Bench wood choice

What wood should I choose for my new bench?


  • Total voters
    45
  • Poll closed .
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5,629
Location
Catalunya
I want to build a new workbench and I never start because I'm always dubious about the kind of wood to use.

The choice would be between.
Hard maple
Pine
Beech

Being hard maple the most epensive and pine the least, beec is in between but tends to warp and move a lot with seasons.

Any suggestion will be appreciated
 
Here are some pics of the one I did this spring out of ash.

I looked at hard maple first and elected to go the ash route after much research. Very happy with it.

Jim
 

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toni,
i like a soft bench top....at least softer than most of the wood i work....
pine is stable and cheap, easy to flatten.......and much as i hate to say it this probably won`t be your last bench.
 
Tony...

I'm in the planning stages for a new bench myself, and so have been doing a lot of research on this. I've read some books, searched the internet and am now studying (that's more than reading) Christopher Schwartz's book "Workbenches". I highly recommend this book if you've actually begun the process of designing your bench. Lots of thought-provoking stuff. It's much more than what wood to use for the top, but he has an excellent discussion on that as well. Not trying to steal his thunder, but he talks about the following important properties of wood for the top:

stiffness, so it can span distance without requiring a complex undercarriage;
weight...should be heavy;
resistance to denting, for the obvious reasons.

There are charts in his book for various woods that specify how they stack up in the above areas. Basically there is not one wood that stands above all others. One of his favorite benches he made from southern yellow pine (he does not recommend white pine...too soft...although Tod would no doubt disagree). I'm using maple because I was given three logs a couple of years ago that I milled, and they are now ready to be a bench top. If that hadn't happened I'd be using ash, because I have a good supply of that, but maple is finer-grained. I have one large beech tree in my little woods but do not have the heart to take it down or I'd be considering that. Whatever you have, or can get the most economically, that meets the above requirements should do the job.

If you face-glue the boards (requires more stock but is the best way to get it 3" thick or more) then the movement of beech won't be a disqualifying factor.

Will be interested in hearing what you select and why.

Cheers.
 
i used pine for my workbenches toni because i knew that they were going to probably see a lot of use and abuse over the years. i made the benches so that the top boards could be easily removed and replaced.
 
How about Ash. It's a good hard wood but less expensive then Maple.

I looked at hard maple first and elected to go the ash route after much research. Very happy with it.

Perhaps ash isn't readily available in Spain? Might be why it's not on the list. ;)

Toni, I've not built a bench, but of the ones I've used, most have been pine, and they worked well. I'm like Tod in that I'd prefer a bench that's softer than most of the woods I'd be working. I would expect it to get a bit beat up, but that's what it's there for. I'd make it replaceable, but chances are, I'd never see the need to replace it.

I'm planning to make a couple of benchtops in the near future to go on top of rolling cabinets, and I'm going to use some salvaged pine that I have laying around.
 
Toni,

Your conditions are different from those in the USA. Availability and price are *much* different. Luckily, you've got the net, so there's no lack of research ability for design, etc.

I'm voting with Tod on this one. It's very unlikely this will be your last bench. And there's an old joke that says "you need a bench to make a good bench."

Me, I made a lot of mistakes on my first bench. Thank goodness I made it out of pine (actually, it was labeled hem/fir, but it looks like pine to me!). My second was better, but I was still learning. It's made of the same stuff. My next one will be much better, based on what I've learned.

But I'll likely stick to the same wood. I've seen a lot of people spend a lot of money and time making a bench that's fit for a museum. I'll never have a bench like that, and when I found myself succumbing to that temptation (add this design feature, add that design element) I deliberately scaled back. It's easy to fall into that trap: Fred has this feature, Bob has that one, Julius made his out of purpleheart. But really, what you need is a flat surface that holds the work. You can get that with pine... :thumb:

Thanks,

Bill
 
I've seen some workbenches that are almost pieces of art. Very beautiful and well made. I really admire them.
For me workbenches are just another tool to help me get my work done. I have two. Both are very sturdy but very basic. My assembly bench is pine covered with a replaceable thin berber carpet. My other bench is also pine but I keep it covered with a replaceable sheet of masonite. This keeps the paint, stain, grease, chisel, drill bit and saw marks from ruining the top.
 
