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Workbench question- Is Poplar a good choice?

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5K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  richgreer 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Quick question- Is 12/4 poplar a good choice for the trestle base of a workbench? The top is going to be hard maple and probably weigh more than 200 lb.

thanks
 
#2 ·
Yes. It's fine. Spacing of the ends of the trestles is more important
to bench stability than the weight of them. In a very light bench
this might not be true. The wider the stance of the bench, the more
stable it will be under when you work with hand planes. Your top is
plenty heavy enough that the bench should never lift up if the legs are
near the ends.
 
#4 ·
Poplar has the density of approximately 23 lb/ft. To compare with others like pine at 22 and Walnut at around 40. That considered…I would say that it would not be the best pick.

Poplar does have a much closer grain then pine though and the wood fibers are more robust along the grain and across it (laterally). The density numbers are much more important if your stresses are lateral rather then vertical. With vertical stresses on what you have indicated….I don't think you will have a problem with the legs holding and for stability - just be careful to make sure you don't make your stretchers too long or too thin.
 
#9 ·
I don't think it matters very much what you use for a workbench frame. The key is to engineer it so it is sturdy and stable. You don't want it to flex at all. The more important issue is the top and maple is good. Personally, I prefer at least one layer of MDF. It is so heavy and flat! Then I would put the maple on top of the MDF.
 
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