Beech for a Workbench Top

[noddy67]

I am in the process of building my own workbench out of unsteamed beech. The base is mostly done and I'm thinking about the top. Most of the plans I've been referring to have called for 2 1/2" - 3" timber for this part.
For those of you that have made your own workbenches out of beech where did you source this thick material and do you recall what kind of prices you paid for it (all the quotes I'm getting seem pretty expensive.
Also did anyone go down the route of glueing up thinner stock to circumvent this and if so would you be kind enough to post some pics so I can see how it turned out.
Many thanks

 

[Scrums]

Hiya Noddy

Years ago when I made my first 'proper' bench - I had the same problem - 2 or 3 inch timber is obviously going to be a lot more expensive, due to the extra drying time involved. I laminated the top together - strips of 3" x 1" glued together on their faces. This also makes it easier to put in square cutouts for bench dogs and if you require a tool well at the back - it's a doddle!

Not a good idea for damp workshops though.

Chris.

 

[seanybaby]

Hi noddy,

I'm also in the process of making a bench from beech. For my top i laminated 2" thick timber to make my top around 80mm thick. I bought my timber from Fitchett & Woollacott in Nottingham and paid about £25 ex vat, per cubic foot.

My thread is here https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21641

Also have a search for Lord Nibbos bench, which he also laminated from 2" boards i think.

Good luck

 

[Wanlock Dod]

Noddy,

I similarly laminated pieces about 55mm by 30mm together to make the bulk of the top of my bench. The front 6 inches is made from slightly thicker (wider?) material for the front apron and dog holes. I did this because the only beech I could find was a bit more than an inch thick, although it did consume quite a bit of glue, and you inevitably need to do rather more material prep if you use loads of pieces. Still, it seems to be the common solution.

Cheers,

Dod

 

[Karl]

I too have been researching workbench top materials - seems to be a common topic at the moment.

I will be doing the method referred to above - laminating 100 x 50 mm stock. But mines out of Iroko.

Cheers

Karl

 

[newt]

Mine is a commercial bench made of beech which I have to flatten every couple of months. This afternoon I did my 2 month workout with my old wooden jack. The trouble is if it goes on like this I will be through to the vice securing bolts soon. I have had it for 2 years and it will not stop moving. I am seriously thinking of replacing my top with 3" of laminated mdf with a hardwood apron and a sacrificial hardboard skin. Paul Chapman has a MDF top with dog holes he has had it for some time with no problems. Mind you if you don't mind the top being a bit uneven then its not a problem.

 

[Karl]

Pete

That's an interesting thought.

I presume the sensible way to construct would be a couple of sheets of MR MDF, plane it flat (to take out any uneveness/twist in the frame) and add the final board on top. That way it should be nice and flat. Couple of hours work tops.

May have to PM Paul to find out how he constructed his......

Cheers

Karl

 

[TheTiddles]

this is one made from 1" reclaimed iroko, turned sideways and glued together, about 26 pieces, I'll post some better pictures soon as it's starting to look like a bench now

Aidan

 

[noddy67]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the feedback. It seems like general consensus is to go ahead and laminate thiner stock. Now I just have to see if I can rustle together enough thinner stock out of my supplies.

 

[Paul Chapman]

May have to PM Paul to find out how he constructed his......

Hi Karl,

Yes mine's made from three layers of 18mm MDF

I built it over 10 years ago as a temporary measure but it's still in the same condition as in the pictures - so I've been more than happy with it.

I lipped the individual sheets of MDF by biscuiting on soft wood, planed these flush then glued the three sheets together with a few biscuits for location.

The main problem with a bench built from any man-made boards is that you have to get it flat at the outset - you can't plane it flat afterwards

I used a lot of curved cauls and G cramps and managed to get mine dead flat - and it's stayed that way.

There are two Record 52D vices

and the top is drilled to take the various Veritas dogs. Again I've been surprised that the dog holes have stood up well and have not distorted

I went over the bench with Sadolin Classic wood preservative and regularly wax the top with Liberon Black Bison polish.

Provided you can get it flat at the glue-up stage, I reckon it's as good as any bench, rock solid and pretty cheap.

Hope this helps.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[wizer]

Paul: what spacing did you use for your dog holes?

 

[Paul Chapman]

Paul: what spacing did you use for your dog holes?

Hi Wizer,

You need to space them slightly less than the tail vice opens - that way you can always clamp your work between them. My tail vice opens just over 6" with the wooden jaws fitted and the dog holes are 5 1/2" apart along the length of the bench. The bench is just over 6' long and 26" wide.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Karl]

Hi Paul

Thanks for that.

Interesting to see that your dog holes haven't distorted - that'd be my main worry about MDF tops. But I suppose it also depends on how much pressure you exert on them.

