This post has a couple of related questions.
I want to build a workbench. I like the European design by Frank Klausz. One of his latest sports a top of some darker wood – perhaps lyptus or Jarrah – along with a stripe of contrasting color.
When combining different woods in a glued top, what factors become important for longevity and integrity of the top? Since this is a workbench, should I just select woods with similar hardness ratings? Or should I select those with similar expansion characteristics with respect to humidity changes?
I am guessing that heartwood and sapwood of any given species has differing characteristics in terms of hardnesss and expansion. Is this true? Is there any reason to be concerned combining both in a laminated top?
Greg
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Exo 35:30-35
Edited 5/10/2007 10:50 am by Cincinnati
Replies
Hi Greg,
Since no one has jumped on this question yet I'm going to take a stab at it. Those reading should feel free to argue, since I'm no wood scientist.
In summary: I can't think of any issues that would prevent you from using different species for the benchtop. However, here are a few practical issues to think about:
Seasonal wood movement: Because of the width and thickness of the material you'll be working with, wood movement is going to be minimal no matter what material you use. However, if there is a major diffence between the various species, you might end up with an uneven worksurface a different times of the year. I made desk with a top made of up three wide boards and I notice that seasonally the center board becomes just a hair thicker than the outside boards creating tiny ridges at the glue line. I suspect this is because the center board, which came from a different part of the tree as the outside boards, is expanding slightly more.
Regarding hardness: Again, there's nothing that should prevent you from varying widely in hardness. But practically speaking, software woods will wear away and sand down faster than harder woods. So a benchtop comprised of woods with various hardnesses might become uneven over time as you bang, sand, scratch, gouge, and dent the surface. That said, you can always reflatten it with a plane.
I hope that helps.
Matt Berger
Fine Woodworking
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