*Also posted this in “Woods and Materials” as it can apply to both categories*

A “Q & A” Topic on FWW talks about using 3 layers of 3/4 baltic birch ply as a workbench top, citng the importance of using the birch ply for its void-free construction.

While reading Landis’ “Workbench Book,” he talks of a cabinet-maker in the NW who build his workbench top by laminating 3.5″ strips of 3/4 ply sandwiched between two layers of tempered hardboard, providing a strong, flat, and stable surface. The grade of ply (void-free furniture vs construction) used was not indicated.

My question is: with the 3.5″ wide strips of ply being laminated on end, similar to the “butcher block” laminations used for commercially available hardwood benches, would it be acceptable to use standard “home center” 3/4 ply instead of expensive void-free baltic birch? I am pondering and planning a workbench build, but (not to beat a dead horse) have some budgetary restrictions. I am trying to find a good balance of cost and quality. Since, hard maple (or really any domestic hardwoods suitable for building a large, thich bench top) is not native to the Arizona desert, the lumber cost is significantly higher than prices in the East and Midwest (upwards of $7/bf for clear, quality lumber). I am considering laminating two doghole strips from 8/4 hard maple, to be glued to either side of a plywood-laminated top (also, considering a center strip of maple for holdfast holes). In my mind, that provides the strength of the solid maple on the sides – where the bench dogs will be located as well as where the majority of clamping, hammering, chiseling, and sawing takes place – with the stability and cost efficiency of plywood for the bulk of the top. This would allow me build a thick, stable bench-top for $500-$700 less than if I built the entire top from solid maple, without spending a few hundred dollars on something I will immediately want to replace…which is exactly what will happen if I just build the standard “El Cheapo” plywood workbench or “Two-by-” bench using construction grade Douglas Fir.