Replies

1. 
   user-3110033 | Sep 21, 2020 10:56pm | #1

   Is it dry? A little thin for a bench, but it still will be nice and you could thicken the top. Go for it.

2. 
   IrishBill_NY | Sep 21, 2020 11:21pm | #2

   Hmm, thicken? How?

3. 
   Beasley7 | Sep 21, 2020 11:46pm | #3

   As to price, $175 works out to about $7.30 per board foot. That is a very reasonable price for white oak.

   I too am curious about "thickening".

4. 
   john_c2 | Sep 22, 2020 06:17am | #4

   2 inches is too thin. That's a table, not a work bench. I wouldn't go less than 3 inches.

   2 inches might be fine for what you do now. But it will limit the things you want to do in the future. A workbench should be able to be one and done.

   Slabs seem sexy, but they are more troublesome than glued up benches. Slabs are never as dry as we imagine them to be.

5. 
   _mj_ | Sep 22, 2020 09:07am | #5

   Store the slab to make something nice after you build a bench. 2" is a bit thin IMO. Also, a slab that size is bound to be rift / flat / rift. After it moves a bit you may find yourself working on a kitchen table after you have to flatten it once or twice.

6. 
   godelescher | Sep 22, 2020 03:31pm | #6

   Welcome to the East Coast. Believe it or not, you can get even better deals on lumber here (I'm in PA, which isn't that much different price-wise)

   I'm paying 1.60 bf for FAS cherry, $1.80 bf for FAS maple, and $2.40 bf for FAS white oak ($1.45 for #1 common). It's all kiln dried 4/4. Slightly more for 8/4, but nowhere near $7 bf.

   My suggestion is to seek out the lumber mills. Tanner's in WV is driving distance for you, though I'm sure there are ones closer to you. When I get my lumber, it takes half a day to get there and back, but it's worth it if you're buying 400-500 bf or more.

   In California, I would imagine those prices are 4 or 5 times higher.

7. 
   IrishBill_NY | Sep 22, 2020 04:49pm | #7

   Thanks, the prices here are *shocking* but locals complain......go figure.

8. 
   Beasley7 | Sep 22, 2020 07:48pm | #8

   Where in PA is white oak only $2.40/bf? Both Hearne's Hardwoods (Oxford, PA) and Grof & Grof (Quarryville, PA) start at $9 for 8/4 white oak. That kind of savings is worth a drive.

9. 
   godelescher | Sep 23, 2020 05:51am | #9

   Rorabaugh Lumber in Burnside PA. It's run by three brothers, all in their 70s now, who took it over from their father. Best Lumber mill ever. Consistently true FAS.

   Last week I bought a couple hundred bf each of cherry and white oak and they were out of FAS white oak, so he sold me #1 common at $1.45. Their #1 common was what other mills would call FAS. Some sapwood on the edges and an occasional knot, but 98% clear. They take their grading very seriously.

   They don't cut 8/4 though. For 8/4 or quartersawn, you have to go to Tanner's in Wilmore PA. Prices are usually within 10% of Rorabaugh give or take. It's a bigger mill, but they're also good people.

   The thing about Rorabaugh though, is they're incredibly kind people. I only get out there every 4-6 weeks, but when I call, Bob always remembers me and treats me like his most important customer, even though I'm just one of probably 50 or 60 cabinetmakers who buy lumber there (Including guys who buy thousands of bf at a time).

   The other brother is the sawyer and runs the kiln. If you meet him, he'll give you a tour of the whole operation and will happily spend two hours with you talking about various qualities of wood. I was talking to him last month and he was explaining why they don't cut 8/4 oak. It has to do with the drying process. In order to dry it correctly, it has to be dried a lot longer and at a lower temp than 4/4 or it will check. I don't pretend to know all the intricacies of kiln drying, but he has it down to a science and he knows what he can and can't do.

   In short, they're a family run mill and they treat all their customers like they're also part of the family. Definitely a throwback kind of place, and definitely worth the drive.

10. 
    muskokalayne | Sep 23, 2020 05:29pm | #10

    If it were me I would build it out of close grained lumber like maple because it’s easier to keep clean less dirt in the pores .cheers

11. 
    Beasley7 | Sep 23, 2020 09:26pm | #11

    You are very lucky to have such resources so close by. Both are 4.5 hours each way for me. The two I use also treat me like family and are great resources, just more expensive.