Another workbench from construction 2x lumber - your advice requested

[Rushton]

As a new woodworker who plans to work primarily with hand tools, I'm starting my learning process by building a workbench. I'm posting because I'd appreciate some comments on what I'm forgetting or should do differently to prepare/season/acclimatize the lumber from which I plan to build the bench, which will be 2x construction lumber from Home Depot and Lowes.

The bench design is set, it will be Paul Seller's design from his YouTube video series. This is the bench built with a single side slab; I'm thinking of doing the two-sided bench shown in the video build series.

Whether to use Spruce or Southern Yellow Pine is still an open question but I'm leaning to using SYP because I can get good clear 2x12s out of which I can rip some wide quarter sawn material.

Since I have a few months lead time before I can start building the bench, I figure NOW would be the time to get the wood and allow it to further dry and acclimatized in my basement shop over these next months. So, here's my plan based on what I've read:

1. Buy 2x12" 16 foot Southern Yellow Pine boards with the pith running right down the center of the board { looking like this on end: |||||(o)||||| }, rip out the pith and retain the quarter sawn left and right sides of the board. In my area, Lowes and HD seem to have pretty good looking #2 Common boards like this fairly regularly if I sort through the stack watching the end grain.
   .
2. Cut the boards to rough lengths allowing a good amount of overage.
   .
3. Rip the boards as described in step #1 above, keeping as much quarter sawn width as possible.
   .
4. Sticker the resulting rough dimensioned boards for storage in the shop, keeping off the concrete floor and with good air flow all around the boards.
   .
5. Strap the boards tightly using clinching straps (don't have a good way to put weight on top) to help keep them as stable as possible while they continue to dry. I suppose I will also need to place spacer blocks between the boards in line with the clinch straps so air circulation is maintained between the boards in each layer.
   .
6. When I'm ready to start the build, work with just a few boards at a time to build one construction component at a time and not have more boards planed into final dimension than I'm able to work over the next day. Final planing will be hand planing with No. 5 and No. 4 scrub and finishing planes.

What am I not thinking about regarding getting this wood into workable condition? What should I plan to do differently? What strategy have you found successful in using SYP construction lumber for projects?

Many thanks for any advice you can offer.

Rush

 

[LeftyTom]

Keep in mind that pine will ding easily. :thumbs_up

 

[Rushton]

Thanks, LeftyTom. I'm okay with that. It's a workbench, I expect dings, cuts, gouges over time.

 

[Hmerkle]

Rush,

I think this is a pretty good plan.
I have never heard of someone "strapping" their stack, but a pretty neat innovation.
I will make a suggestion to purchase some cinder blocks as "weight" for the top of the stack or alternatively not add weight at all since you are simply climatizing these boards.

I think cutting them and allowing them to "rest" is a good idea since a lot of "Bog box" store lumber tends to be "wet"

 

[chris_goris]

As a new woodworker who plans to work primarily with hand tools, I'm starting my learning process by building a workbench. I'm posting because I'd appreciate some comments on what I'm forgetting or should do differently to prepare/season/acclimatize the lumber from which I plan to build the bench, which will be 2x construction lumber from Home Depot and Lowes.

The bench design is set, it will be Paul Seller's design from his YouTube video series. This is the bench built with a single side slab; I'm thinking of doing the two-sided bench shown in the video build series.

Whether to use Spruce or Southern Yellow Pine is still an open question but I'm leaning to using SYP because I can get good clear 2x12s out of which I can rip some wide quarter sawn material.

Since I have a few months lead time before I can start building the bench, I figure NOW would be the time to get the wood and allow it to further dry and acclimatized in my basement shop over these next months. So, here's my plan based on what I've read:

1. Buy 2x12" 16 foot Southern Yellow Pine boards with the pith running right down the center of the board { looking like this on end: |||||(o)||||| }, rip out the pith and retain the quarter sawn left and right sides of the board. In my area, Lowes and HD seem to have pretty good looking #2 Common boards like this fairly regularly if I sort through the stack watching the end grain.
   .
2. Cut the boards to rough lengths allowing a good amount of overage.
   .
3. Rip the boards as described in step #1 above, keeping as much quarter sawn width as possible.
   .
4. Sticker the resulting rough dimensioned boards for storage in the shop, keeping off the concrete floor and with good air flow all around the boards.
   .
5. Strap the boards tightly using clinching straps (don't have a good way to put weight on top) to help keep them as stable as possible while they continue to dry. I suppose I will also need to place spacer blocks between the boards in line with the clinch straps so air circulation is maintained between the boards in each layer.
   .
6. When I'm ready to start the build, work with just a few boards at a time to build one construction component at a time and not have more boards planed into final dimension than I'm able to work over the next day. Final planing will be hand planing with No. 5 and No. 4 scrub and finishing planes.

