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  1. #1
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    Oct 2007
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    Default workbench questions

    other than lack of availability are there reasons why laminated smaller dimension timbers are used in the bench tops other than say some 14"x3" sticks ( that I just happen to have lying around) does it make the top more stable? any ideas.
    Some people are like slinkies - not really good for anything, but they
    bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs .

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  3. #2
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    Dec 2006
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    East of Melbourne Aus.
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    Default

    No reason, if they are stable use them.
    I am learning, slowley.

  4. #3
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    Feb 2007
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    blue mountains
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    Default

    As said if they are stable use them. By stable the nearer to quarter sawn the better. Also if they have stayed flat for a few years then chances are good. Back before sawmilling was common a traditional bench top would usually have been a single bit of wood.
    Regards
    John

  5. #4
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    Feb 2003
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    back in Alberta for a while
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    68
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by fubar View Post
    other than lack of availability are there reasons why laminated smaller dimension timbers are used in the bench tops other than say some 14"x 3" sticks ( that I just happen to have lying around) does it make the top more stable? any ideas.
    if they are stable use them.

    However, a bench laminated from narrower strips, say 2" wide by 3" thick is in general more stable -- i.e. stays flatter -- than one made from 2 x 14" wide boards.
    It all depends on whether your 14" material is flat or quarter sawn.

    BUT
    if you do have good 14" wide material, another question is -- is it too "valuable" to use in a bench build? Can it be resawn into 14 x 1 boards and used for table tops, or sawn into 14 x 3/4 and used for flat or raised panels?
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    McBride BC Canada
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    Default

    We see a lot of laminated glueups as a means of making a "value added" product from SPF scrap and junk off cuts.
    It exhibits excellent dimensional stability. Not so in a bench top made of 4x4 fence post timbers.

    I find it very useful and also very interesting to look at, even as 1 x 12" for doors and tops.
    Nice to see the grain and knots run 8' left to right across a set of cupboard doors.

  7. #6
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    Jun 2014
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    Seattle, Washington, USA
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    My bench is made with two honking big slabs. There's no reason that won't work. I think the laminated concept is a more modern approach, both because it may be a bit more stable, but probably moreso because large boards like what you have are much harder to find.

    Build it with what you've got.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    McBride BC Canada
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    Sure laminates are more modern as adhesives technology is catching up.
    Big, old-growth is harder and harder to find and more and more confrontational to log off.
    Up above me, there's stumps like table tops maybe from the 1920's???
    I'd pay a fortune for boards from that.
    Biggest cedar stump I've measured was 16' across.

    A real reason is to make use of scrap. The public has a hissy fit with waste.
    And, it's usually very highly figured, unlike bigger SPF pieces.

    Take finger-joint for example. If you really needed a 2" x 4" timber, 1 kilometer long,
    it can be very easily made from crap as short as 6". It comes out like toothpaste.

    I made my 8' x 32" workbench top with 2x6 floating on a frame for the first year.
    After that, as a general purpose bench, I guessed that the wood had dried and stopped moving.
    So, it all got bolted down. I could have used screws but I guessed that I could shim the thing with washers
    if I ever got fussy about flat.

  9. #8
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    Feb 2016
    Location
    Perth WA Australia
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    Default

    Given that the boards are 3" thick, the liklihood of this happening is low, but with wider boards you can cause some cupping when you go to laminate them together.

    Plus most jointers are in the 6/8" range so will be hard to get everything square, but if you're not fussed and just want something to work off it could work, either way you'll be spending a fair chunk of time flattening the top once its all glued together.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    vic clayton
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    Default

    thanks for the replies, pretty much what I thought, regarding flattening I'll put each board through my 15" jointer then thicknesser clamping will be done with my frontlines so that eliminates pretty much any misalignment. the biggest issue I have is lack of time.
    cheers
    Some people are like slinkies - not really good for anything, but they
    bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs .

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