What wood to use for Paul sellers workbench

[pe2dave]

As far as I can see Paul's bench has a two inch thick too. I don't think this is thick enough.

If you download the plans, you'll see it is 4x2, edge on to form the top, i.e. 4" thick.

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks Dave. Somewhere then I saw someone making a Nicholson bench with a 2inch top and an apron. I could habe sworn it was Paul's video. Maybe I am confused. If so then my apologies to all concerned. Ah well I shall be 82 in February!

John

 

[Linus]

Thanks Linus, your bench looks brilliant! Well done! Do you find that you need more than one vice? Also have you ever thought of adding dog holes to your bench?

Thanks for the compliment. No, I can't recall needing a second vice. If I need further holding then using clamps and the bench satisfy all that I have needed. What I have done is bored fixing holes in the top to mount an engineering vice as and when I need it if I'm butchering any metal. I haven't fitted dog holes as I haven't needed any, yet but it would be simple enough as the bench top is pretty robust. What was best about making the bench was that every stage was a learning curve re chisels and planes and traditional hand tools and I learnt quite a bit along the way. I suppose to some Paul Sellars is a bit like Marmite, but I found his vids a wealth of knowledge and I enjoyed his philosophy towards woodwork.

By the way, the CLS came from Wickes, hand selected so I had no issues.

 

[pe2dave]

This is the first of the video's John. A whole series of them, with plans to boot if you want them.

 

[Samwise-thebrave]

This is the first of the video's John. A whole series of them, with plans to boot if you want them.

Thanks Dave, yeah I have watched them a few times now, now it’s just the case of buying the wood and ‘actually’ doing it!

 

[Samwise-thebrave]

Thanks for the compliment. No, I can't recall needing a second vice. If I need further holding then using clamps and the bench satisfy all that I have needed. What I have done is bored fixing holes in the top to mount an engineering vice as and when I need it if I'm butchering any metal. I haven't fitted dog holes as I haven't needed any, yet but it would be simple enough as the bench top is pretty robust. What was best about making the bench was that every stage was a learning curve re chisels and planes and traditional hand tools and I learnt quite a bit along the way. I suppose to some Paul Sellars is a bit like Marmite, but I found his vids a wealth of knowledge and I enjoyed his philosophy towards woodwork.

By the way, the CLS came from Wickes, hand selected so I had no issues.

That’s very helpful thanks for that. And good to know it’s not just me that goes to Wickes for their timber

 

[Linus]

That’s very helpful thanks for that. And good to know it’s not just me that goes to Wickes for their timber

Oh don't get me wrong. Wickes sell some awful c**p but be selective. We don't all have accounts at the local timberyard.

 

[Jameshow]

James,
In the late 70s I acquired some 'scrap scaffold boards. These were made from pitch pine and were a full 2" thick. They were also around a foot wide. By the time they were cleaned up they just about made 1.5 inches thickness
Probably the minimum thickness for usr as a benchtop.

Scaffold boards are supposed yo be made from the nest pine

As far as I can see Paul's bench has a two inch thick too. I don't think this is thick enough. My first bench had a mahogany top made from the salvaged bartop of the Lord Nelson pub in Ladywood. It was just about 1.5" thick and was prone to a lot of bounce back. I solved that by putting it on a frame of three by twos in a kind of torsion box.
It worked well and I can't see me using a bench top of any less than 3 inches thickness. That's why, if I am spared I am going to use a beech worktop of 40mm thickness laminated by folding the top into an 80mm beech top 5 ft by 20 inches. Settle for that in my cramped shop. No tail vice or tool well. Something like the benches we used in the 1950s. Not only at school but also in the joiners shop of the 1960s. Tail vice? Never heard of that mate!

John

I was suggesting using a scaffold planks sawn into 3 lengthwise and then laminated face to face giving s bench a shade less than 3"

I shop at Wickes too. 2x2 is better from Wickes than local timber merchants.

Arnold laver would be better but a trek and not as customer friendly.

Cheers James

 

[Benchwayze]

How about these guys on eBay just around the ring rd?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LIVE-WAN...-/224183207872?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
Also what about scaffold boards

9" wide cut into 3" they are usually 13ft long so a 6.5ft bench fits nicely. Each just would give you 9" of cover. Which at £12 a board isn't a bad price.

Cutting them up would be s bit of s chore.

Cheers James

Yes James. I apologise. I was thinking of the Nicholson design bench. Not a block construction, as in Schwarz's bench from his book.

Rex Krueger (Spelling?) has a video on the 'Tube for the building of an 'English' bench, much like the Nicholson design. That is very 'weedy' by comparison, and is almost a box, without a torsion frame inside.
I think a torsion box design would be the next best bet to a laminated top from 3 or 4x2s.

