I am trying to decide on a domestic hardwood for a benchtop. I know that Tiger Maple and Bird’s Eye maple are preferred from what I have read and heard, but I’m looking to get the price down a bit. Any other preferences out there that I can look into? If there is anyone out there who has already built a bench with a hardwood other than maple I would be interested in what you used and how it is holding up. I can buy rough wood as I do have access to a heavy duty jointer and a planer. I’m thinking of an 8/4 X 24″ X 72″ benchtop. I look forward to your responses.
Regards,
Buzzsaw
Replies
Buzz
Tiger maple is usually soft maple. Both birdseye and tiger are expensive because they are "pretty". A well used bench top is not a place for pretty wood. Get hard maple 8/4. Sometimes you can get air dried lumber from a small mill. I have a friend who runs a bandsaw mill and has air dried lumber at much better prices. Should be fine for a bench top and save you a little cash.
Good luck Roger
Roger,
Where do you live? I am interested. Thanks for your input...
Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzz:
I live in Brookfield Mass......central Mass. As important as the top is the trestle bottom. It needs to be as massive as the top. The stretcher between the trestles can be a weak spot if it starts to rock. I ran a 1/2" threaded rod through the stretcher as well as a mortise and tennon joint. When it is bolted down tight it is rock solid. So how do you drill a 1/2" hole length wise in a 4 to 5 ft. piece of hard maple? Rip it dado both edges and re glue it. Not fancy but then a work bench is not fancy....just strong.
Good luck Roger
Thanks for the info Roger. I guess I'll probably just pony up for the Maple. It sounds like the best investment. I am close to many sawmills here in NH but appreciate the offer. My base is already built. I made it out of 4X4 Douglas Fir posts. It appears to be very steady and solid. That is a cool trick on the threaded rod... Regards,
Buzzsaw
Sometimes a mill will have wood they can't sell too easily because it's not "pretty" enough. My bench top is hard maple the owner called brown maple. It was cheap because it wasn't as light or uniform as your typical maple. So in addition to the air dried stuff Roger mentioned, you could see if they have anything laying around they might take an offer for.
As a bonus, I happen to like the variation the wood has. I know, a bench isn't for show, but it doesn't hurt.
Buzz',
I've built the benches in my shop predominantly out of hard maple. I rip 8/4 stock into 2.5" - 3" wide boards, approximately 2"+ thick, and then face glue the pieces into a slab. The tops are 72" - 84" long by 27" - 34" wide. The end caps and sides skirts are 4" - 4.25" wide.
Hard Maple is my bench top wood of choice, but I have built tops from quarter sawn Sweet Birch and Beech (individually, not mixing woods). They're rock solid - the key, as with any bench top, is to thoroughly seal all sides of the slab, to minimize seasonal movement. If possible, this should be done before mounting to ensure that it is 100% covered.
Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
Edited 10/4/2004 9:55 pm ET by Jackie Chan
Edited 10/6/2004 12:47 am ET by Jackie Chan
Thanks Dan for the info. Could you elaborate on what you mean by sealing all 4 sides of the bench.
Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzz',
I actually meant to say - seal all sides of the bench top (poly', Danish oil, BLO, etc...).Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
How 'bout white oak?
Buzzsaw,
There are a ton of things you can do and use to reduce the cost of your workbench top ...including building it with pine and somtime in the future replacing it with maple when your more flush. But, in the end, the top is about 24 square feet...and if you cut the cost by a dollar or two or three per foot...with all the work involved, its hard to justify the savings...
I used slabs of maple 8/4 about 8" wide and jointed them....only the front 8" of the bench gets chopped on....the rest of the workbench top is there for the weight. I've been thinking about replacing my workbench top and installing a shoulder vice. If I do I'll run up to Maine and get one of those guys in the woods with the portable saws to give me a good price on some green stuff.