What am I not thinking about regarding getting this wood into workable condition? What should I plan to do differently? What strategy have you found successful in using SYP construction lumber for projects?

Many thanks for any advice you can offer.

Rush

If it were me, I would make the top out of rock maple. Spending all that time on a pine top for me, doesnt make sense. But I only want to build something shop related like this once. Just my $.02. As for strapping lumber etc, its wood..... Ive never been able to predict what is going to do. Its a fools errand to try to control it, its one of those things wood workers learn to deal with by joinery and construction techniques. Especially when youre talking about pine!.

 

[ScottM]

I would give a lot of consideration to making one of these.


http://www.finewoodworking.com/2007/08/17/rock-solid-plywood-bench.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

First, let me say welcome to NCWW. I neglected to do that in your introduction thread. We're glad to have you.

As for the bench, I think SYP will be okay, but definitely not spruce. Much too soft. A maple or beech top would be nice, but SYP will work.

The procedure you described above is probably as good as you can do, considering the material. SYP, especially from the big box stores, will move considerable no matter what you do. I suggest you buy at least 20% extra to compensate for waste.

If it were me, I would add long stretchers between the legs so I could put a bottom shelf in. Also, I would move the vise to one end rather than where it is now. Left end for right handers; right end for left handers.

 

[Rushton]

Thanks, Hank, Chris and Scott. I like the cinder block suggestion and will explore that. I don't know that the stack needs any weight or strapping to help keep the boards flat as they finish drying/acclimatizing; it was a suggestion I'd gleaned elsewhere. I'll try to find the driest boards I can, but grain orientation will be the priority for selecting the boards and some may come home pretty wet from the store.

Chris, I love maple for furniture. My budget for the bench says "pine". As a first bench, I'll learn and then perhaps build another in five years. Agree with you about not worrying overmuch about controlling the wood - it will do what it will do.

Scott, thanks for the suggestion of looking at this alternate bench. I like that it uses traditional mortise and tenon joinery because a goal for this project is gaining experience making these joints and planing the wood. I figure if I hand plane the the top and the legs, I'll get a lot of experience in how planes work and how to use them!

 

[Chris C]

I would give a lot of consideration to making one of these.


http://www.finewoodworking.com/2007/08/17/rock-solid-plywood-bench.

+1....I built this bench with the idea I'd use it until I could build a better one. 4 years later I'm still using it.

It's a very good bench and easy to build.

 

[jrfuda]

Almost 3 years ago, I built a quickie work bench using QS SYP sourced from 2x14s I got from HD (Lowes did not have any SYP) and a cheap vise I purchased there as well. I did this despite having a stack of QS oak and a complete set of benchrafted hardware, as I needed the bench right away.

I've beat the heck out of it (it doubles as the outfeed for my table saw) and it's still going strong. The laminated SYP top is extremely tough. Between the cheap vise I built into it and my moxon, it does everything I need for now.

I still have not gotten around to building the QS oak benchcrafted, the wood's been stacked for over 3 years, though I have surfaced a few pieces.

 

[Rushton]

Bill, thanks for the welcome and thanks for your suggestions! I will plan to buy extra wood in anticipation of some losses.

The bench design is structurally very rigid without the stretchers between the legs due to that big apron, but it does allow for adding a shelf across the the length of the bench. The design is intended to allow for disassembly, thus no stretchers across the length of the bench. The vise placement is just to the inside of the joinery for that left leg, so it's about as far to the left as the bench allows. It sits farther to the inside of the leg due to a wedge that holds the legs rigidly in the dados on the insides of the aprons. The picture shows a 5' bench, mine will be 7' so there will be a lot more bench to the right of the vise than shown in example.

Here's an 8' example of this bench design which is closer to what mine will likely look like (but with the tail vise on the opposite end from the face vise - this bench in this photo has TWO face vises with the second on the opposite side from this perspective):

 

[Rushton]

John, thanks for sharing your experience with SYP in your bench. This is good encouragement to move ahead!