Regards

John

 

[lexi]

I think the OP will find that Lavers in Leeds iirc, is a pretty good timber merchant for hardwood and all sorts.

 

[Terrytpot]

spotted this earlier which seems quite reasonable although obviously not for a workbench..

 

[Jelly]

I don't get using cls.i know wood buying is a bit intimidating but unsorted redwood is an obvious choice. no knots and good to plane.

You'll be lucky at the moment, lots more (live) knots coming through in the U/S Redwood packs I'm seeing...

Of course that's not strictly a defect, but I strongly suspect that the packs of "fifths or better" I've been seeing of late were much more to the "fifths" side of the equilibrium than is normal.

Still not bad to plane and finishes well, but not quite as nice to work with as the material I'm accustomed to.

 

[timothyedoran]

I made my Sellers workbench this year. I used 2*3 CLS from Wickes for the top. I was working late and tired when I did the top lamination and made a silly mistake. Some how I forgot to check it was glued up square and ended up with a twisted glue up. I almost started again by figured it would be a good learning experience to plane it flat.

Wickes is cheap but pick your own as it is variable quality. I must have rejected 90% of the timber.

I can recommend making a scrub plane if you don't have one. Mine is made from a horrid silverline no.4 which is now quite useful.

 

[Sneezle]

Firstly, sorry to resurrect this thread.

There are a lot of really nice benches in here made from Wickes and B&Q wood and I was hoping I could pick your brains for your dimensions and your advice.

I'm also a total amateur and looking to build my first bench. I'm in Birmingham and whilst there are some timber yards around, the nice looking ones aren't open at the weekend and the others I have been too were either a bit confusing in terms of pricing or just a bit unfriendly (assuming more suited to trade customers who know exactly what they need!).

So Wickes it is for this one. It'll have to be delivered as I only have a very small car!

I've looking at the plans for the bench and I can't seem to find the dimensions that Paul uses for sale anymore.

What dimensions would people who have made this from Wickes wood recommend? I want it to be strong enough to mount an old Record vice to (that I found in a school skip!)

I'm also reading here about the preference for redwood or C16 instead of CLS. Would people recommend that?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Ttrees]

If yer into skips then I suggest making it long enough to plane a door stile,
i.e a planing stop of some sort on the end, and no overhang of the material,

I suggest not ruining the surface using Paul's techniques though, and actually take care of it.
(That's if you intend to become proficient at hand planing without need for a machine to do the job)
All the best
Tom

 

[thetyreman]

Firstly, sorry to resurrect this thread.

There are a lot of really nice benches in here made from Wickes and B&Q wood and I was hoping I could pick your brains for your dimensions and your advice.

I'm also a total amateur and looking to build my first bench. I'm in Birmingham and whilst there are some timber yards around, the nice looking ones aren't open at the weekend and the others I have been too were either a bit confusing in terms of pricing or just a bit unfriendly (assuming more suited to trade customers who know exactly what they need!).

So Wickes it is for this one. It'll have to be delivered as I only have a very small car!

I've looking at the plans for the bench and I can't seem to find the dimensions that Paul uses for sale anymore.

What dimensions would people who have made this from Wickes wood recommend? I want it to be strong enough to mount an old Record vice to (that I found in a school skip!)

I'm also reading here about the preference for redwood or C16 instead of CLS. Would people recommend that?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Try finding somewhere where you can get redwood pine, I used PAR redwood pine for mine, I wouldn't recommend wickes or B&Q, send some other places a cutting list and then they can give you a quote, I think southern yellow pine or douglas fir would be a far better choice for a bench than pine mainly because of the lack of knots.

 

[Spectric]

As for plywood for a workbench it just seems wrong from an engineering point of view.

Why, we have glulam beams for structural loads Glulam | James Jones and Sons Limited

and Dennis made a really decent bench from laminated ply for the frame,

using this method allows for any length or size you want and not restricted by the size of the tree.

 

[Ttrees]

That's an MFT though, and not a workbench for hand tool woodworking.

For the same money as solid timbers, plywood is a completely different animal than laminated together, and wouldn't be in anyway suitable.
I'd doubt even the best baltic birch would be suitable for a top for efficient precision planing, and not fooling around.

Nice to have a few offcuts for chopping on, and protecting the bench from saw cuts, which should be a given.

Tom

 

[mikej460]

 

[Jameshow]

How about cutting an 8x4 x 3/4" ply in half 24" then cut into 64" long.

One is base of bench top.

Cut one into 8" strips.

1 for the apron, one for the back of the bench and one for the front of bench.

Cut the remaining offcuts into 8" strips and laminate into a 56mm thick bench top.
Crew through from underside with 50mm screws in oversize holes and PVA glue to make solid bench.
Cut motices for legs in bottom two laminations.

2x 3" 8ft fence posts cut down to 2x 28" legs 2x 20" rails.


Just a thought on back of envelope!!