Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

RichardR

>Pete,

You could use dimensional lumber, but IMHO, it's too soft for a bench top. I've also heard that with the 2x4's, you are likely to find a moisture content approaching 20 percent. You may also find that the oak is a bit too open grained for a work surface. You're right about potential movement problems in covering the tubas with the oak...I personally would avoid that scenario.

My current bench has a slab maple top. I plan on building another (traditional cabinetmaker's) and the only material in consideration for the top is hard maple...I'll just save until I can afford it (around $3 bf where I'm at).

Whatever you choose to do, let us know how it turns out.

RR

RR

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>I once tried to make a bench top using the same idea, in my case it was 2 x 3s on edge. I made two glued-ups slabs so that I could run them through my planer, then glued the two slabs together.

The thing then curled like a pretzel...

Construction lumber is way too wet for this application, unless you want to wait a year or more for it to dry. Then you'll have to mill it because in all probability none of the 2 by's will be flat and straight.

After my fiasco I ended up gluing three thicknesses of 3/4" plywood, on top of which I screwed a sheet of 1/4" hardboard, and skirted around the slab with some birch. Not exactly pretty (nor traditional), but it is quite solid and has worked well so far.

I am now looking at making a "real" bench. I have a slab of maple that's a bit too thin for my taste (1 3/4") that I will probably glue another 3/4" layer of maple on top. Then I'll have to think of a bench style...

DC

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

Matt in MO

>Pete,

I'm a rather new WW, but I have glued up a little pine. I edge glued 2x10 southern yellow pine for a top. Bad idea, the growing 18" crack going up the center attests to three things 1) pine's high flux in moisture content 2) at 10" wide I couldn't find boards that didn't span most of the diameter of the tree (sapwood moves different) 3) Novices (like me) shouldn't shoot from the hip and attempt to build tabletops.

I have learned a lot from my mistakes.

Why not build one of Chris' benches either the Roubo or his $175 bench found on PW website? Both would be cheaper, easy to find the wood (Southern Yellow Pine-it's stronger than other species), and you'd have a plan to follow with pictures.

Cheers,

Matt

Who just got a great deal on local Walnut to replace his cracked tabletop!

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

SamW

>When you rub anything smooth (including wood) over oak, you burnish it. That would probably reduce the effectiveness of holdfasts and other devices that rely on friction between the workpiece and the bench top. It plays havoc with the gullet of a shave horse.

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

Stephen in Ottawa

>Pete,

I built a traditional hand tool workbench using 2x4 dimensioned lumber almost three years ago and it is just fine. Since I do a lot of handplaning, I needed a stable, sturdy bench that didn't move when I planed. I haven't had any trouble with my bench. Did some minor reflatenning of the surface last year, that's all. One thing to keep in mind is to choose the best boards you can from the lumber yard. Avoid boards with major twist as, even if you plane it out, it will reappear. I kept the wood in my shop for about a month before I began gluing up the top. I finished the top with about three coats of Tried & True Danish oil and the base with two coats.

I was concerned about the softness of construction lumber before I built my bench. In truth, it hasn't been a problem. To a hand tool woodworker, a good bench is arguably the most valuable tool. As long as you treat it well and be reasonably careful to not damage the top, it will be fine. I would like a real hardwood top, just for asthetic reasons, but practically, I don't see the need for one.

Regards,

Stephen

Re: 2x's...Sure

Tom Scott

>I used SYP 2x's on my bench about 3 years ago and it has held up fine. I'm sure it dings more easily, and I have plenty of those from chisels while chopping dovetails, but I consider that character and proof that it's been used.

One suggestion, though, is to not use 2x4's. Those tend to have more warp and twist. I used 2x8's ripped in half and ended up with a uniform top almost 3.5" thick. The 2x8's are generally of much better quality (few if any knots) and are far straighter.

I would post some pictures, but the only ones I have here are really low res and don't do it justice.

Tom

Re: 2x's...Sure

Craig Jaeger

>I have an off cut from a glue-lam beam I plan to use for a second bench top. It appears to be very stable and is 5 1/8" thick fir on edge.

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

JimG

>I am just finishing a top from 2 layers of 3/4" birch plywood (blue box) and ash flooring I had left over. Glued the plywood, glued and nailed the flooring. I sealed the bottom and plan to seal the top with sanding sealer as soon as I get it planed flat. Hopefully that will help keep the movement down. Before my benchtop was particleboard and hardboard. Took alot of abuse, but I spent hours with a belt sander and never got it truly flat. The new one is so very close, I don't think it will take much to flatten it with a jointer plane. Guess time will tell on the movement. Good luck.