 

[NCGrimbo]

Plan to spend a lot of time at Lowes or HD looking for good boards. I built some top bar beehives this past winter using 1" x 10" and 1" x 12" pine from Lowes. I had to go to three different Lowes to find enough straight and flat lumber to build them. The next ones I build are going to be from rough lumber I plane and joint to save me time and gas. Maybe the thicker 2" x 12" lumber is straighter, but my experience with the 2x4's they sells makes me doubt that.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

-NCGrimbo

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

1) Have you checked with lumber dealers in your area (ones who sell dry lumber for furniture and cabinet trade)? They may have actually dry SYP at little more cost than the big boxes. I bought dry SYP from a lumber dealer for the legs and trestle of my bench it has held up extremely well over 10 years.

2) If you rip out the pith as described make sure your splitter is in place and use a good coarse rip blade. Ripping out the pith often creates a pinched cut on one side or the other especially on not-really-dry lumber. Have done it many times to get "quarter sawn" grain direction. Good plan but be careful.

3)If you go with the big box framing stock definitely sticker it and weight it down and wait.... See what happens in 6 months. Unless you have a good moisture meter.

 

[Jeff]

Welcome Rush, thanks for joining us.

Your plan is a good start for lots of learning along the way. Kudos to you!

1. The BORG 2 x 12s are usually flat sawn but you may find an occasional board that has a section of quarter sawn/rift sawn wood in it. Will you be ripping 2 x 4s from the 2 x 12s and turning them 90 degrees to laminate a 3.5" thick top like this?

http://zengrain.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bench-model_skirt.jpg

2. The BORG lumber is kiln dried by the manufacturer to about 18% EMC off the shelf so it's kind of "wet" by furniture building practices but that's not a show stopper for wood projects. The average annual outside %EMC in Richmond, VA is about 12-13% (like your garage) and it's probably similar in your basement.

3. Now what? How will you know that those ripped and oversized SYP pretzels are acclimated?

 

[Rushton]

Welcome Rush, thanks for joining us.

Your plan is a good start for lots of learning along the way. Kudos to you!

1. The BORG 2 x 12s are usually flat sawn but you may find an occasional board that has a section of quarter sawn/rift sawn wood in it. Will you be ripping 2 x 4s from the 2 x 12s and turning them 90 degrees to laminate a 3.5" thick top like this?

http://zengrain.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/bench-model_skirt.jpg

2. The BORG lumber is kiln dried by the manufacturer to about 18% EMC off the shelf so it's kind of "wet" by furniture building practices but that's not a show stopper for wood projects. The average annual outside %EMC in Richmond, VA is about 12-13% (like your garage) and it's probably similar in your basement.

3. Now what? How will you know that those ripped and oversized SYP pretzels are acclimated?

Jeff, thanks for the welcome and your comments. I've been checking the supply of 2x10 and 2x12 SYP stock over several months now just to educate myself, and you're correct that you do find the occasional board that has quarter sawn/rift sawn wood. In fact, in any given stack, I've been seeing several such boards. So, yes, I do plan to rip from the 2x12s to get quarter/riff sawn boards that I can turn 90 degrees to laminate for the top as shown in the picture you linked. I may also do the same for the aprons to get a full 2" depth to the apron rather than the 1 3/8" (or less) I might end up with from just gluing up the 2x material.

And all the 2x SYP I've seen is marked as kiln dried so probably in that 18% range you mention for a starting point. I don't have any plan for knowing when my ripped oversized boards have acclimated other than by feel (weight and coolness to touch). Suggestions? This is the reason I've thought to work the wood in segments of the bench at a time so I can fully dimension and joint a segment all in a short period of time, then see how the wood is acting before dimensioning more.

Looking forward to lots of learning! Will be building a pair of saw horses first (out of SPF) so I will have a bench on which to build the bench. ;-)

 

[Rwe2156]

I think your plan is very good. Hard vs. soft wood, there are advantages to both its not and either/or. SYP vs spruce I would go with SYP. Fine for a bench and harder than a lot of people think.

A moisture meter here will be of great benefit. A cheap one from HD will put you in the ballpark. Shoot for 8-10%MC. I would plan for at least 2-3 months of air drying.

Keep in mind wide boards often have internal stress especially if board contains the pith. It is very likely to warp directly off the saw when ripping so *keep it wide* and plan for this re: safety (splitter, 1 jointed edge against fence, nice sharp rip blade *do not use a combo blade*). Clamping or weighting the stack - you can do it but it probably won't matter for 8/4 lumber.

Very important: Mill the lumber in stages. Face joint, edge joint, re-rip to width, surface each time taking no more than 1/8" off and re-sticker for a few days.

Don't worry too much about a bowed board. Minor bows can be clamped out during glue up. Put apposing boards against each other cancels out the bow. Much more important is straightness along the edge. This will mean less work flattening top.