BG,
If I use pine for this bench and purchase the Veritas twin screw vise can I easily remove it and attach it to a future bench top that is made of hardwood?Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzz,
Absolutely...after I read 'Bob's Workbench' (on the internet)I took solace in the fact that he built five benches over a life time....so re-cycling the top, base, or vises is all doable...and makes sense. In my dream workbench I've got a shoulder vise, a pattern makers vise and the Veritas twin screw...yum
Some on here discussed buying 2x8's and ripping into three inch thick stock(avoiding any knots). I've found some pretty nice looking ledger board (of pine) that I have worked ...and its a bit cheaper than 2x8's. Lastly, Sarge built his bench with scraps where he joined them end grain to end grain with those finger type joints...that is a lot more work but could actually be built with donnage wood ....a lot of which is oak, maple, etc.
Edited 10/5/2004 10:01 am ET by BG
BG,
I too was perplexed when it came time to choose a top for my heirloom bench. I got a good deal on some beautiful white ash from a local hobby mill, so that's what I used. Two years later, it has proven to be a good decision.
I finished the top on all sides with several coats of Waterlox, which was suggested by readers of this forum. I had good results there also.
I recommend considering both.
Good luck to you.
Ash. Right now, the price is low because some foreign bug is killing all the trees, and timber owners are harvesting whatever they can. Ash is tough -- that's what baseball bats are made from. It is more stable than maple. In standard distribution, you can get it in nice thick stock -- up to 12/4. It also is nice to work with -- it has a kinda sweet smell to it.
Edited 10/5/2004 1:20 pm ET by JAMIE_BUXTON
Jamie,
I can get 12/4 Ash for $4.95 a board foot. The Rock maple for the same dimension is $6.65. That is worth considering. Thanks for the info.Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzzsaw,
I built my bench out of 2x4's I had laying in the rafters of my garage. I ripped them to 2.5" on the table saw and then glued them on the face. I made a skirt from 8/4 White Ash. The bench top is heavy and is not going anywhere! All I had to pay for was the glue and the 8/4 White Ash. Something to think about...
Cheers!Dark Magneto
Dark,
Can you post a picture? What type of vises do you use? Does it have a tool tray, and , if so, are you glad you have it?Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzzsaw,
Here it is: http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-knots&msg=18744.1
Cheers!Dark Magneto
Dark,
That is awesome. I think I actually came across it before while doing a search. Can you speak a little about how you attached the skirt to the top? I see what appear to be hex bolts. Also, please speak to where you bought your vise and the model/make, etc. Thanks a lot! Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzzsaw,
I attached the skirt with Lag Bolts. I counter-sank the lag bolts by drilling a small diameter hole for the shank of the bolt and then a wide hold bigger than the head of the bolt. This way the bolt head is not protruding from the skirt.
The front vise I bought from Lee Valley. It is the large front vise. It is awesome! I highly recommend it. The vise is not complicated to install. I recommend you start picking out your vises before you start on the bench top. Be familiar with the mounting instructions of your vise before you start the bench top. It will make life easier because you have planned ahead for things.
Thanks for the compliments. I just went back and looked at the pictures...the angle I took the picture at makes the bench look short (length wise). I really isn't. It is 3' in depth and 5.5' in length. I guess it is just a goofy camera angle.
Cheers!Dark
Dark,
Did you use lag bolts so that you could disassemble easily? I think you talked about this bench being portable. I think it is typical to glue the skirt to the bench top while cutting bench dog holes beforehand in the skirt and the bench top edge closes up the edge of the dog hole. Do you have the model number of the Lee Valley large front vise that you mention? I have some 1 1/2" pine boards that I picked up on the side of the road that I was thinking of possibly using for the bench top. I was going to cut a slot and use a plywood spline and edge joint. I think that a 1 1/2" top should be sufficient especially if I am going to affix a hardwood skirt as you did that is a bit thicker. I think in the short-term I am going to get the front vise as you did and in the future I'll invest in a twin screw vise for the end of the bench. I am going to try using the pine wood that I have and see how it works. Hey, it was free and if I don't like it I'll just get the hardwood for the top. Thanks for your post.Regards,
Buzzsaw
buzzsaw,
The item # on the Lee Valley website is: 70G08.02 You can print out the instructions for the mounting the vise before you buy it. I suggest you look at them to get an idea.http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=31137&category=1,41659,41661&abspage=1&ccurrency=2&SID=
I attached the skirt with lag bolts because I will need to move my bench in the near future. We are planning on purchasing another house soon.