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

Steve Kubien

>Hi Peter,

I built my bench from standard framing lumber and I have been very happy with it. It was sold as kiln-dried but in truth, it was still kinda wet. I have had no problems with movement. As for it being too soft...pish-posh. There is often great debate about storing your planes on their sides so as not to damage/dull the iron. A softer wood totally eliminates this argument (not that I think the argument has any merit anyway but you get the idea). I want my bench to be a little softer than most of the material I work on. Know how many times I've dented or damaged a piece of oak or maple on my bench? Zero. Doubt I ever will.

A little more than $0.02

Steve Kubien

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Pete: I wouldn't hesitate to use framing lumber, namely Southern Yellow Pine, as long as you're a little carefull. I glued up my bench to several months ago now and I've had zero movement, but this is how I went about it:

The top is 20 2X612's - yes, 12' long - I let them dry a couple of months, mostly because I just didn't have time to start the glue up. Then my uncle brought over his lunchbox surface planer and we ran all the boards through - I think this really helped my glue joints, especially since I was gluing something 5 1/2 inches face to face. The boards sat around for another month or more, again, mostly because I was busy, then I glued the whole cottin-pickin' thing up at once - I don't neccessarily recommend that, one or two joints at a time would have been a lot less stressfull, but it got the job done.

So, I've still got to build a base, but I've mostly finished flattening the top, and it has offered to move at all.

I would decide on what lumber to use partly on the availablity of what you can buy - if 2x4's look great, go with them; but if the 2x6's look better, go with them. Around here the large 2 by stuff (2x10 and 2x12) would be a disaster if you tried to rip it in half, and then glue up face to face. The quality is so poor the wood would curl right off the table saw.

Anyway, I would definetly go with the 2x framing lumber over the oak: it'll be much easier to work, and from what I can tell the relative softness of the SYP over maple isn't even worth mentioning.

Good luck!

David

One more nice thing about softwood tops

Christopher Schwarz

>Is they are much less physical work to flatten when the time comes.

A couple quick notes on things that I didn't see in the thread above:

No matter what species you choose for a benchtop, one the advantages of doing it yourself is being able to select the boards that display more quartersawn figure than flatsawn. The quartersawn tops move less in service. Sometimes a lot less.

The real trick with yellow pine tops is to realize that the resin in the wood resists your water-based glues. If you clamp a PVA glue up for an hour and it delaminates later, this is likely the cause. Dale Zimmerman at Franklin recommended to me to leave my yellow pine glue ups in the clamps for five hours. Once I did that, problem solved.

Also, a moisture meter is quite helpful. Softwood, particularly yellow pine, tends to really move around a lot as it reaches equilibrium. After that point, it is remarkably stable.

The bottom line is that I think almost any species will work for a benchtop. I think one should choose a species that is widely available in their area and as hard and stiff as their pocketbook will allow.

Chris

Re: One more nice thing about softwood tops

ThomD

>"select the boards that display more quartersawn figure than flatsawn. The quartersawn tops move less in service. Sometimes a lot less."

To expand on that. If you glue 2x4s into a 4" inch thick top, the flatsawn boards will give you a quartersawn top. This usually makes your task easier since the flatsawn boards can be easier to find. Unfortunately a lot of the 2x lumber we get has the pith right down the middle, I buy oversized boards like 2x10s and rip the pith out, then one is left with quarter sawn wood which asembles into a flat sawn billet if that is the way you one is headed.

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

les winter

>Hello Pete.

There are other choices beyond expensive lumber.

I'm just finishing a Roubo style bench with a 4" thick top. I built it of soft common maple. It's got knots. It's got spalting It's got wain. Parts of it were just plain ugly.

But, all I needed was a good inch on one edge. With that description, I got 4/4 from Groff and Groff in PA for $1/ board foot. Granted, I needed to clean it up quite a bit. But it glued up nicely.

If you contact your local hardwood dealer or mill and ask for common instead of clear FS, you will find the prices much better.

regards

Les

Re: Economical benchtops - 2X4s vs oak flooring

Guy

>My first piece of "furniture" that has actually survived was a small island for our kitchen. The top was 2 X 4s on end like what you are thinking. I made it flat and sealed it, finished it. Looked really pretty. Still looks pretty but it ain't flat no more. My wife still likes it because it was my first and it is so smooth from years of use it is great for rolling dough. I made a lathe base out of layered plywood 3 inches thick. Ugly as hell. The lathe itself is long gone but that base is now a workbench in my car shop. It is still flat and gets abused regularly. My present workbench in my woodshop has a hard maple top that I picked up at a school auction for a few bucks. It needs refinishing but it weighs a ton. I'm not into spending a whole lot on the surface of the bench for looks. It just needs to be flat and stable. To me the top is the part that gets chewed on so while it is important, it is also expendable/renewable. Had I not found that top I would have laminated some plywood up to a couple inches thick then bought some dry maple or some other hardwood at a box store, glued it over the top to have a nice smooth surface to work on. If you aren't in a rush look around at some auctions for tops or for old bowling alley pieces. They come up here also. Either way good luck!!