New Workbench

[Luckbox72]

I am working on a new bench and I have the shell complete. The shell is just a bunch of 2x4 studs. The legs are three that have been jointed, planned and cut to length and then glued together and the main cross pieces are the same. It is mortise and tenon and then screwed together. I plan on adding either drawers or cabinets in the center or possible both. The questions is what should I use as a top. I had though the same 2x4 studs glued together but that will be about 20 studs, but I am not sure if this will be to soft of a top. I could also use a few sheets of plywood glued together, this would be nice and flat and harder.
Any suggestions?

 

[Mike Davis]

Depends on what type of vise and or dog holes, etc. The 2x4s glued will give you a 3 inch thick top that will easily hold bench hooks, dogs and other fixtures. Also easier to mount a heavy vise.

Southern Yellow pine is plenty hard for a bench top, white pine maybe not so much.

 

[KenOfCary]

What Mike said. I'd also check with Scott Smith (scsmith42 here) and see what kind of price he could make you on some non-figured oak or poplar to glue up into a 3" thick bench top. If you're not looking for first quality wood (not needed for this application) then you might be able to pick that up fairly cheaply. Maybe as cheap as SYP. Having a hardwood bench top would be a nice touch.

Very stout looking frame there. Be sure and post a pic of the end result.

Oh, and if you're planning to use bench dogs don't forget to leave a gap at the top - don't run your drawers/shelves all the way to the top of the bench. Leave room for dogs and clamps underneath.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Southern Yellow pine is plenty hard for a bench top, white pine maybe not so much.

Ditto what Mike and Ken have said. Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) 2x4's jointed and glued face to face will yield a very durable 3" thick top. From the pic it looks like you used White Pine for the base, and that's okay. My White Pine base is over 20 years old and still as strong as ever. But for a top you really need the SYP.

 

[Bas]

SYP will work great. if you can handle larger lumber, I suggest you get 2x8 or even 2x12 boards and rip them down. The wider boards tend to be better and you'll have less waste. If you're going to shop at Home Depot, wait until Monday afternoon or Tuesday when they restock. The stuff available during the he weekend is what contractors rejected during the week.

 

[Jeff]

The questions is what should I use as a top. I had though the same 2x4 studs glued together but that will be about 20 studs, but I am not sure if this will be to soft of a top. I could also use a few sheets of plywood glued together, this would be nice and flat and harder.
Any suggestions?

+1 to the good advice. You may also want to tune in to a related workbench thread that's ongoing currently. There are a few bench tops using plywood sheets and MDF. There are lots of options available to you.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=57947

 

[Jeff]

The questions is what should I use as a top. I had though the same 2x4 studs glued together but that will be about 20 studs, but I am not sure if this will be to soft of a top. I could also use a few sheets of plywood glued together, this would be nice and flat and harder.
Any suggestions?

+1 to the good advice. You may also want to tune in to a related workbench thread that's ongoing currently. There are a few bench tops using plywood sheets and MDF. There are lots of options available to you.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=57947

 

[Luckbox72]

Thanks for the help but it looks like I made a minor mistake in m design. I forgot O need to lift the top up off the bench to accommodate the vise. I have found I need to add 2" of clearance to pass the under the top and over the frame. I had planed for the top to be at 36" and I had planed to have a top 3 to 4" thick. So now the can only be around 2 inches thick. I do not want to cut the legs shorter because I have a few things I plan on storing under the bench and that clearance is currently correct.

So I thought I would get 2x, what ever looks good of syp. rip then into 1 inch stips and then put them on top of 3/4" plywood. Or should I just make cut 1-3/4" strips and skip the plywood, or just get a solid core door slab and be done wit it? My thinking is the plywood base with 1" deep strips of syp would be stronger and more stable than 1-3/4" deep syp only.

 

[Mark Gottesman]

Good looking base there.

Well, just to throw in another option, how about a torsion box top made of tubafores and plywood. Quick strong and flat. Check out the workbench design by Tom Caspar.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/toms-torsion-box-workbench


For what it is worth, the 1.75" strips should be plenty stable and strong when glued up. Each glue layer is like a stiffener.

 

[FredP]

mortice the top to fit over the base.

 

[Mike Davis]

Won't hurt that frame to cut out for the vise.

 

[KenOfCary]

I can tell you that 3" is the sweet spot for bench top thickness if using hold-fasts. But that said, I have made several workbenches in previous garages that were attached to a wall and used 2x6 T&G boards for the top and they were extremely stable. These were not even glued together. This was leftover wood from a loft floor or horse stall sides.

 

[Luckbox72]

Ok after being forced to take some time away from my bench I am back at it. I decided I would just increase the overhang on one side of the bench and mount the vise on that side. So I have purchased a bunch of 2X10 SYP and have rough cut them. They are currently 2 7/8" thick and I figure by the time I am done jointing and squaring I will be at about 2 3/4" thick so not quite the full 3 inches but I think it will do. My question now is should I just attach the to the frame as is or should I add a couple of extra support in the middle to help support the top. I would think once the top is complete and I add a 4 inch boarder that the chances of any flex in the top should be minimal, but that is a large open area in the center. It is about 55" x 22 in the center.

 

[Phil S]

At many of the big box stores the dimensional lumber is SPF which means it is either spruce, pine or fir. If you want SYP, southern yellow pine, go to Home Depot and buy either 2x8, 2x10 or 2x12 as it is all SYP. Their 2x4 and 2x6 lumber is SPF

 

[Mike Davis]

You won't have any flex in that top. Mount it to your frame.

Are you going to use lag bolts or something else?

 

[Howard Acheson]

A nice way to make a top surface is to use your laminated 2x4's and put a Masonite top on them. That gives a flat, hard surface that can be replaced if it gets damaged or too dinged up. Use an oil/varnish mixture for your top finish to minimize finish and glues sticking to the top.

 

[Dorm]

If it's not too late, you could check with TE Johnson Lumber, near Four-Oaks. Their bread and butter is rough sawn SYP, and with knots or no knots. I used these to supply material for my barn and they are great to deal with.