Thread: Workbench Top Construction

Graeme,

I'm not familiar with celery top pine, but if it is like most other timbers, I'd just joint it square and straight and glue it together. I don't see any need for dowels etc., unless you need them to maintain alignment while gluing.

I'd be very cautious of the idea of laminating it to MDF. It sounds like a recipe for trouble - either splitting or bending/cupping with seasonal moisture changes.

Chris

If it's celery top pine, Graeme, it's valuable.

Perhaps too soft to use as a workbench top, but if it's all you have... ... ...

Cheers,

eddie

I would suggest ripping the planks down to about 40mm strips and re-gluing them together to the required width for your work top slab (are you going to build your bench with a tool well at the back?). This will give a more stable top than if you keep the timber at 7-8" wide planks. Not a huge issue, but worth considering.

Thanks guys.

I bought 500 super feet the wood 10-12 years ago for a princely $1 per su ft and have subsequently used about three quarters of it. For those who don't know the species celery top pine is a Tasmanian rain forest pine that is generally considered second only to huon pine. It looks somewhat similar, works as well, takes glue better but does not have that intoxicating huon pine smell. Some even argue that its a better pine than huon.

My original attitude was that I have the wood, its thick and strong, so use it for the bench. Noting Eddie's comments on value I rang around a few suppliers: the cheapest quoted $32 per super foot. Seems celery top and huon pine still come in imperial sizes! Do I want to put timber with a replacement cost over $3,000 into a work bench?

Perhaps I should keep the celery top for more appropriate projects.

If so, then I need to think about other suitable timbers at a reasonable price. Last time I bought any timber the best value timbers in Hobart were myrtle and white sassafras (ie without any black heart which substantially increases the value). But all prices have increased exponentially since then as so much gets chipped.

Graeme