Douglas Fir

How about southern yellow pine? It is relatively cheap, available from any of the big box stores and is a favorite wood of Chris Schwarz for building benches.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I dont know about down there, but alot of the higher grade construction lumber around here is fir or maybe its spruce…but yea I think the SYP is the way to go too…I read somewhere once that if you look at 2x again and its 6” or larger then its probably SYP….at least in this area(mid atlantic)

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.

If you go to a lumberyard you can get syp, doug fir, hemlock fir, or regular spf. They have to carry them all to meet the demands of the housing market. When I order out a roof load, I specify what length, and species I need to build the house. Doug fir is used for long span rafters where strength is needed, so you might only find doug fir in longer lengths, but you can always cut and rip them to suite your needs.

-- Julian, Park Forest, IL

If you can get Southern Yellow Pine, it is a very good choice for a workbench. Christopher Schwarz the workbench guru has used it on many of his benches.

-- http://theinquisitivewoodworker.com/

Thanks very much.

-- When the tide goes out you see who's been skinny dipping.

Also, if you want to see a bench made out of Douglas Fir, have a look at my blog I did a while back.

-- http://theinquisitivewoodworker.com/

I bought an used Workbench a few days ago, the top is in yellow pine, 2-3/4” thick and let me tell you, that thing is hard!
Most of the lumber at Home Centers are intended for construction, cheap stuff, so the quality is not the best. I suggest to look for Hardwood suppliers that also carry SYP and Douglas Fir for the Doors&Windows Industry.

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

I’m in the north and spruce is the big construction lumber but fir is available.. but only at home depot. And, not at all of them do. Spruce splits easily and is chippy. In my experience Southern Yellow Pine is too but up here we only get it in the form pressure treated lumber. Fir is tougher than Pine but cuts and works much like pine. It doesn’t split easily.
Often at Home depot it won’t be listed as Fir. You have to look on the stamping on the wood itself. You can usually tell it from other woods as it often has a brownish/goldish tinge to it compared to the other woods which seem white in comparison. It makes a great bench at a good cost. Pick over some 2×10’s or 12’s and slice them up to upgrade. A 2×10x12 fir beam can yield a lot of good usable pieces at a small cost.

Here's a link to my bench made of fir

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

Everyone has been a great help. I bought some 2×10x12’s a cut them down. You guys are great. Thanks especially for the links to your benches.

-- When the tide goes out you see who's been skinny dipping.

doug fir is all over the place up in Oregon,but in the south I would go with southern yellow pine

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com