Thread: Recommended workbench timber top

I just used 90x45 KD Hardwood laid flat, not on it's edge. Depends how fancy you want it to look.

Thanks for this John, great bench, solid legs

What is KD hardwood? Did you dowel or glue the pieces of timber on top along their length?

KD is just Tasmanian Oak/Victorian Ash Jill, whichever it is called in your area. It's what Bunnings sell, at least in Melbourne, labelled KD hardwood. Kiln Dried.

I did use biscuits between the planks when I edge glued them, just for alignment.

The legs are 90mm square laminated Merbau actually. Kwila I think you guys call it. Got it cheap. Stretchers are more KD Hardwood. Joints are M&T. That picture was taken in 2006. Top is a bit messier now, but still flat and solid.

I suggest adding a sheet of tempered hardboard (e.g. Masonite) as a sacrificial work surface - secured with short box nails at the perimeter, and not glued, for ease of replacement. You'll be less inclined to treat it as a piece of furniture this way.

Cheers,
Joe

Me, I'd go for a sacrificial MDF top.

"Beefed up" with KDHW underneath, admittedly, but MDF is as flat and stable as you can ever hope to get and tends to stay that way unless you spill liquids on it. (And it can be sealed to avoid that.)

Whereas solid wood moves.

Also... like Joe said, you won't feel so bad about the inevitable chisel/drill/saw mishaps.

There are clearly different views about benches & bench tops, and each has its merits. To me, a bench is a sacrificial thing anyway- it's a tool for holding stuff, & if it doesn't do what you want it to do, you make something that does. If it gets the odd ding & sawcut (or some idiot I know well puts a router down after switching-off, but forgetting to de-plunge it! ), well, that's life, for a benchtop. I'd just make the top from hardwood (Skippus recyclus is my favourite species), make it reasonably flat (especially in the area you intend to hold boards for straightening & planing), and use it.

With a top 50-60mm thick, you have the opportunity for many resurfacings, if the dings annoy you. My bench top has had one light resurfacing in 25 years, mainly because it was still a bit moist when I glued it up, & one area of curly grain got a bit gnarly. It's been 10 years or so since I did that, & I probably won't bother doing it again in my remaining woodworking life - you can see there's an occasional chisel mark & saw scar around the most frequently used area.

While I want my bench to look like something decent that's meant for serious use, and I certainly don't deliberately damage it, I certainly don't treat it like a precious bit of furniture. To me, that's like saying don't use a plane or saw in case you dull it.

Just one point of view.......
Cheers,

Good Morning Jill

I asked essentially the same question a couple of years ago when I was considering a celery top pine bench top over MDF - I got some excellent advice, that essentially said I had a dumb idea! Do a search.

The three standard references on workbenches were written by Scot Landis, Chris Schwarz and Lon Schleining respectively. Schwarz's book has a particularly good section on how to select timbers for the bench top - assessing stiffness, stability, density and strength quantitatively. You'll need to adapt it from the American/European perspective, but the methodology seems sound. A library visit ???

Many forum members expressed strong opinions about the unsuitability of MDF for bench tops - moves too much with moisture, too soft, etc. Yesterday I was at the local Festool shop and they had a Festool multipurpose bench with an MDF top with many dog holes. Now, Festool is right at the top of the quality tree (and the $$$$ tree) so I must doubt that they would use an inferior product. Perhaps we have maligned MDF too much. Here's their website:

Festool Multifunction table MFT 3

Cheers

Graeme

Would planks of Tasmanian Oak be hard enough for use as a benchtop?

Good Morning Jill

My rather rough, actually very rough, workbench is made from messmate - the redder and slightly stronger species in the Tas oak mix. Its fine.

However, you are in FNQ; kwila/merbau is probably cheaper there, is much stronger (dent resistant) than Tas oak, is just as stable and I think it looks great. When I left PNG many years ago, I did not bring back my kwila office desk - I still regret that!

Cheers

Graeme

I am considering going with LVL beams, as they are available in a range of sizes and lengths. I am considering an island bench in the 3000 x 900 range, and a single 6.2m 290 x 45 beam would give me the top provided I have a well down the centre.

Beams are laminated out of numerous 45 x 45 hardwood timber sections of random length, finger jointed at the ends to make up the overall beam length.

Should make up something similar to a self glueup hardwood top, without the hassle of finding good boards long enough to cover the length or having to make the finger joints yourself.

At this stage it's a plan, rather than a completed project, so there might be a lot of people out there who can explain why its not good idea. Personally I would be sticking to hardwood, and upgrading the softwood cross pieces you mentioned in the originial post as I doubt that they would give a lot of support to the top.

Originally Posted by malb

I am considering going with LVL beams, as they are available in a range of sizes and lengths.
..snip..
At this stage it's a plan, rather than a completed project, so there might be a lot of people out there who can explain why its not good idea.

I'm also considering upgrading my bench in a similar manner. I've been eyeing the beams at the local salvage yard and wondering if they would be suitable. I'd also like to hear any opinions on benefits or drawbacks.

Originally Posted by JillB

Would planks of Tasmanian Oak be hard enough for use as a benchtop?

In most places around here (Vic) Tas. Oak is just another name for... KDHW!

Thanks for these helpful answers.

Where do you buy LVL beams in Australia? I have never seen them before, and they sound intersting?

Also, rookie, how did you fix the glued timber benchtop to the support stringers underneath?