Workbench Build: BORG Doug Fir

[Mike Kees]

I was just curious Doug. Meant no offense,glad it has stood the test of time.

[Bill Dufour]

Location, location, location and climate. Is the weather damp or dry now for your part of the world. I would air dry them for at least one month. Better yet I would return them and buy 2x4"s instead. Buy extras and return the ones that move too much in drying.
I do not know if they will take returns for the duration. I am sure they will in six months or so.
One of three Home Depots near me is restricting the number of customers allowed in at any time.
Bil lD

[Jim Becker]

The material will likely settle down if you give it enough time to do so. Ripping exposes more interior surfaces which will help moisture wick off. Rip them, stack and sticker them flat and level, put a box fan on them to keep air moving and wait awhile. If you chose decent boards, the odds are in your favor that you can get things together. If you haven't already bought your material, see if you have any independent lumber yards that cater more to the bigh-end builder...I find that the "construction" lumber there is SO much better than stuff from the 'borg.

[Bill Dufour]

How about tie rods made from all thread. Easy enough to drill the holes before glue up.
Bill D

[Noah Starksen]

I would be tempted to wait a while, possible the lumber is air dried down to about 12%. Do you have a tester so you can get an accurate idea of the MC?

Ok, went and got a tester today to check. Just check the top boards of the stack. They were at 20 and 25!

[Jim Becker]

Ok, went and got a tester today to check. Just check the top boards of the stack. They were at 20 and 25!

That's typical of construction lumber...rip it, stack and sticker it as I described above for a bit and you should see it come down to a more reasonable MC level in a week or three as long as there is good air flow.

[Noah Starksen]

That's typical of construction lumber...rip it, stack and sticker it as I described above for a bit and you should see it come down to a more reasonable MC level in a week or three as long as there is good air flow.

Should I expect much cup/twist/bow after I do this?

[Jim Becker]

That depends upon the material. Fortunately, the orientation you use the boards for a typical workbench top (vertical) helps mitigate some issues as you glue things up. It's one of the reasons that this kind of material can be used for a thick benchtop successfully. You may need to take to final assembly dimensions in multiple steps, too, like I had to with that "really nice" pine I recently used for the equestrian locker door project for a client. Even that material was at a higher MC than I wanted "inside", so multiple iterations of milling, stack and stickering, milling, stack and stickering...

Of course, the bottom line is that until you cut into a board, you're not going to know for sure how it's going to react to release of tension potentially in there...

[Noah Starksen]

That depends upon the material. Fortunately, the orientation you use the boards for a typical workbench top (vertical) helps mitigate some issues as you glue things up. It's one of the reasons that this kind of material can be used for a thick benchtop successfully. You may need to take to final assembly dimensions in multiple steps, too, like I had to with that "really nice" pine I recently used for the equestrian locker door project for a client. Even that material was at a higher MC than I wanted "inside", so multiple iterations of milling, stack and stickering, milling, stack and stickering...

Of course, the bottom line is that until you cut into a board, you're not going to know for sure how it's going to react to release of tension potentially in there...

Your statement about this type of glue up mitigating these issues begs the question: do I even need to let it dry out? If I just glue it up at it's current MC, would the thickness of the glue up keep it from warping anymore?

[Bill Dufour]

Again it depends on your location.. is summer humidity higher then 20% or so? Does it even rain in your climate or are you maybe in the Aatcama desert?
My climate here in summer humdity is seldom over 35% so wood needs to be drier to start with or it will move a lot as it air dries. I understand much of the USA has higher humidity in summer and is drier in winter time. This is the complete reverse of most of California's climate.
Bil lD

[Noah Starksen]

Again it depends on your location.. is summer humidity higher then 20% or so? Does it even rain in your climate or are you maybe in the Aatcama desert?
My climate here in summer humdity is seldom over 35% so wood needs to be drier to start with or it will move a lot as it air dries. I understand much of the USA has higher humidity in summer and is drier in winter time. This is the complete reverse of most of California's climate.
Bil lD

I’m in Redding, Ca. So humidity goes from 60s in feb/March to 30s in summer.

[Jim Andrew]

My experience gluing up wood less than dry, is it will dry out curved, and completely unusable.

[Bill Dufour]

In that climate you need to let it dry. Sticker it so no rain hits it but no direct sunlight or it will dry too fast. In summer I would say one month in the shop. Be aware that many responders are not familiar with our low humidity's and their air dried is a good bit higher moisture. Also at their humidities and lower summer temperatures air drying takes longer.
Bil lD

[Noah Starksen]

In that climate you need to let it dry. Sticker it so no rain hits it but no direct sunlight or it will dry too fast. In summer I would say one month in the shop. Be aware that many responders are not familiar with our low humidity's and their air dried is a good bit higher moisture. Also at their humidities and lower summer temperatures air drying takes longer.
Bil lD

What MC am I looking for before gluing together?

[Jim Andrew]

For me in Kansas, between 6 and 8%. Any idea what your wood air dries to in your location? Mine dries to 11 or 12% in Kansas. My shop dries it on down, as it is heated. Won't say cooled, as I only run the AC if I have to.