Re: planing MDF. I know that you wouldn't get a fine surface finish, but MDF can be planed in the same way as any bench top. My idea was to build the frame, fix the first two layers of MDF, plane the top layer of MDF flat, then fix the final layer to this flattened layer. I'm sure this would work.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Paul Chapman]

Re: planing MDF. I know that you wouldn't get a fine surface finish, but MDF can be planed in the same way as any bench top. My idea was to build the frame, fix the first two layers of MDF, plane the top layer of MDF flat, then fix the final layer to this flattened layer. I'm sure this would work.

Yes, that would be worth a try. You could also sand it if there was only a little to remove. Either way, MDF is relatively cheap compared to something like beech, so you could afford to experiment. If you go down that route, let's know how it works out

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[newt]

Pauls bench puts a lot of very expensive benches to shame, we are happy to make jigs out of MDF, why not a bench if it is properly supported, clearly Pauls is well supported. I hate an uneven bench top! I hate even more an uneven bench top that changes and I have to flatten.

 

[beech1948]

Hi,
I'm not even sure if this is a useful comment.

I acquired a bench made sometime before 1925. The last owner had it from his dad who had it from his father. So at the very least its some 82+ yrs old.

The top is solid beech, 41/4 inches thick. Its made of 4 planks each about 8 inches wide + a 4 inch tool tray. The beech appears to be quarter cut...( I am a little uncertain as I have only seen this once before about 12 yrs ago at my local sawmill).

I do a monthly maintenance check around my workshop to preserve square fences and alignments. I check the workbench top also with a Starret straightedge some 36 " long and winding sticks.

I have found very little movement in my bench top maybe 2-4 thou across and lengthways. This may be for a couple of reasons:-

1) The top is so massive that it just can't move any appreciable amount
2) The ajoining planks are also massively fixed to each other
3) The quarter cut planks may prevent most of the movement by being more stable than through and through cuts
4) The base is big but not massive as its made of 31/2" sq beech for legs. The top sits on the base and is located by 4 tight fitting 2" dowels about 2" long.

Beech is very prone to movement unless very dry. I live in Berkshire so my garage / workshop is also pretty humid ( I use a dehumidifier all the time) and it is sealed as well as possible against drafts and weather but not heated except when I'm in there.

If I was you I would wait to build the Beech top until I had gained more knowledge of what was wanted and then try to build it from massive materials such as mine. Until then I think that the Paul Chapman approach would be a way to go as you can make the top as massive or not as you choose or can afford.

So 3x 3/4 inches of ply plus 1/4 inch of tempered hardboard would yield a 2 1/4 " top which would be very heavy. 4x3/4" layers of ply would yield a 4" top. I would prefer ply to MR MDF only because its stronger, stiffer and if made from birch very well engineered.

regards
alan

 

[Karl]

If you go down that route, let's know how it works out

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Was that the sound of a gauntlet hitting the ground?????

Knocked off work early today to get back and get the bench sorted. Picked up a couple of sheets of MDF on the way home - ripped down the middle gives 2 x 8' x 2'. See where i'm going with this one????

My old "bench" top was removed, and the 2 x 1000mm B&Q units were properly levelled. 2 x 4 posts were then attached to the wall on the inside edge of each cabinet using frame fixings. Each cabinet was then screwed into these posts, thereby anchoring them to the wall.

The first two layers of MDF were then secured to the cabinets using carcass screws. No glue.

Then the fun part. The third piece was added, and plenty of screws put through into the other two layers. All screws sunk well below the surface of the top, as it had to be planed.

So, planing commenced. Took about half an hour to get to this stage

After the final flattening, the fourth layer of MDF was addd, and this is what I have at the moment.

Nearly finished. Just going to add a layer of hardboard (replaceable) and some edging. Then the front vice can go on.

Then I need to turn my attention to the feet of the cabinets - those plastic things really won't stand the test of time. So I will re-size some timber to a loose fit under the unit, then bed it in with some Gripfill and not too tightly fitted wedges. Bonding it to the floor in this way should make it ultra stable. But as it is, the unit is surprisingly stable already.

Any queries, please ask away. I'm off for a shower to get rid of this MDF dust....

Cheers

Karl

 

[Paul Chapman]

If you go down that route, let's know how it works out

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Was that the sound of a gauntlet hitting the ground?????

No, just genuinely interested :wink: It's looking excellent, Karl.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Karl]

Noddy - sorry if I seem to have hijacked your thread. I'm going to put a separate post in the WIP section, as I will have more pics to add later today.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Scott]

I lipped the individual sheets of MDF by biscuiting on soft wood, planed these flush then glued the three sheets together with a few biscuits for location.

Paul

Can I ask why you lipped them individually rather than as a pack of 3?

Cheers