Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

Roger Nixon

>SYP doesn't have to be construction lumber. It is used quite a bit in millwork. My local lumber yard has 8/4 KD SYP in millwork grade for $1.90/bf.

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

Jim in Burlington

>I had thought of making a bench from construction grade lumber and happen to be at a lumbermill and asked what they had to build a bench out of that was cheap he came up with some red oak 8/4 that was discolored with green minerals and some rot for 50 cents a bf. So ask a few smaller mills and see what they have.

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>Perhaps you could try Poplar instead...

It's real cheap at local lumber stores and readily available.

I am making one from White Oak myself...

Bought alot of 4/4 #1 common and laminated clear pieces together to make the stock for the thicker pieces.

It's been a decent amount of work...but it's coming out very nice...and very very sturdy.

I have been applying a finish the past few days...

Off the Rack

Christopher Schwarz

>Maybe it's just Cincinnati, but the SYP I use for those benches is from Home Depot and Lowe's, right off the rack and cheap. It's really clear and straight, too.

Chris

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

William R. Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I agree. There's no way I would use SYP, when tulip poplar is cheaper, easier to work and more stable.

Here's the source I use: Steve Wall Lumber Co.

You have to dimension it yourself, but that's what you are into, right? You can save a lot of work for a little extra money if you start with 8/4 or 12/4, and the 8/4 is still less per bf than select SYP.

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

William R. Duffield, on the Cohansey

>D'oh!

Here's the link: Steve Wall Lumber Co.

For prices, click on "Products" and then on "Premier Hardwoods."

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

Christopher Schwarz

>Steve Wall is a good operation. My boss took a tour of their facility last year and I've heard nothing but good reports.

But if you do have SYP in your area, it's worth looking through the stacks for their prime stuff. Or asking them to unbundle a new bunk.

Chris

Hey Chris Schwarz here's an idea

Eric Hedberg

>Chris,

I really have enjoyed the bench articles too and am going to be adding improvements to my mutt of a bench. Everyone profiles the 'beauty" benches that I would be afraid to drop a chisel on. Why doesn't Popular Woodworking have an ugly bench profile for all those down and dirty hard working mongrel benches that produce the beautiful woodworking.

Eric

My Mongrel *LINK*

Christopher Schwarz

>Eric,

Funny, the series of bench articles I've done in the last four years arose out of a challenge by our editor. One of the other editors built a beautiful bench for $800 in wood and about $400 in hardware, if my memory serves.

"Build a bench for working that leaves you money left over to pay the rent," he challenged.

So I designed the "$175 Workbench" with inspiration from Bob Key (see free plan below; don't pay the $10; and don't tell that I did this either). If someone can build one for less that's a better bench I want to discuss it.

To see the ultimate user mongrel, our April cover features Don Weber at his bench in Paint Lick, Ky., with a #5 with a broken tote. Don wrote a great article for us about how to build a side table using chairmaking techniques.

I digress.

Chris


My mongrel

Re: Hey Chris Schwarz - PWW Workbench Lumber

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>You have got to go to a real lumberyard!

BTW, I always think of PA as being wood/sawmill/lumberyard heaven.

SYP

Robin Frierson

>I make it a habit of evertime I go to Home Depot or Lowes to Walk the aisles and find a few choice SYP boards. If your patient you can get them clear with tight growth rings, with the older growth boards being the 10-12inchers. Sometimes you may have to rip the heart out and end up with two QS pieces. Pick up 1 or 2 here and there and before long you got a couple hundred feet in your shop for about 1$ a ft. But you cant just show up and expect to find 100ft of clear lumber.

I myself think SYP is beautiful, far better looking than poplar or red oak. I have used it to build about everything in my shop. Put some linseed oil thinned with turpentine on it and over the yrs it develops a wonderful patina, almost like Douglas fir. Its a hearty wood too, lots of boats were sheathed with SYP. Its used for joist so its gotta be strong. And here in FL its the only wood that is cheap, far cheaper than poplar which I have to pay 2.60$ a bd ft for.

Massachusetts = lumber purgatory?

