I need some advice on building a workbench. I plan on using white ash, because I happen to have a lot of it sitting in my garage right now. All of it is 5/4 and after face jointing and planing I am usually left with boards that are 1 inch to 1 1/8 inch thick. Most workbenches I have seen have tops that are in the 1 ¾ inch range.
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Am I right to assume that 1 inch to 1 1/8 inch would be too thin for a bench top?
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I see three solutions to achieve greater thickness:
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- Rip the boards to 2 inches width, and laminate several boards together with the grain vertical. This solution will require that about 30 boards be glued together to make the benchtop;
- Laminate 1 inch boards on top of one another, and glue such laminations side to side
- Laminate 1 inch boards side to side, and add an mdf or plywood backing underneath to achive the desired thickness.
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Which of these alternatives would be preferable?
As always, Thanks in advance.
Replies
I would go with option 1 but I might rip the boards to 2-1/2". I made a bench top out of 8/4 maple ripped to 2-1/2" and laminated. It worked our very well. This makes a very stable bench top.
I laminated in three sections so that I could make a final pass through the surface planer and then I glued up the three sections. Also I had read that polyurethane glues work better for laminates than yellow glue. They have a longer set up time to it is easier to work. I used Elmer's polyurethane glue and it worked out fine.
Good luck,
John
ya know.... there is another way... have you read "The Workbench Book" by Scott Landis?? it might be worth your while...
There's an old shaker workbench in there... enormous thing, tons of storage built into it, massive vice, all the bells n whistles that a good no nonsence bencch needs... but it has some secrets...
The top is thick only where it needs to be, i.e. only at the aprons and the front of the bench.. the centre of the top is much thinner, the back being thinner yet.. strength where it needs it, maximum area while saving some time and material...
check out the book... there's tons of neat solutions to age old probs inside it...
Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
FWIW, I'd definetly recommend option 1. If these are flat sawn boards, movement issues will be obviated, particularly if you do a lot of hand work and/or assembly where flat surfaces are important. I know Sgian might disagree but, I believe a flat workbench is vital....
Dano
Edited 1/14/2006 1:16 pm ET by Dano
I am curently building a workbench too.
I looked at the solutions you mentioned, they are fine, but I ended up using a solid core Birch door $40 (Home Depot). Added maple sidings. 36''x80'' pretty large.
Adding 2 large vices. Stole some idea from the wood magazine issue of workbench, Nov 2005 Issue. Made some sortcuts, like the legs, used 2 2x4's. Red wood was the cheapest I got. These are not heavy wood, but after adding all togather, it is very steady.
One person suggested using masonite top, so that when dinged too much, you can replace it easily.
Thanks
Woodie.
I'd go for option #1. I did this on my bench. I glued them up into manageable 6" sections, ran them through my jointer/planer to flaten them out, then glue the six inch parts together.
I think a lot depend on the design of the bench you are building and what you intend to do on it in the way of the scale and methods of your work. If you are going to merely route and sand, a 1" top over a several cross members would likely do. But if you are going to be chopping, pounding, planing, etc., a thicker top and heavier overall bench would likely be preferable.
Assuming you want to make a fairly traditional bench in the vein of Ian Kirby's design or the Fortune/Nelson bench or the one from the FWW Tools and Shops 2003, I'd say you ought to go with option 1 and make a nice thick top. It will provide a good home for dog holes and provide a solid stable work surface.
FWIW I have a post on the General board re some lessons I learned during my recent bench construction efforts (which are coming to an end now as I near completion) ( http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=fw-knots&msg=33603.1) and another on the Jigs & Fixtures board re making square dog holes with a plunge router (http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=fw-workshop&msg=69.1) Depending upon your design, some these posts might have some usful tips?
Edited 1/17/2006 3:07 pm ET by Samson
Edited 1/17/2006 3:08 pm ET by Samson
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience. I read your other post and found it very helpful. I definitely agree with you that patience is a virtue, and that mistakes result more often than not from taking shortcuts, and/or insufficient research or advance thinking.
I have not yet defined precisely what I want in a bench in terms of features or size. I will use it mostly for assembly work, hand planing, sanding and routing. I am leaning towards 30" X 78", with a tool trough at one end, two vises, and dog holes along both axes.
Option #1 looks definitely like the way to go. One challenge I am going to have is that I only have a 6 inch jointer. However, the local sawmill may let me use their 12 inch jointer for that project, which would definitely help.
Cheers.
Guy
Guy, I'm glad if any of my thoughts and experiences were useful to you.
As for the jointer issue: I only have a 6" jointer myself. I've had it less than a year, and I have to say, between you and me, I'm still not confident with it or able to make it perform to my satisfaction all the time. I think it's a real trick on some boards to be able to figure out where to apply pressure as you guide it across the tables. Anyway, this is all to say that (unlike all the rest of my big power tools from TS to BS to SCMS, and planer) I tend to avoid using it unless I have to. I did almost all my stock prep on my bench work by using my Forrest WWII 30T on my TS for ripping strips to width; a Stanley 7 for addressing gross twist and warp issues on particular boards; and my Makita 12" lunch box planer. After gluing up several board into a slab of 8-9 inches wide, I would true one side with a hand plane (really just removing minor deviations inevitable from glue-up) and then run the whole slab through the planer. The slabs can then be glued together carefully (using cauls that span the width - bolts through the dog holes etc. - to hold things flat) and the result is flat top that needs little final flattening. If your top ends up needing more of a final flattenting than you feel like doing by hand, you can haul the whole top to a cabinet shop or woodworking place with an industrial drum sander. they'll charge you around $20 to run it through a couple of times.
In short, you can build a decent bench without a big jointer. Plenty of work arounds, especially if you have handplanes, a TS, and a planer.
I have nothing bigger than a #5 jack plane. But that 12 inch jointer should do the trick. I can also run it through my planer on a sled.
Like many of the others, I recommend option #1. I built a bench about a year and a half ago this way and made it about 2 1/2" thick. It's large (6'+ by 4' deep) because it also serves as my assembly table. I mention this because the large surface was flat when I built it and it's gone through a full seasonal cycle and is still flat and level (just checked it today). In Michigan with four distinct seasons, I found this to be a pleasant surprise. I believe it is due to the on-edge construction and slip joints to let the thing "breath". I've built a few cabinets using it and can't explain how much easier things went because they were built and assembled on a flat, level surface. By the way, I used the bench on the cover of FWW's 2004 Tools and Shops issue to design mine. I found the article to be a great help in design and building. Good luck!
I would also go with option 1, I am planning to make a bench out of 5/4 maple and rip them to 1 3/4-2 inch.
I work with ASH all the time.. And Hickory and others..
Ash is very forgiving (sometimes as in all wood)..
A THICK top is NOT necessary.. With Ash or Hickory..
Option 3 is OK if just a base and your top just sets on it! NO GLUE or whatever.. Lift off top is nice.. You can remove and do whatever you want to it...
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