Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    The Shire
    Posts
    325

    Default Postulations on benchtop materials

    Evening all.

    Have been fiddling about with ideas for a bench. Have settled on a roubo style as per Chris Schwarz. Am considering using radiata pine 4x4s glued together to make a large thick slab of a top.

    Have read that pine is fine but can be a bit soft. This is ok but one concern was that dog holes could get quite banged up if the timber is too soft. This made me think about harder wood inserts for the dog holes. Do you think it would too much fiddling about over nothing if I set in some harder "plugs" where the dog holes were to go? I was thinking of something like a 2" square by 1" thick of hard wood set in to the soft wood with the dog hole then bored through the lot. I am thinking that this may make the dog holes just that bit more durable.

    I've been thinking about a similar idea for the front edge of the bench, perhaps the first plank/strip being hardwood to make that vulnerable leading edge just a little less vulnerable.

    Am I making things to hard for myself? Am I worrying about nothing?

    Cheers,
    Virg.

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    back in Alberta for a while
    Age
    68
    Posts
    12,006

    Default

    in answer to your questions -- YES and YES
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,093

    Default

    I'll be less definite and say "Probably".....

    I wouldn't use anything but hardwood for a benchtop, myself - for a little more work, you get a lot more durability. However, pine would probably do the job almost as well if you got the right stuff. I find some studs in any batch are twice the weight & much harder than the rest - if you could manage to find enough pine like that you'd do well....

    Cheers,
    IW

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    McBride BC Canada
    Posts
    3,543

    Default

    Virgil:
    Greetings from 53N in the Rocky Mountains.

    For what it's worth, I took a different approach. I did not want to build a bench which was a thing of beauty, I wanted to spend my money on really good tools. All that mattered were good-looking and useful products which came off that bench to be used elsewhere.

    Step One: draw a grid of lines with a black felt marker on the lid of the deep freeze. At least I wouldn't have to grovel on the concrete for assembly.
    Step Two: spruce/pine/fir is dirt cheap here. Bench top is 6 lengths of 2x6 x 8'. Frame is 2x4 and 2x6 legs. al fresco design. The Law of Gravity keeps the top from floating off the frame. Blinding streak of inspiration to drill bolt hole patterns for tools on the new bench.
    Step Three: after a week of bolting/unbolting power tools, the island bench 40" x 45" got built. 10" Delta miter saw on one edge, band saw on another and drill press on the third. Fourth edge for junk. Those tools have not been moved in 10 years.
    Step Four: after 5 years, the tops were so dry that sawdust was falling through onto the shelf below. Vacuum everything and fill all cracks with silicone caulk. Done.

    Note added in proof: when I sharpen my wood carving tools, I need a place to assess my efforts. What could be better that a few ultra fine shavings off the edge of the bench?

    I can bust a knot in western red cedar, a 30oz carver's mallet, as hard as I can swing it into a 9/15 Pfeil gouge and that bench does not even wiggle.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    North of the coathanger, Sydney
    Age
    68
    Posts
    9,417

    Default

    I reckon you'll be ok

    in any event if they do get banged up you could decide it's time for a new bench or ream them out and insert some pipe to the correct internal measurements
    regards
    Nick
    veni, vidi,
    tornavi
    Without wood it's just ...

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    613

    Default

    Virg,

    I'll let you know in a few weeks because I'm doing a Roubo in pine right now. Happy to give you the tour of it when finished if you bring the beer

    I will say the dog holes I put in my sawbench don't seen to be suffering at all after a month of heavy use, though they are getting sawn into rather than planned at all the time.

    Cheers
    Andrew
    ---

    Visit my blog The Woodwork Geek to see what I've been up to or follow my ramblings on Twitter

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    The Shire
    Posts
    325

    Default

    Thanks mate. Let me know when and I'll bring a few with me. Any preferences?

    Cheers,
    Virg.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    195

    Default

    Virgil
    Having just made a bench with a pine top I would say that there is nothing wrong with using pine for the dog holes provided the bench is thick enough to support longish dogs (i.e. mine is 80mm thick) and the grain is oriented along the bench in line with the compression applied via the end vice/wagon vice. Even on pine it is quite difficult to compress end grain and even more so if the dogs are a snug fit and pressing against a longish length inside the dog hole (less compressive force exerted against the bench right at the top of the dog). If you were using them regularly to press against the long grain fibers rather than end grain (for example opposing clamping pressure from a face or leg vice on the bench or using metal holdfasts) then over time the holes might get a bit bent out of shape. How long this would take though I have no idea. It would depend on your frequency of use and how brutally you clamp things down.
    I agree with IanW's sentiments re pine density though. I think the two benchtops I scavenged are pretty dense as they are quite old (>30years I am guessing) and heavy. If you wanted a more durable front edge where clamping pressure is applied it might be worth adding a hardwood surround such as endcaps and a front strip (as you envisaged).
    Were you using pine because it's inexpensive or more to do with it's workability and the fact that it is able to be purchased with a machined surface and ready to use? If only the former reason then I am a strong advocate of sourcing old building timber from demolitions/rennovations which comes free and well seasoned. Choice of materials is more often dictated by what is available and how long you want the resulting construction to last than what is the "ideal" material to use. If you see yourself moving house in the next ten years and not wanting to move the bench then maybe pine is an ideal material as it may only need to last that long!

Similar Threads

  1. Jig materials
    By another.gav in forum ROUTER JIGS
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 1st December 2010, 11:22 PM
  2. Recycled Materials
    By Reno RSS Feed in forum DOORS, WINDOWS, ARCHITRAVES & SKIRTS ETC
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 26th October 2009, 12:50 AM
  3. Benchtop materials...flooring chipboard
    By Dust Creator in forum THE WORK BENCH
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 23rd May 2009, 01:43 AM
  4. Looking For Materials
    By echnidna in forum CNC Machines
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: 9th December 2008, 10:21 PM
  5. What Materials Are These Please?
    By Metal Head in forum PAINTING, PLASTERING, TILING, DECORATING, etc.
    Replies: 34
    Last Post: 3rd February 2007, 01:22 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •