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Workbench Top Material - amtc - 07-12-2022
I am at some point going to make a workbench similar to the LN workbench and I was going to use European Beech but came across some one inch thick europly maple plywood and it got me thinking about using it instead. I want the top to be four inches thick and if I buy two sheets I can have a 24 inch by 8 foot top. The plywood is made by Columbia Forest Products and the core is void free birch. Each sheet weighs about 115 pounds. My question is will a top made out of euro ply be suitable for a work bench? The cost are similar between the euro ply and European Beech but the euro ply top is much easier to construct. The top will have a classic Record 52 1/2 inch vise and a Emmert K1 pattern makers vise.
RE: Workbench Top Material - Bill_Houghton - 07-12-2022
Hard to resurface. On t'other hand, my workbench, made from a scavenged (painted!) commercial solid-core door, is still pretty darned flat over 30 years after I installed it. Ugly as day-old sin, and pocked with repair plugs from this and that, but still quite usable.
RE: Workbench Top Material - iclark - 07-12-2022
I would think that the ply would be fine.
It might be a little more challenging to do the inset for the K1 vice (in terms of tear/chip -out) on the ply.
I would suggest chamfering the top and bottom of the dog holes at least 2 plies in. That is to avoid the end of a hold down snagging on the way in or out of the hole.
RE: Workbench Top Material - msweig - 07-12-2022
I tried a similar thing when making my first bench top. I got my hands on some fingerjointed pine and tried laminating it that way. My biggest problem was clamping in the middle (I was a beginner and didn't understand the necessity of using cauls). The result wasn't great. When a friend offered me an old maple bench top from a bench from a school I jumped on it.
That said I think using a better technique it would have worked (either cauls, or screws for each layer that I later removed).
No idea on the holdfasts and durability of plywood for that.
RE: Workbench Top Material - adamcherubini - 07-12-2022
Generally plywood is much softer than solid wood, resulting in too much flex for a hand tool bench. I’d pass on the plywood. Beech is a better choice.
RE: Workbench Top Material - amtc - 07-13-2022
Thank you very much for the replies. I am leaning towards the Beech mainly because of the weight of the Emmert Vise. It is heavy. I have another question concerning the base of the bench. I plan to build the bench very similar to the LN style bench and I noticed several people use hard wood for the base. Is there any issues with using Poplar or Douglas fir (Douglas fir is plentiful where I live and inexpensive) for the base?
RE: Workbench Top Material - iclark - 07-13-2022
(07-13-2022, 12:32 AM)amtc Wrote: Thank you very much for the replies. I am leaning towards the Beech mainly because of the weight of the Emmert Vise. It is heavy. I have another question concerning the base of the bench. I plan to build the bench very similar to the LN style bench and I noticed several people use hard wood for the base. Is there any issues with using Poplar or Douglas fir (Douglas fir is plentiful where I live and inexpensive) for the base?
As I understand it, polar is pretty much what you start with is what you stay with.
On the other hand, Doug fir (and some of the other evergreens) have a reputation of getting harder as they age.
If you might add a leg vise later, I would think that the Doug fir would be a better choice for that leg.
Other than that, I expect that either would be fine for the base if you are staying with vertical legs like the LN workbench.
RE: Workbench Top Material - MarkSingleton - 07-13-2022
Doug Fir will work just fine.
I scored some large pieces at HD years ago and have never had a
problem.
My bench top is a two and a half inch thick piece of laminated maple
salvaged from a local HS woodshop. The previous owner of our house
left it behind for me!
Here is an old photo:
[attachment=43356]
RE: Workbench Top Material - Gregor1 - 07-14-2022
Facebook has been cluttered lately with people trying to sell old bowling lanes. Lanes are made of 2 different woods. The first 30', approach area included, is hard maple. The rest is pine. They are 42" wide, and there are 42 boards across. When new, they are ~ 2 1/2" thick. After many years of, they may be downs to as little as 1 1/4" The boards are nailed together with cement coated hardened screw nails, at random. There are T bars screwed to the bottom every 4' to keep them flat. They are usually, but not always treated on the bottom with a sealer to prevent moisture absorption. Trying to drill holes through them for bench dogs and such, might be problematic. They can be sawn with a 10" carbide blade. Smaller if you want to make 2 passes. If you go to buy even a 10' section, take 4 people with you. They are a tad heavy. They do make nice work benches.
RE: Workbench Top Material - Bill Tindall - 07-15-2022
(07-12-2022, 12:32 AM)amtc Wrote: I am at some point going to make a workbench similar to the LN workbench and I was going to use European Beech but came across some one inch thick europly maple plywood and it got me thinking about using it instead. I want the top to be four inches thick and if I buy two sheets I can have a 24 inch by 8 foot top. The plywood is made by Columbia Forest Products and the core is void free birch. Each sheet weighs about 115 pounds. My question is will a top made out of euro ply be suitable for a work bench? The cost are similar between the euro ply and European Beech but the euro ply top is much easier to construct. The top will have a classic Record 52 1/2 inch vise and a Emmert K1 pattern makers vise.
I have built from this material. Last project was a cello podium. The material looked to me like it was made from maple. It is dense and it is stiff. I spanned 4' wide x 8' long for the podium and it does not flex with a cellist sawing away upon it. Last concert they put a harp on it to good effect. The cellist loved it because it was so solid. Base on my experience 1 layer of it would do for my bench needs, except such a thin bench would have problems other than stiff.