AMEN to that!!! My workbench is made of 2 x 6's laid flat and I don't hesitate to beat ,bang or drill into it. It's a workbench and its only requirement is to be functional for what you intend to do. My outfeed table for my tablesaw is my other workbench and it is a torsion box with a piece of 3/4" plywood on top from a shipping crate. Nothing fancy but very functional.
 
I don't use a workbench the way most of you do... mine is really more of shelf that I can assemble pens or peppermills or where I can cure finishes... My workbench runs across one end of the shop and up one side partway. It's made from pine 2x4's for legs and the top frame. The top itself is just Medium density fibre board.

I do have a commercial stand along workbench my wife bought at Home Depot years ago that holds the drill press and 1" belt sander... it's developed into a catch all.
 
To me, a beautiful bench is one that has worked well over time. Part of the utility of a bench is its economy. That includes the cost to build it, the efficiency of it's function (being able to hold a wide range of work with minimal "do-dads" tacked on), and making sure it's appropriately sized for your work, your shop, and you.
I just can't see how a bench made out of more expensive wood helps make your furniture any better. A well made thick topped pine bench will outlive you and your great grand children.
The money you save using pine can go to some other project.
Have fun with it.
Paul Hubbman
 
toni,
i like a soft bench top....at least softer than most of the wood i work....
pine is stable and cheap, easy to flatten.......and much as i hate to say it this probably won`t be your last bench.

Yep, and if you can find Souther Yellow Pine, even better![

The other choice, is Beech, solid, stable and usually a LOT cheaper than Maple.

Cheers!
 
My bench is approximately 3' x 6' base is 1" plywood with 3/4" high density underlayment chip board covered with 1/4" replaceable Masonite all banded in Poplar with a Poplar leg & stretcher set. Most of this was donated material the only actual cost I have in it is the chip board & Masonite & 3/4" plywood set in grooves on the inside between the front & back legs. A bench doesn't have to be solid wood it can be manufactured material & still be a very functional bench. I hope to replace the Masonite very soon in the future & the bench will be back to looking new again. The end caps are screwed on I'll remove them & pop the Masonite loose pull a few small air nails & set the new Masonite in place a few air nails & replace the end caps & its ready to go.

Or you could build it this way http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/video_tour_LVL_workbench
 

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My bench top is 32" X 96", and is three layers of ¾" AC plywood, glue laminated for a 2¼" thick top.

I put a couple coats of shellac on it when I first built it - ten years ago - but that's mostly worn off now.

I don't care if it gets banged uo. If it does, I'll just put another top on it. I've drilled it for screw inserts - so I can use various hold-downs or clamps, or so I can bolt a grinder, mortiser, etc. to it. It also has a number of ¾" dog holes in it for use with LV's brass dogs.

I've thought about building a hard maple top for it, but the way I use my bench, it'd just get totally banged up just like the plywood is, so why bother with the extra work and expense.

This works for me. YMMV.
 

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I think it's easy to say use the hardwoods like the old timers used to. Keeping in mind that they were using these benches 10 hours a day, 6 days a week it doesn't make sense to spend that much money for a non-commercial woodworker.

Tony, there are many kinds of pine. Is your pine very soft or more of a tight grain like American southern yellow pine? Everyone usually considers what is available at local costs. What are the domestic/European wood species readily available to you in Spain? Does Spain have tariffs on imported woods, EU or others?

I think laminating 3" (~7.5 cm) wide beech boards wouldn't be a movement problem for a bench top as others have suggested.

Cheers!
 
Toni,
I'll vote for 'other' as well, Ash would be an excellent choice if you could get it. Pine would work well too, if this is to be THE bench you've always wanted then Maple.

I've got my bench made out of simple pine and MDF, for my needs it works well. You're more of a hand tool user than I am however, so you might want to use nicer wood if it is available.
 
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