m planning to do a 2x4 laminate for the top.

    After reading many threads, the most recommended option is to rip 2x12s into thirds to get the best wood.

    My question, how difficult will it be to find usable wood from 2x8s?

    It’s purely a price consideration. 2x8s are 4.93 a board and 2x12s are 9.60.

    So it would be $57 vs $40 to do the whole top.
    Noah,

    Construction grade wood in any size can be pretty wonky but especially so in the 2X4 size. The narrower the board the more likely it came from a small fast growth tree. I've used both 2X10 and 2X12's to make bench tops, in fact there is a SYP bench in my shop that was made from 2X12 construction grade wood from Home Depot, it has served well for many years. From your post I know cost is a factor but I would also suggest to get the best wood for your bench top buy 2X12's. Rip 'em not in thirds but so you have two usable boards and throw away the smaller middle board that is left. The two outer boards will be mostly quarter sawn and will make a very stable strong slab for your bench.

    Good luck on your build, I hope you will follow my motto on the build: Build it simple, strong, and quickly (it's a workbench dontcha know), and go to work making things. BTW, I can also be a broken record on this, look at the Moravian bench made by Will Myers. It is a very simple, quick build, and for the same strength and stability is much cheaper to build than a Roubo style bench.

    ken

  3. #3
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    I have used 2x8 and 2x10 and 2x10 does give you a litle more freedom to get rid of the pith,(the tree centre). If cost is a big factor 2x8s work and with care most defects can be hidden.
    Otherwise I would echo every thing Ken says about Will Myers plans.
    Bill Howes

  4. #4
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    You will get more warped and twisted pieces from a 2x12. Also many more chances to create kickback on your table saw.

  5. #5
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    I built mine from 2x8's. Just take the time to pick through the lot and take the best.

    Jim

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by bill howes View Post
    I have used 2x8 and 2x10 and 2x10 does give you a litle more freedom to get rid of the pith,(the tree centre). If cost is a big factor 2x8s work and with care most defects can be hidden.
    Otherwise I would echo every thing Ken says about Will Myers plans.
    Bill Howes
    I agree - I've found better quality in the larger pieces.

    If you want the good stuff ask for KDAT from a supplier who caters to the building trades (and be prepared to pay)

    JKJ

  7. #7
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    remember a 2x8 is only 7.25". By the time you eliminate the rounded edges you are either at 1.125" thick or close to 3.25". Then by the time you joint and plane I would guess you will be hard pressed to get a bench top 2.75" thick or thicker. Maybeeeee 3"

    Really and truly the best and easiest is to rip 4-4.5" off the sides of a 2x12 and toss the center with the pith or the really sloped grain. With the 2x12 edges you can easily find straight vertical grain with no knots. Including waste you'll still be well under $1/bf

    In the scheme of things, you're going to spend hours and hours of time building this bench. What exactly are you saving by trying to save $17 (or, in my suggestion of tossing the center, something closer to $30)? It is analogous to me of the people that will spend 30 min in traffic ea way and drive across town to save 5 cents a gallon on gas. The time and effort (and gas used) aren't worth the tiny savings.

    I wouldn't mess with the KDAT stuff. Just buy a month or two early. Or at my pace, the lumber dries in the time it takes to rough cut before I can find time to get to the next step. Construction lumber is required to be at 19% or lower out of the kiln. Not including the drying time in the bunk or in the store racks.

    editt: Now I see that I echoed Ken's post.
    Last edited by Kurt Cady; 12-17-2018 at 1:09 PM.

  8. #8
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    CFCCAE8B-4064-4D05-8C4A-2C8306358A57.jpg

    Heres an up close picture of my bench. I always recommend picking the boards without the pith. Then the edges are rift sawn straight grain. I have all rift in the front 18”. If you look closely, in the back 12” you will see several boards with wonky grain. The edges of the quartersawn boards (the sides of the 2x12 that has the pith dead in the middle) are basically cathedral face grain. It’s more difficult to plane because the grain switches. If you pick the boards immediately adjacent to the pith it’s much easier to plane.

    And 30” is way to wide for pure handtool work. Even blended work. I built mine this wide because I wanted to use it as TS outfeed in a very small shop. Works well. But still too wide. If I did it again I would be 20” to 22” ish with a missing 2” down the middle even with outfeed.

  9. #9
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    2x12's are usually cut from better logs. Any time we're in a building supply, and I see some clear boards on top of the stacks, we pick through, and store them for later use.

    It helps a lot to have a couple of helpers. I look at one end of a board, and if it's good, I hand it up to the guy on my end of the stack. If it's not good, it goes to the ground/floor. The guys put the keepers on the trailer, beside the stack (reason I hate selecting boards in the box stores). We always restack neatly, and they never mind us doing this. Anyone who calls in an order gets what we put back on the stack.

