Thread: Ideas for a HSC final school project - workbench

Luke

Firstly welcome to the forums.

A workbench is a wonderful project. As long as the bench does not need to be moved around, hardwoods are preferred for their weight and stability. Oiled finishes tend to be more natural and also more forgiving with regard to damage.

Just a coment on the "trough" in that benches with this feature normally have this it at the rear of the bench. The roller doors are refered to as a "Tambour" and can be horizontal or vertical in operation.

There is a dedicated workbench section here in the forums and you might like to plough through all the information there. I would set aside about a fortnight for this purpose .

Good luck with the project.

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul

What hardwoods would you suggest for the making of this workbench? I have been looking at spotted gum, however a reddish-brown timber would be great to have in my man-cave I have looked through the forums as you have suggsted and been astounded as to the amount of effort some people put into making these workbenches! I really have to up my game! But yeah, I would rather the trough at the front just for the purpose of ease in sweping tools into it. I would much rather the horizontal slats as well for the tambour

Thanks again for your fast reply, I didn't see it in my notifications so I thought I had no replies (Rookie mistake) hahah

Luke

Luke

I am starting to think you may have looked back over previous posts of mine in that I have a particular liking (almost an obsession) for spotted gum. I think it is a wonderful timber.

In fact I am planning a workbench of spotted gum myself. However I would suggest that any hardwood timber you can get your hands on will be the best for you. Do not by any means discount recycled timbers as they will also have the advantage of being seasoned.

From an aesthetic point of view I think contrasting timbers for the frame and bench top are sensational, (you may have seen some examples of this on the forum) but all this is modified by your budget and the availability of the raw material in your location.

Regards
Paul

Paul,

I have taken into consideration your idea of the contrasting timbers, and I think it would be an amazing add-on to the overall aesthetics of my bench. Price isn't really a huge deal for me because I have been saving up for over a year now for this project and my parents will be helping me financially if I need it. If I go with the spotted gum (which I will admit is something I, too, have an obsession over ), then what other timber would you think to contrast it with?

Regards,
Luke

Luke

Again, whatever you can get your hands on that has a red hue to it. I think a blond (ish) timber suitsthe bench top and red for the frame and legs. Red Gum, Grey Gum, Ironbark etc. would suit the underneat timbers and there are examples of this on the workbench forum. If you have trouble sourcing the timber you might like to ask on the timber milling forum if any of the millers can supply material. However seasoned timber will be best for you and I would try the suppliers near you in the first instance.

It's good to have supportive parents isn't it ?

Regards
Paul

Luke,
Vic Ash would be a good timber choice for your bench. As an idea, you could use a mixture of hardwoods for the top, and Vic Ash for the base.
Here is a workbench made from it - https://www.woodworkforums.com/f213/w...-bench-142854/

And here is a recycled hardwood workbench, just to give you ideas - https://www.woodworkforums.com/f213/w...-bench-131372/

Good luck,
Andy

I have been looking at Hurford Hardwood's website and all over google for appropriate timbers to contrast with spotted gum. I have come down to two options - Red Gum and Red Ironbark. These timbers have a very high durability level and are just beautiful colours. Paul and Andy, thanks for your assistance so far, it's been especially helpful and I really appreciate it

And yeah, Paul. It's so good! hahah

Regards, Luke