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Workbench material question

10K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Tangle 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
As some of you have probably read, I recently found out the house I am tearing down has rough cut Ash studs in it. I am think I will use these for my workbench top.
(see my blog on the house process: http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/KevinHuber/blog/3649 )

There is also some 2" x 6" clear pine that was used for the door jambs. It seems really heavy for pine, but I am pretty sure that is what it is.

Do you think the pine would be better for the workbench base or do you think the Ash would be better?

I plan to use it for some hand tool work, but it will also get used for some portable power tool jobs as well. I want a vise on the front and the side. I haven't fully decided on the design and am in the process of reading Chris's Workbench book right now.

The pine will clean up at 2×6 and the Ash probably closer to 1 3/4×3 3/4.
 
#3 ·
I think the pine would be fine for the base. I've seen several very sturdy benches built on pine frames. Personally, I'd use the ash for the whole thing if I had enough ash available … but it would just be out of personal preference.
 
#4 ·
Either way you'll have a fine bench using those two woods. My bench is ALL Southern Yellow Pine and was fabricated from 2x material. Mostly from 2"x12"x16' so I could avoid knots and wany grain. The thing I like about the SYP for the top is that it's not as slippery as a "hardwood" top. Again, either wood will suffice and comes down to what you can get from the amount of material you have or can attain.

Not mentioned but important, let that stuff acclimate for a season or two in your space before you build it. Keep us informed and put up some pics. We all love the benches.

always,
J.C.
 
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