    When I build something, we look at every piece. It's easiest to find clear boards in the 2x12 stacks, but can occasionally be found in the 2x10, and 2x8 bundles. Most of the ones we end up keeping for later are 2x12's.

    I do the same for treated lumber, and like to keep it drying for at least a year before we use it.
    Last edited by Tom M King; 12-17-2018 at 3:16 PM.

  10. #10
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    I bought "kiln dried" 2x4s from Lowes. I picked through the stack taking boards that had straight grain with no knots on one edge.
    You can get some really tightly grained boards this way if you're patient.

    I jointed one face, planed the other and glued them up 3 or 4 at a time. Then I milled each of these glue-ups prior to the next glue up.

    My bench ended up about 3 1/4" thick, which is plenty, 7' long.
    There are a couple of pin knots showing that don't bother me.

    I glued a beech board on each side of the top because doug fir is splintery.

    Kiln dried construction lumber is not dried as much as furniture grade lumber, and will probably shrink a little over the next year, so you might have to rig up your router sled and level your top again if you go this direction.

    Come back and post some pics of what you make, we always enjoy photos of workbenches here.
    edit: the bench is 3 1/8" thick.
    Last edited by Mark Gibney; 12-18-2018 at 11:38 AM.

  11. #11
    Thanks for all the replies!

    While a mix of reviews, seems the biggest thing is to just see where I can find the best boards. Looking at the BORGs website, it seems I'll get the most selection from 10s and 12s. I'm going later today for other stuff, so I'll just have to check out the stock and see what they've got.

    A couple of you mentioned cutting the 12s into thirds and getting rid of the pith. As a newbie, can you enlighten me why the pith should be avoided?

  12. #12
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    If you rip 2 X 12, 2 X 10 or even 2 X 6 material that isn't dried, some pieces will twist and warp during ripping in a way that creates a dangerous kickback situation as well as yielding unsatisfactory material. Like some others here, I buy hand selected 2 inch SYP months ahead of time and put it in the loft of my shop to dry further. I then joint, plane and square it as if it were rough sawn. This yields a majority of good stable boards.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Noah Starksen View Post

    A couple of you mentioned cutting the 12s into thirds and getting rid of the pith. As a newbie, can you enlighten me why the pith should be avoided?
    Any part of a board that has notable curvature to the rings (near the center) is going to have a lot more movement both seasonal and initially when it is drying. The cutting in "thirds" is really meaning to get a good quarter-sawn or rift-sawn piece of each side, then toss whatever is left of the middle. It doesn't need to be a third. Just get the most off each side and you might be able to have a thicker top.

    Don't overthink it too much. If you have a couple of slightly subpar pieces sandwiched in the middle, they are going to be stabilized by the rest. Do try and orient everything so that grain along all of the boards rises or falls similarly so you can hand flatten with less chance of tearout. You can test plane each board and see if there is anything notable in grain direction going one way vs the other. Also, sticker and dry it for a while first. It is usually pretty high in moisture content from the store.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Noah Starksen View Post
    Thanks for all the replies!

    While a mix of reviews, seems the biggest thing is to just see where I can find the best boards. Looking at the BORGs website, it seems I'll get the most selection from 10s and 12s. I'm going later today for other stuff, so I'll just have to check out the stock and see what they've got.

    A couple of you mentioned cutting the 12s into thirds and getting rid of the pith. As a newbie, can you enlighten me why the pith should be avoided?
    The pith is the very center of the tree, typically about the first 10 to 15 years of growth. Which makes it the very first to grow. When a tree first begins to grow, it is a very rapid growth which leave the wood fibers there in a very unstable state. Even if it is kiln dried, it is still very unstable. It has more tension and compression in it than the outer sections of the tree. This creates unpredictable cupping, crowning, twisting, and diamonding. (Maybe more)

    It also shrinks and swells differently than the rest of the tree. This causes it to crack and split in weird spots and possibly create a structural defect if you're really unlucky.

    All in all for construction grade lumber it is undesireable but workable. For furniture, it is very undesirable due to the previously mentioned characteristics. I would try to avoid it at all costs for your benchtop. If you absolutely must use it, add some extra support around it somehow. It has the power to split your glue joint.

    Just my 2 cents worth.

    kmf

  15. #15
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    Noah,
    The center of the 2X12 will be the least stable. Two pieces cut from the sides of a wider board are generally the best lumber to be had in the construction grade category. The pith is the remains of the sapling and it has a circular growth ring that causes more movement in the face of a board than either straight or flat sawn grain. You don't want it in your bench top if you have a choice.

    Sorry Kyle's post came up while I was typing.
    Last edited by Kory Cassel; 12-18-2018 at 6:29 PM. Reason: repeated Kyle's post
    Dojo Kun, 1: Be humble and polite.

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