$200 Workbench? Not Where I live

[Dave Zellers]

Agree TOTALLY with using ash. A joy to work with (you need sharp blades) and really stable.

Have you tried REX Lumber in Acton? https://www.rexlumber.com/lumber/product/white-ash/

Even though they call themselves a wholesaler they are not likely to turn down a $400+ order. I was able to buy from them in the past but that was many years ago. Put your entire order together, generously allowing for waste, and include extra because you will fall in love with using ash and want lots of leftovers. Give them a call and make sure you use the correct lingo like 4/4, 6/4, 8/4, S1S, S2S, skip planed, rough sawn, etc. I wouldn't pretend you are anything but what you are. You're just hoping they could include your order on one of their trucks headed your way. You have nothing to lose.

Also if you are in NE Mass, you could try Highland Hardwoods- https://www.highlandhardwoods.com/lumber/retail/
They are east of Concord NH. I made the trip up there (I'm in SE Mass) years ago to buy all the Cherry for our kitchen when they had a sale.

[John LoDico]

"Have you tried REX Lumber in Acton? https://www.rexlumber.com/lumber/product/white-ash/"

That's a good lead. Thanks.

[Alex Zeller]

Around here yellow birch can be had cheaply. The heartwood is popular "red birch" but not the sapwood. Beech also can be found but working with it requires a little thought process since it can twist when it moves. Neither ash or birch will resist denting as well as oak though.

[Carl Beckett]

I built my workbench from Elm. Why? Because it is what I had (from a tree in my mothers backyard). Squirrely stuff, but made a great bench.

My belief is that there is no one 'exact' wood for a workbench and availability is a primary factor in the choice. Some may be too soft, but there are many choices that will work great without needing to pay for premium 8/4 maple... yikes.

[Bob Riefer]

Ash was plentiful (due to many dying from "Emeral ash borer") and therefore well-priced around here when I built my bench a couple years back. Nice and strong, straight grained. Went together really well.

Edit: For the legs, I simply used poplar. Scraps of walnut uses here and there for visual interest. The overall bench is heavy as a truck.

Also, +1 for the benchcrafted hardware.

workbench finished 1.jpg

[Peter Schussheim]

Funny thing about white pine. There's a lot of it produced in the Northeast but it's still hard to buy, surprisingly expensive and for this application, pretty soft compared to material like SYP. I needed a bunch of board feet of clear white pine a couple years ago for a client project and had to order a larger quantity on a pallet just to get it. (And my supplier had to order an additional $3K of material at the same time because the pine had to come from a supplier they didn't normally deal with)

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I agree with the suggestion to consider ash...it completely slipped my mind and shouldn't have, given we lost... Every. Single. Ash. Tree. on our previous property to the borer. Like a couple dozen trees on that almost four acres of land that was half wooded. I milled some of it at least.

I am experiencing the same difficulty right now trying to source clear white pine. the best quote I found about a month ago quoted freight charges that would have been around 40% of the total cost.

[Jim Becker]

I am experiencing the same difficulty right now trying to source clear white pine. the best quote I found about a month ago quoted freight charges that would have been around 40% of the total cost.

John and Morgan at Bucks County Hardwoods were able to source it for me, Peter, but as noted, I had to take a whole "lot" (pre-selected quantity, but well chosen fortunately) to get it. That was for 6/4 that I needed for the client project. The "leftovers" from the "lot" have made very nice clear grain body cores for some guitars to-date plus a very nice bench that's now in our bedroom but was in the guest bath at the old house.

[Thomas Crawford]

Reclaimed Longleaf Pine would be excellent if you can find it.

[John LoDico]

Reclaimed Longleaf Pine would be excellent if you can find it.

Thomas, it's not around here. I'm probably going to go with Douglas fir for the top which is the cheapest, strongest, non spruce-pine-fir lumber I can find. (Even Ash ain't that cheap here plus I'd have to travel and mill it to really save money -- and not that much of a saving.) I'm at the "Just build it" with what you can point.

[Stan Powers]

Highland Hardwoods just over the line in New Hampshire
https://www.highlandhardwoods.com/
They are a good source for lumber of all type and are happy to deal with small retail sales.
I like many made my workbench out of Ash and have been very happy with it.

[Holmes Anderson]

Interesting Holmes. My take here in Southeast PA is while ash was cheap here a few years back it seems to be in the same price range as other domestic hardwoods lately. Ash would make a nice bench for sure!

Up here the prices have changed/inverted in some strange ways. I often buy from Highland in Brentwood, NH, which someone already suggested to the OP who I think is from Mass. 4/4 RGH Ash is currently 3.99 and 4/4 D+btr RGH pine is 5.05. 4/4 RGH Hard Maple is 7.10 and cherry is 6.70. Retail prices of course but wholesale would still have the same differences and issues with availability. I don't remember ash ever being less expensive than pine or cherry less expensive than hard maple. The reverse was always true. Red oak at 4.10 is still affordable, but white oak at 8.60 has skyrocketed relative to a few years go, or maybe a lot of years. Availability is still problematic. I've seen entire bins of ash disappear in a few hours and I've emptied bins trying to complete projects or just plain had to use a different species. Wide boards can also be hard to find. Years ago we never worried about availability and even white oak was not too expensive. All marine lumber including white oak and tropical hardwoods like teak have increased in cost most I think. 4/4 RGH teak is - wait for it - $46 bd/ft.

[mike stenson]

Holy cow yea. I paid less than $3/bdft for the 8/4 red oak, but white oak.. 8/4 flat sawn was about $15/bdft. I was shocked.

[John LoDico]

Up here the prices have changed/inverted in some strange ways. I often buy from Highland in Brentwood, NH, which someone already suggested to the OP who I think is from Mass. 4/4 RGH Ash is currently 3.99 and 4/4 D+btr RGH pine is 5.05. 4/4 RGH Hard Maple is 7.10 and cherry is 6.70. Retail prices of course but wholesale would still have the same differences and issues with availability. I don't remember ash ever being less expensive than pine or cherry less expensive than hard maple. The reverse was always true. Red oak at 4.10 is still affordable, but white oak at 8.60 has skyrocketed relative to a few years go, or maybe a lot of years. Availability is still problematic. I've seen entire bins of ash disappear in a few hours and I've emptied bins trying to complete projects or just plain had to use a different species. Wide boards can also be hard to find. Years ago we never worried about availability and even white oak was not too expensive. All marine lumber including white oak and tropical hardwoods like teak have increased in cost most I think. 4/4 RGH teak is - wait for it - $46 bd/ft.

Thanks Stan and Holmes. I checked Highland out online. I'll have to drive up there next week -- it's only about 50 miles away.

[Edward Weber]

I'll throw something else into the mix.
Depending on what style of bench you're looking to build.
The frame can be soft-wood and the top can be hard-wood. A soft-wood frame will hold up just fine, not to mention be less expensive. You can then attach any top you want to depending on budget and so on.
Just a thought.

[mike stenson]

I'll throw something else into the mix.
Depending on what style of bench you're looking to build.
The frame can be soft-wood and the top can be hard-wood. A soft-wood frame will hold up just fine, not to mention be less expensive. You can then attach any top you want to depending on budget and so on.
Just a thought.

Always a good option. My old bench is an alder base. I'd note that volume pricing may beat the costs in the end (did for me). But it is worth doing the math.