Ash vs Beech for a workbench

[Hsmith192]

Is beech or ash best for a hardwood workbench?

 

[dzj]

I have 2 beech workbenches. It's what I had when I built them. If ash was at hand at the time, I'd have 2 ash benches.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Beech is used because because it has no spring, unlike ash. It's why you see ash handled axes, hammers etc. and not beech ones.

 

[Hsmith192]

Is beech better at dealing with the various seasons and wouldn’t move as much as has or have I got that wrong?

Beech is used because because it has no spring, unlike ash. It's why you see ash handled axes, hammers etc. and not beech ones.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I wouldn't think there'd be much difference but I'll leave that one for someone else.

 

[Sideways]

I like ash, strong and springy, it's good enough for the frame of a Morgan car ....
But it is a more open grain than beech. I'd say both will work but for a bench, if it was a choice between the two and the price was the same, I get why people use beech.

 

[johnnyb]

Beech is not really that stable. But it's really hard and heavy. Ash is light. Tropical species can be much more stable.

 

[Hsmith192]

Beech is not really that stable. But it's really hard and heavy. Ash is light. Tropical species can be much more stable.

So if you had a garage that was slightly on the damp side 60-70% which would you choose?

 

[Peter Sefton]

Most benches are made of beech, great for workbenches but does have a high movement factor so try and keep your workshop dry-this will also benefit your tools and your work.

Cheers

Peter

 

[Phil Pascoe]

So if you had a garage that was slightly on the damp side 60-70% which would you choose?

I think most benches around here I've seen have been beech - and 60% - 70% here is slightly on the dry side it. It goes up to a mere 97% later on.

 

[Ttrees]

Not many folks have an ash bench, and surprised to read it's light weight,
I've not noticed that from the wee bits which I have.

The question could boil down to whether you do metalwork on the bench,
or indeed some other bench activity involving grit.
The open grain from the ash might be problematic if so.
David W (frequents the ozzy hand tool forum) would be someone to ask, if you like ash, and
wan't to see the results of embedded grit on a bench with such a life.

All the best
Tom

 

[Cabinetman]

It probably depends which you can get your hands on at the right price, most of the Beech we get in the UK is European steamed (often German) which I used last time, 3” top, it didn’t move in the slightest and I was very happy with it indeed.
This time I’m in America and as Beech isn’t available I am using Ash, quite happily, and no I wouldn’t say it was a lightweight timber either, it’s all relative.
By coincidence a lot of the Ash we get in the UK is from the States anyway.
Or you could go mad and use both of course. Top and underframe,
Ian

 

[Deadeye]

Beech is not really that stable. But it's really hard and heavy. Ash is light. Tropical species can be much more stable.

Respectfully I'd disagree. The density is about the same when dried to the same moisture. Beech will give you a very "dead" top - which is what you want. They both expand/contract about the same with moisture. Ash starts drier then beech, but it doesn't matter because you're not building with green wood

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Wooddatabase - ash, 42lb a cube, beech 44.3lb a cube, so not much difference.

My top is made from some sort of (harder then hell) African mahogany fished out of the sea off Cornwall in 1989 by my fisherman friend who drowned in 1991. If it was going to move any it would have done so by now.

 

[Hsmith192]

So in essence- they’re about the same and would move as much as one another? It boils down to availability and price.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Either timber would be do, Ash move slightly less, Beech is harder wearing and would be my first choice.

https://www.wood-database.com/european-ash/
https://www.wood-database.com/european-beech/
Cheers

Peter

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Beech is easier to clean as well.

 

[Hsmith192]

If the beech is steamed is that a good thing?

 

[Lons]

As already said, ash is more open grained which is not what I'd want in a bench top if you want to keep it clean, you could build seal it of course but many wouldn't want to do that. All that said, it's common to use softwood and even scaffold battens if on a budget so any bench is usually better than none.

My bench has a beech top and heavy s/w frame btw, it's an ex school jobbie at least 70 years old and very stable. whatever you use is going to move if your workshop is damp.

 

[johnnyb]

I always think if beech was more stable it would be the perfect internal utility wood. Having used it loads as I brought maybe 15cuft off a sofa factory in surfaced planks. It can be OK in a dry house if you discard the very shifty ones. I think this may have been colour no fault as there were a few streaks.its that dry wet dry that seems to cause problems. To get stable stock I dried for 3 weeks surfaced 2 mill over discarded any twiglets more drying then final size making doors/drawers tight ish as when it goes in a house it will shrink. Some tropical wood is just stable(some beech can be maybe I in 5 plank) in that almost regardless of environment it never noticeably moves. Quebec yellow pine is the same but soft. I consider stability to be amongst the most valued traits.