I am familiar with the Sellers bench but I have a couple reservations. 1) I would not depend on apron only for stability. I would add stretchers. 8" wide mortised into legs with either wedges or barrel bolts. This also gives option of a shelf. I much prefer a trestle for a bench.

2) Not a fan of surface mounting a face vise where is stands proud. It suits his style of ww'ing, but its something you may want to re-think. Rather, with inner face flush with the apron, you can clamp the face of a board to apron for addressing an edge. Dog holes bored in apron allow for pegs or hold fasts to support long boards.

3) I don't like the design of the tool tray stuck between two slabs. Instead, I would make one solid benchtop and put tool tray along the back.

4) I would strongly consider adding a wagon vise.

Couple other hints: 1) keep the grain direction of the top boards all one direction. You will find out how important this is when you plane the top! 2) You may want to look into using a router sled to flatten the top.

Good luck hope this helps.

Here are a couple benches I've made the first is SYP section of bowling lane the second is hard maple (excuse the mess shop was being remodelled):

 

[Rushton]

NCGrimbo and Charlie, thanks for you comments and suggestions. I figure it may be a bit of a search over multiple trips to accumulate the 2x boards I will need. Fortunately, I have several HD/Lowes stores within a 10 mile radius to check on as their stock turns. I've heard SYP described as "twisting like a box full of snakes" once unpacked from the bundle, so I hear where your coming from about twisting wood. I'm hoping that by carefully selecting the boards, I'll avoid some of that.

1) Have you checked with lumber dealers in your area (ones who sell dry lumber for furniture and cabinet trade)? They may have actually dry SYP at little more cost than the big boxes. I bought dry SYP from a lumber dealer for the legs and trestle of my bench it has held up extremely well over 10 years.

2) If you rip out the pith as described make sure your splitter is in place and use a good coarse rip blade. Ripping out the pith often creates a pinched cut on one side or the other especially on not-really-dry lumber. Have done it many times to get "quarter sawn" grain direction. Good plan but be careful.

Charlie, I haven't checked to find a lumber yard that sells to the furniture and cabinet trade. All the suppliers I've identified thus far sell to the construction trade. I'll have to ask around to find if there is such an option - I'm sure there must be in a metro area of this size. And I hear your safety caution for ripping the boards! I will be doing my ripping either with a Skil saw and a homemade guide plate (as one might use for breaking down panel stock) or with my bandsaw. My bandsaw (a 35-year old 12" Craftsman) will be a bit challenged for longer boards, but may work fine with the 3-4' material. I don't own a table saw, but do have an older Dewalt radial arm saw - I don't think I'll try ripping 2x12 SYP stock with that!

Thanks for all of the comments, advice, suggestions and questions thus far. You are a most helpful and welcoming group of people. Glad I'm here.

 

[Rushton]

I think your plan is very good. Hard vs. soft wood, there are advantages to both its not and either/or. SYP vs spruce I would go with SYP. Fine for a bench and harder than a lot of people think.

A moisture meter here will be of great benefit. A cheap one from HD will put you in the ballpark. Shoot for 8-10%MC. I would plan for at least 2-3 months of air drying.

Keep in mind wide boards often have internal stress especially if board contains the pith. It is very likely to warp directly off the saw when ripping so *keep it wide* and plan for this re: safety (splitter, 1 jointed edge against fence, nice sharp rip blade *do not use a combo blade*). Clamping or weighting the stack - you can do it but it probably won't matter for 8/4 lumber.

Very important: Mill the lumber in stages. Face joint, edge joint, re-rip to width, surface each time taking no more than 1/8" off and re-sticker for a few days.

Don't worry too much about a bowed board. Minor bows can be clamped out during glue up. Put apposing boards against each other cancels out the bow. Much more important is straightness along the edge. This will mean less work flattening top.... <snip>

Thanks, DrBob! Great suggestions for this newbie to pay attention to. And I will. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about workbench design - always good to hear additional perspectives.

 

[zapdafish]

Check out a lumber supplier for yellow pine as well. My bench is built out of syp glued up butcher block style about 3" thick. I bought the syp from a lumber yard rather than trying to pick through boards at lowes or home depot. I don't know how much I would have saved doing so but having absolutley no knots and not having to worry about moisture was a big plus for me and had no sap oozing from anywhere that I could see. It was also one of their cheaper woods.



http://www.instructables.com/id/Butcher-Block-Glue-Up-How-To/

ncwoodworker prices are 2.25 b/f for 4/4
https://hardwoodstore.com/lumber-prices