Thread: Workbench top - soft or hard timber?

Do you have access to machines for the grunt work or are you using hand tools?

Do you see yourself regretting either decision down the road eg wish I had have used...

In my case I bought and had ready to go enough softwood (Oregon) then changed my mind to the hardwood which just happens to be Blackbutt. Why, hardwood well I thought it would last a bit better which is not exactly a sound theory and Blackbutt specifically well it was a lighter colour timber that was affordable.Both will serve you well.

Remember with the split top it was designed to be broken down and moved. It will never be as heavy as the solid top while you are working on it only when it is finished

Originally Posted by Pac man

Do you have access to machines for the grunt work or are you using hand tools?

Do you see yourself regretting either decision down the road eg wish I had have used...

In my case I bought and had ready to go enough softwood (Oregon) then changed my mind to the hardwood which just happens to be Blackbutt. Why, hardwood well I thought it would last a bit better which is not exactly a sound theory and Blackbutt specifically well it was a lighter colour timber that was affordable.Both will serve you well.

Remember with the split top it was designed to be broken down and moved. It will never be as heavy as the solid top while you are working on it only when it is finished

Thanks Pacman.

I'll be using mostly power tools (saw and router) for the joints, and finishing/trimming with chisels. I'll even use the Wood Whisperer's video (episode 174) to flatten the top with the router (my plane skills aren't up to standard yet).

I think I'll regret the pine decision if I go down that path too.

The only other decision now is what height? I think I'll do a bit of work at my Triton router table and see how that goes for planing and other bench work. If that seems comfortable that will answer that question, or I can lower/heighten it to see what is comfortable.

Nathan.

Do you have acces to a jointer or thicknesser if you go the blackbutt path?

Originally Posted by I_wanna_Shed

Thanks Pacman.

I'll be using mostly power tools (saw and router) for the joints, and finishing/trimming with chisels. I'll even use the Wood Whisperer's video (episode 174) to flatten the top with the router (my plane skills aren't up to standard yet).

I think I'll regret the pine decision if I go down that path too.

The only other decision now is what height? I think I'll do a bit of work at my Triton router table and see how that goes for planing and other bench work. If that seems comfortable that will answer that question, or I can lower/heighten it to see what is comfortable.

Nathan.

Nathan,

My bench top is pine..actually 99% of the bench is pine (all recycled). It's got dings and gouges all over it but it's stood the test of time.

May be in a few more years it will need the router and the sled combo to go over it, but I'm in no hurry at the moment.

Height wise it depends on your stature. I think there was a thred on bench heights but one member was 6'4" so the standard height didn't work for him.

Originally Posted by Pac man

Do you have acces to a jointer or thicknesser if you go the blackbutt path?

6" jointer and the usual 'lunchbox' thicknesser (12 or 13" or whatever they are). I'll work within those confines.

Afro Boy did his with these check out his WIP.

I did mine with a 6" jointer and a Ryobi thicky. All hardwood. worked out fine.

The advantage of hardwood is you get more weight for a given size. Weight in a bench used for hand tool work is good (up to a point). Radiata is a pretty tough wood, actually (if that is one of the woods you are considering), and quite dense for a softwood, so that's not such a biggie.

Softwoods are generally pale, our hardwoods are generally dark, so if you are in the camp that likes a light-coloured bench, that might be a consideration. (Frankly, it doesn't matter what colour my bench is, I can't see it under the job I'm working on plus all the other junk that accumulates during any job! ).

Recycled hardwood is often available free, or for very little.

Other than that, I don't think it makes a heck of a lot of difference. I've had both. I prefer hardwood, for a couple of reasons (weight, doesn't get chewed up as quickly, so longer periods between resurfacing ( a tougher job though!), and mounting hardware with coach screws into hardwood is as good as using metal bolts.)

This business that softwoods don't damage your work has been mentioned before. This intrigues me. In 50-plus years of woodworking, I can't say that benches attacking my work has ever been a major problem. I've occasionally dropped stuff on concrete floors, with unpleasant results, but the short distance from hand to bench isn't usually enough to cause other than a very superficial mark on anything - even cedar.

Cheers,

Nathan wish you'd said something last week spotted a stack of HW pallets and a stack of softwood elsewhere just don't recall where

Well, I've gone down the hardwood path

About 70m of Blackbutt. There's a workbench in there somewhere....

Just need to grab some Jarrah for the plane stop, vise chop, and sliding deadman.