Brian Yankee

>I guess I live in lumber purgatory at least as far as the "common" lumber species go. Here in Masachusetts, the SYP is all pressure treated and Douglas Fir doesn't exist. Sure you can get this stuff from few specialty/hardwood dealers, but it certianly isn't cheap. When I hear folks talking about using construction grade lumber and they're talking about going to HD or Lowes to pick up SYP or Douglas Fir, I get very jealous.

Construction grade lumber here in these parts is "SPF" - Spruce-Pine-Fir. I guess it's some sort of new hybrid species that combines the worst qualities of each of the originals. ;)

Oh well, at least we're blessed (?) with an abundance of Eastern White Pine.

That $175 work bench is going to cost me alot more than $175.....

Re: Massachusetts = lumber purgatory?

David Barnett

>Dang! Things must've changed since I moved back to Florida a year and a half ago. Then again, this was Western Mass., and from small mills and lumber dealers (who apparently consider any board less than 8 feet long a 'cut off' and a small stain or knot 'scrap'), but I got enough 8/4 and 12/4 KD red oak for a a small bench like the one shown for well under $100 (although I built a goldsmith's bench and two couple tables, instead). Check for mills all through the Berkshires, from Sheffield to N. Adams. And check the papers, too, by all means. I've found 200 bd ft of KD FAS hard maple for 1.20 bd ft, and cheaper if you'll settle for slightly lower grade. This was somewhere between Quabbin and Auburn. And southern NH is about as good. Trust me on this one. Don't call Massachusetts "lumber purgatory" until you've checked out Florida, heh. Lets just say I moved a lot of rough lumber with me, and what I used to consider easily replaced is now my miser's hoard.

Just keep looking. You'll find it.

Buying lumber from HD in New England is like eating Big Macs in Paris.

That's...

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>... the first bench I built. And mine truly looked like a mongrel unlike Chris's.

My old bench now resides at my dad's house where he is thinking of nice ways to use it.

I am *STILL* working on my new one.

*sigh*

Have you tried....

Steve Kubien

>taking some larger stock, say 2x10 or 2x12 and ripping down to make your 2x4's? Most of the bigger stuff has fewer knots (my experience) and when you rip it you often end up with nice quartersawn stock for your bench. Check out the growth rings on the end of the plank.

Just an idea.

Steve Kubien

Re: Massachusetts = lumber purgatory?

Stephen in Ottawa

>Brian,

SYP is hard to come by up here in Ottawa as well. The local HD carries 'S-P-F' construction lumber. Don't despair however. The construction lumber may not be as pretty as the clear SYP that Chris uses in his workbench, but it is adequate. I built a version of the beginners bench featured in Bob Key's site, using this lumber. I'd make a couple of trips a week to HD and pick up a few clear boards. If you take your time, you can get reasonably clear material. I then let it sit in my shop for several weeks before I began to work it. A few coats of T&T Danish oil and it isn't bad to look at! The bench is stable, and works well which is what I needed.

- Stephen

Re: Massachusetts = lumber purgatory? *LINK*

Christopher Schwarz

>A lot of people have had luck sourcing the stuff from southernpine.com


Southern Pine Locator

Thanks all!

Bob Rozaieski in Eastern PA

>I have a source for poplar here at $1.90/BF for 8/4 and $2.30/BF for 12/4 so I will most likely go with that since it seems that it will be cheaper than going with the appearance grade pine (if my Lowe's even has that) for a 24" x 84" top and more stable. It should be much nicer to work than the extra knotty Hem-Fir construction lumber that I used for the original top (which has a nice cup to it now I might add). And I picked the cleanest boards Lowe's had!

Re: Thanks all!

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>Call Lee's Sawing in Boyertown and check his poplar prices - were lower than that a few weeks ago. Also check with Bailey's in Kempton - their ash usually isn't much off from poplar. And they have the 3x3 and 4x4 ash squares, useful for bench substructures, if you want to pay just a little more/BF...

And there's always Bally Block. ;)

Re: Thanks all!

Bob Rozaieski in Eastern PA

>Poplar price was from Bailey's. I'll check their Ash though. Haven't heard of Lee's. Have to check them out. They would be real close.