Workbench question

[Mshep]

Tight on funds. Building a new Workbench, yellow pine top 1x12. Plank style build. Can I sandwich Doug fir between 2 pieces of yellow pine to build a thicker top, add more weight and such, without seeing issues? All lumber has been in the garage shop for several years now. Thoughts?

Thanks

[Tapper]

Making an assumption here (there's that word again!). If you're using 1x12 planks for the top, I would think that a piece of 3/4" plywood on top of them with some edge banding out of 1x material would make a pretty nice top.

Doug

[Admiral]

If I were to do that, I'd put the doug fir (2x?) on the bottom, then if there is a problem, you only have one face glue joint between dissimilar species to worry about.  Edge band to hide the ends.   I'm thinking it would be ok for a bench, but check online for relative differences in wood movement between SYP and doug fir, and that would give you a better idea of the risk.

[JGrout]

Rip the pine into strips the thickness you want same with the fir 

glue that all back together (face to face) , you will have one dissimilar glue joint 

and a far more stable top

[fredhargis]

I don't see a problem mixing the 2 woods, but i would rip the 1x12 into strips along with the doug fir, and then glue them face to face (what Joe said). You might want to give yourself and 1/8" or so to allow for the cleanup and leveling of the joints. A side note to this process, using PVA (yellow glue) will probably give you glue creep along the seams. If you want to avoid that get some plastic resin glue (the powder stuff you mix with water) and use it.

[rwe2156]

You can't glue dimensional lumber to plywood because it needs to move.

I would suggest a very economical bench top can be made using layers of plywood and/or MDF. 4 layers will yield a top just under 3" thick.  MDF will add need weight and stability.

[Alan S]

Mike Siemsen's bench, shown in use here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvhn-PAfEW4 is of 2x stock that is thickened in strategic spots by backing with 1x or 2x stock glued on. Putting the 1x on the outside should work fine.

He shows how to build it (starting with acquiring and rehabbing all the necessary tools) in his DVD "The naked woodworker".

[Mshep]

Thanks for the input. I believe I'll go with the rip it down and glue face to face method.

[Steve N]

Tight on funds. Building a new Workbench,  yellow pine top 1x12.

Bring a calculator with you to the BORG, and figure how much it will cost to use 1x12, versus really making all your work easier and buy 2x10, or even 12". Once you get into 2x10 anywhere, and many places 2x8 your wood will all of a sudden become almost knot, and defect free. You can rip that down to whatever width you want your benchtop to be thick. Then face to face glue it up. I guarantee you will spend a tiny bit more, but you will easily find straight and flat stock. With your 1x12 you will be knot infested, and finding enough boards to build a top that are straight, and or flat will be a challenge. All you are doing is increasing thickness, but the wood you will be choosing is what a framer is going to choose to make headers, beams, and other structural joints that he will want to be flat, and straight. 1x12 is cheap shelf material, and people figure the weight will flatten it out, sometimes it even does.



This one says use 2x4's I say finding that many straight 2x4's is about as easy as finding enough straight 1 x 12's. I'd start with 2x10 and rip them to something close to a 2x4 ish very nice thick top



A lil tip. When you do that glue up, unless you have a houseful of body builders think in terms of making the glue-up in 2 pieces, each will weigh considerably, but tied together that is a lot to lift. Once you have them glued up, join them together on top of the frame, and glue the 2 sides together. Other tip is do the glue ups on a very flat surface. If all of your pieces for the top are all exact dupes, and you start on a flat surface you can actually glue it up, nicely making the ends square so you don't need to spend a week flattening it, and squaring it after the glue dries. Time spent laying out the place for the glue up, will be given back easily in time saved in finishing/flattening/squaring the top.

[Admiral]

True, but I think the OP wants to use the stock he has on hand.