Thread: vic ash top

Originally Posted by SHIPPERS

would like some thoughts on using vic ash floorboards for a bench top.
will run them on their edge in order to get a top approx 60mm thick
have approx 70sqm after house reno


shippers

Mate, I don't see why not!!? as long as they are jointed well and the glue up is tight go for it! Once oiled it should be great!

Legs and stretchers cab be laminated up too!

Thanks O for the reply.
Had thought of laminating all of it, though it does amount to a great deal more work.
I will have some hardwood coming soon thanks to a fence replacement, that should take care of the base

I am planning a workbench and have a stack of old timber floorboards from when my house was built some 30 yrs ago. Not 70m2 though.

The two things that put me off using it are

(1) the huge amount of work to glue up a table top etc. First you'd have to rip off the tongue and groove (assuming they are T&G) and then you'd need an ocean of glue.

(2) the thickness can only be the width of the board, less the T&G, less the timber lost due to thicknessing or dressing/flattening. For me, building a roubo style bench, this is not enough.

But apart from these constraints, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

Trav

your not wrong trav,

i had thought about the amount of glue aswell as the re dressing of the boards, taking off the urathane finish wapita.

alot of work but the timber is there

Shippers

I have a bench that's about 80% complete built this way; it's time consuming and initially a bit difficult without heaps of clamps but very doable. I had 108mm flooring and now have a top about 95mm think. Link here. Yup, hasn't been touch in 12 months.

P.S. Aside from using an electric planer to remove the T&G all of the lamaniations were planed and tuned by hand.

Thanks Kman,

Thread was interesting. Still not looking fwd to laminating all those pieces. Must say your top came up a treat. I was considering using West Systems epoxy for the top glue up. Have used it in the past and had great results, however am open to alternatives of a cheaper nature,



Shippers

Originally Posted by SHIPPERS

Thanks Kman,

Thread was interesting. Still not looking fwd to laminating all those pieces. Must say your top came up a treat. I was considering using West Systems epoxy for the top glue up. Have used it in the past and had great results, however am open to alternatives of a cheaper nature,



Shippers

Hey mate

I just used Techniglue epoxy for the first time whilst glueing up my base for my bench, although epoxy in general is bloody messy stuff I liked the fact that Techniglue is a thick gel. It hardly runs like other epoxy I used when I built surfboards. For the large mortise and tennons I was please the way it filled the rougher chisel and forstner bit marks left behind.

If I use it for the top I will be blue taping up next to the seem so that any squeeze out is not transfered to the top.

Cheers

Milo

There is no getting away from the price.......its damn expensive!!

Hi Milo,
I have used techniglue before and thought it was great especially due to its thickness/viscocity. although i found it set with a dirty brown color which was ok at the time

I used Titebond type 1 and it's practically indestructable in this particular application. Epoxy is massive over-kill.

At the end of the day after all that hard work you would have a strong stable workbench that you would be proud of.

All it costs your time, effort and some glue...............