Thread: Which timber for work bench build?

That's a very open ended question.....an 'available' hardwood is one that you can obtain locally. If you do a little research in the forums you will find benches made of anything and everything from yellow tongue flooring panels screwed together to monstrosities made from brush box that take a hoist to lift. I myself favour anything that you can obtain for free that you can recycle into a top. This could be oregon house beams, old hardwood 4 x 2's pulled out of skip or recycled pallet wood. The investment is minimal if it's for free but you may wish to outlay for easily assembled timber that need's little preparation before use.

Yep whatever you can find. Your first bench wont be your last so dont go over board. In terms of mass - you can weigh it down with a lower shelf and heavy stuff stacked in there if you use a lighter timber. My bench is tas oak with a formply top, on its own I can easily shift it around but with a few tool boxes stacked on it's unmoveable.
They're a great project, hope you enjoy it.

I would try to source some local Eucalypt species. Try to find 60mm thick boards for the top and the parts of the base. Keep an eye on gumtree for some recycled stuff from an old bridge or a hardwood framed house built a few decades ago.

Cheers,
Luke

For an Aussie bench top, you can't really go wrong with most Australian natives, particularly with Eucalyptus varieties. They are generally very dense which will give the bench weight. Plus they have very high Janka scale ratings, so they resist denting. of course dropping some tools like a chisel will always leave a mark, so I am more thinking about the damage done by, say, clamping to the bench.

If you have a heavy top, then you may get away with a lighter wood variety in the legs, e.g. pine. It depends if you plan to clamp to the legs, I suppose.

As for sourcing timber from the big hardware stores, you're more likely only going to find sizes and lengths suitable for home renovation projects. You tend to find the construction pine is straighter because it usually is being turned over quicker. However that stuff is usually coated pink or green so it'll need to be tossed through a thicknesser first (if not jointed as well).

As others have mentioned, often recycled stuff is cheaper and better. I'm currently using timber out of a friend's roof. I've had to invest in a metal detector, but the wood is seriously dense and has been great for jobs around the house. I'll have to look for some thicker stuff soon for my next bench project though.

When I finally got around to making my first bench I used a combination of Pine and Oregon. The main reason was it was sourced free. It took a long time to get it all together about 18 months between the first piece to the last.

I did not need it to be massive but it is heavy and I am not able to move it on my own unless I drag it.

It is certainly not pretty looking but it is after all a work bench and that generally is used to another tool.

I think you might be in Cypress Pine country? Possibly too far north? It is at the very soft end of hard, or the really hard end of soft, depending on how you look at it. Reasonably light, nice to machine (doesn't like nails though - splitting). Smells nice too. Being a light colour is good for a benchtop.

You could do worse than to send a PM to Bushmiller (in Millmerran) asking for his thoughts on sourcing local timber.

A bit late to join in, I know, but I don't usually haunt this forum! Cypress Pine would make a beautiful heritage bench and toowoomba is right in cypress country. Look for local sawmills. The internet of things suggests this one N.K.Collins Industries P/L

For recycled timbers there is the skip solution but also some timber recyclers in Brisbane like The Big Red Shed at Darra. I have bought some nice solid, dry timber from them in the past.

Apart from that just about any eucalypt you can get for free would be excellent, but if freshly felled you do have to wait while it dries (and paint the ends to prevent cracking).

I made my work bench from a sheet of 8' x 4' x 45mm second grade ply, cost about $30. I originally intended to us a 50mm sheet but it was too heavy to get up onto the roof on my Land Rover. My bench has a recessed centre, is closed in wiht 1/4" ply (2nds) all round with 2 framed plywood sliding doors along one long side. I bought some 4" x 4" dressed pine from Bunnings for legs. The whole thing worked out really well. There is no need to worry about it moving around as it is quite heavy and hasn't moved since I put it in place. I also faced one long side with a piece of red iron bark. It is about 8" x 1.5" and the vice is mounted on this side.
Alan.

As others have said .. it all depends .. I wanted a table in the workshop that I could use in many ways.

My first bench had the multiple purposes, an outfeed table for the TS, drawer unit, vice bench, dogs and racks for jigs, and most useful as a layout/assembly table too.

I use it daily ... its nothing special but soooo very useful. Constructed on wheels, made from 19mm ply, with a near perfect flat 38mm top covered in waxed masonite (easy to clean glue off). 1200 X 1600 with large drawers and end cupboards ... love it.

Regards

Rob

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