Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Jun 21, 2010 12:17pm | #1

   Construction lumber.....

   John used construction lumber for the NFWB.  In my geographic area, that means Doug fir or hemlock.  Other areas, different woods.  The stuff has a high moisture content, needs to dry.  I selected carefully for grain orientation, and mostly picked up the long lengths to cut in half for the right dimension -- seemed like the taller trees had better wood.

   If anyone out there in the greater Seattle area wants to build this bench, I've got the lumber, quite dry now, and don't have room for the bench!  A good deal in the offing, LOL!!

1. 
   WillGeorge | Jun 21, 2010 01:42pm | #2

   Forest.. Not buying anything today but I use to be able to get hemlock out of crates and fork lift skids... What happened to it?

   That wood was very common at one time here in Chicago area. No longer.

1. 
   forestgirl | Jun 21, 2010 11:07pm | #3

   Don't know about disappearing hemlock

   Hmmmm, don't know about your disappearing hemlock.  Did it actually come from the Chicago area, or down from Canada?  I'm sure one thing that affects the type of wood we find in pallets and such is where the merchandise is coming from.  Lots of Asian woods show up these days.  At the lumber stores, though, more local woods methinks.

2. 
   JohnWW | Jun 22, 2010 01:57pm | #4

   Douglas fir was used in the original.

   The original bench was built with carefully selected lumber yard construction grade Douglas fir which is commonly available in the Northeast even though it comes from the Pacific Northwest.  

   As I explained in the article, I buy wide boards, typically 10" and 12", and then saw out clear, or nearly clear, boards from the wider boards, trying to get mostly quarter sawn stock because it is stable and has a tough surface for a bench top on the wide faces.  As with all construction lumber, even if it is kiln dried it will have to be stickered and allowed to dry out further in your shop before it is useable. 

   If you can't get Douglas fir, other species of construction lumber aren't, in my limited experience, as nice to work with or as stable. You can also build the bench with hardwoods, again looking for quarter sawn at least for the top and a species that is stable.

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | Jul 22, 2010 11:05pm | #5

   Stealing JOhn's ideas on workbenches

   JOhn:

   Have ment to tell you -- I renovated an old 10ft x 24 inch bench by overllaying it in oak, and then adapting your planing beam, hook  and face vice ideas right down to the use of pipe clamp fittings.  It works very well

   Joe