You have the same idea as I do. I used pine 2x4's because they were free. Yes, I would like to sink some $$$ into a Maple top, but for right now I don't know where life is going to take me and to what size basement in my next house. I needed something very sturdy to handle my hand tool work and provide me a solid surface to work on. It has handled the task perfectly! Yes, one day I will make a Maple top. The nice thing is I can just unmount that vise and remount it on my next bench top.
Best of luck...and I want to see some pics when you're done!
Cheers!Dark Magneto
Thanks Dark,
I kind of like the idea of using lag bolts to hold the skirt on as I would also like to be able to disassemble if needed. I might also buy Ash for this skirt. I like the vise and it is fairly reasonable ($69). It is really tough for me now because I have no vise in my shop and typically just clamp in some manner when needed. I've had so many projects I've been working on that my bench has been put on a back burner. I did finish the base a while back though so that is ready to go.
Looking again at your bench it appears that you did not put any type of end caps on both ends. I have seen that people use dovetails where the front skirt and end caps meet. Did you put a skirt on the other side of the bench that is against the wall? One more thing, and you may have already answered this. What is the dimensions of your wood that is secured to your vise?Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzz,
The Veritas vise is a good choice....at a reasonable price. It does not have the quick release feature ..that may not be important to you.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by the quick release feature? I have read it on many occassions. I assume what it means is that you can touch something that will quickly disengage the vise pads?Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzz,
I have the Jorgenson...which works differently. When it is engaged, I simply turn the handle counter clockwise 360 degrees and can pull the vise all the way open or any portion thereof. Likewise, I can put my stock in the vise and push the whole vise closed with my hip...and then turn the handle clockwise to tighten....with a piece of stock that takes two hands it's kinda handy. I think the Record vises have a lever like you described.
The cost of a large Jorgenson is almost twice the Veritas. However, you do get CI jaws which, I believe, gives greater holding power on small parts near the surface of the workbench...but I don't want to make it sound like it's a significantly(read: can't live without) better solution...
BG,
I like that fetaure about being able to turn it counterclockwise 360 degrees and being able to puyll the vise all or part of the way open. I'm going to have to research these as well. I have heard of them referred to oftentimes on this site. Thanks.Regards,
Buzzsaw
You don't need 12/4 stock though ... in fact 6/4 or 8/4 will be better ... and cheaper. You rip the 6/4 or 8/4 stock to 3" (or whatever your chosen thickness for your benchtop is) and then assemble them with the edges up.
Buzzsaw,
Tomorrow my 3" x 72" x 28" top of maple should arrive from Perfect Plank http://www.perfectplank.com/. The price was about what I'd have to pay for raw soft maple, so for me it was a "no brainer." I'll let you know what it looks like tomorrow.
Jeff
I am interested in what it looks like. If ya have a digital camera it would be cool to see it. I have contemplated purchasing from them in the past. If you don't mind me askin, what was the price?Regards,
Buzzsaw
The top was $210 plus $95 for freight, CA to WA.
Oops, I expected it here today but it will be picked up today with arrival targeted for the 15th or 18th. I'll let you know what it looks like when it arrives.
Jeff
Thanks...Regards,
Buzzsaw
In addition to hard maple and ash, beech makes a nice bench top and is often low priced. You can buy a piece of hardwood counter top from Lumber Liquidators and others. Makes a nice top for not much $.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Thanks Hammer for the info..Regards,
Buzzsaw
I was wondering about ironwood, if you're going domestic. It is hard, like iron, but hard to work. May be hard to find. We have some growing in our woods and the timber cutter is going to harvest some. Other thing I was thinking of is hickory. Don't really know if either of these would make really good bench tops, am just guessing.
Don't know too much about ironwood but hickory just might make a good benchtop. Thanks for suggesting it...Regards,
Buzzsaw
Buzz',
This is a link to woodfinder's dictionary page. It give photos and descriptions of almost any kind of wood you'd ever think to use. It should be helpful in making your decision
http://www.woodfinder.com/woods/woodindex.php
If you decide to build a breadboard style bench top, be sure to only put glue on the first 5" - 7" of the end caps starting from the face vise side of the bench; use two barrel bolts to attach the middle and other end. This will ensure that the wood movement moves away from the vice, thus avoiding distorting the vice face.
Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
Edited 10/11/2004 11:35 pm ET by Jackie Chan
Thanks Dan,
Great advice on the breadboard style bench top. I'll make sure to do exactly as you suggest and thanks for the link. I'll check it out...Regards,
Buzzsaw
Sorry for chiming in late. But having gone down this road myself, I'd strongly recommend against building a workbench with the typical spruce or pine 2x4s. They're full of knots. This makes it nearly impossible to plane the top flat.
I built my bench from 2x4s and it's plenty heavy and stable and I'm real happy with it, except now there's a slight bow in the middle because the wood obviously wasn't quite dry. With so many knots, I can't plane the bow out so I'm going to have to replace the whole top.
Thanks Mark,
I actually found some 9" long,1 1/2" flat pine boards on the side of the road and I was thinking of edge joining 3 of them with a plywood spline for the top and using hardwood for the skirt and vise faces. The wood was free so it couldn't hurt to try it and if I don't like it I will change it.. At least it will be a good exercise. Thanks for your input...Regards,
Buzzsaw
I think that's an excellent idea. Wish I could find wood along the side of the road!
A doctor friend of mine is building a fence for his horses and he's got all this white oak lying around for the rails. I was suggesting to him that just a small portion of them would make me a nice benchtop. . . .
I know exactly when to take my F-150 truck to work. I always go on trash day and you would be surprised what I've picked up. I've already built my base and I've had these boards just sitting on the bench for the last 3 months while I'm finishing up a kitchen island. The island is almost done and then I will finish off the bench. I'm researching vises right now and am hoping to pick one up soon. These pine boards are really straight and with the splines I shouldn't have much planing to do to flatten the top. I'm looking forward to having a real bench!Regards,
Buzzsaw
My benchtop is a 34'' by 98'', 3 inches thick fancy lamination of a mix of white oak, cherry, soft maple, birch and black walnut that I'm totally proud of. It is a pretty piece of furniture that almost ended up as a countertop, should it has been smaller to fit the kitchen dimensions... It took 4 months to build and is now dented, glued, stained and scrached.
If I had to start all over, I would build it with 2 layers of 3/4 thick MDF screwed and glued together and edged with any hardwood. It would be a lot easier to flatten and I would save the extra time, money and lumber to build a heirloom armoire that would sit INSIDE the house.
And I would no longer have to bring uninterested visitors to my dusty shop in order to show off with my woodworking skills!
Fred
Fred,
Thanks for the interesting perspective. The wood that I picked up off of the side of the road (3 - 9" X 7' X 1.5" pine boards) may not be thick enough for what I need for a benchtop. Your suggestion is interesting. I think I may just glue and screw a piece of 3/4" plywood to the bottom of the glued together boards to give it some more thickness. The plywood could be made a bit wider than the benchtop so that it could be the bottom of a tool tray. Then I could puadd a skirt and end caps using hardwood. Thanks for the suggestion... Regards,
Buzzsaw
Last year when I needed a butcher block worktop for a kitchen island I had built, I didn't have the time/space or energy to mill, glue, sand, plane and/or scrape a 7ft by 4ft maple slab, so I looked to outsource it. I found a company in Troy, VT (Newport Panels) that made it for $400. They do all of the glue up and thickness sand it to a very good grade. It was accurately square to within 1/16 inch of my specs and hasn't delaminated or warped in a year. I don't think I could have bought the lumber for that, so it was a great deal and saved me a lot of time. I like to make myown stuff, and out of a whole kitchen, that's the only part I didn't make. Sometimes you have to know when to buy and when to build.
Best of luck,
Robert.
Thanks Robert. I'll try to check them out. Was it a true butcher block (end grain exposed)?Regards,
Buzzsaw
No, long grain. Random width strips edge glued - basically what you would do with a benchtop. I finished it with mineral oil since it's a food prep surface, but you could use a tougher oil or poly finish for a bench. I did not finish the underside in any way.
Some people use the strict interpretation of the word 'butcher block' to only pertain to end grain on the surface. It does sound like your kitchen island top is plenty rugged... I checked out their web site. Interesting company...Regards,
Buzzsaw
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