Timberstrand

[Tapper]

I recently read an article in a previous issue of ShopNotes where they used 2 1/2" thick Timberstrand for the top of a workbench, the featured article. I know this material is used for door cores and is very strong, stable and stays straight. I'm considering building another workbench and thought this might be a good alternative to glued up maple or some other hardwood for the top.

Would it be possible to put a hardwood "skin" on this material and not have it move and crack? Seems like if it was thin enough, wood movement would be less of an issue. I have a ton of T&G QS and rift sawn white oak left over from when I did the floors in my home that I could mill down to the proper dimensions. 

If not this I suppose I could just use masonite on top and band the ends and sides with hardwood. Would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.

BTW, I plan to install a 52 1/2 Record quick-release face vise (sitting in the stash) on one end and possibly a Benchcrafted end vise with the Lee Valley round brass dogs on the other.

Thanks,

Doug

[Lynden]

I think I would use Parallam instead.

[Tapper]

I think I would use Parallam instead.

Thank you for the suggestion - could you elaborate please?

Thanks,

Doug

[Lynden]

I like the look of Parallam when it's finished. Plus, it's denser than LVL and the surface seems harder.

parallam furniture

parallam workbench

[blackhat]

With hardboard skin and hardwood skirts is essentially the bench I have. I drilled 1" holes and inserted hardwood dowels and bored the dowels for my dog holes.

[The Tinman]

I built my bench out of timberstrand 2x4s back when they were just being introduced. A few decades later and that bench is still as flat and solid as the day I made it. I faced the front and back edges with 3/4 hickory to keep the laminations from flaking, but the top has nothing other than the raw edges of the TS boards. I did a little filling of small voids with bondo, using a white hardener rather than the purple that is usually standard for body work.

[jteneyck]

I don't see why this stuff couldn't be used for a bench top.  It seems to check all the right boxes, including it's strong, stable, and it's heavy.  I'm not sure if the properties are quite the same as LVL beams, but it should be fine as a substrate if you wanted to glue 1/4" or thinner hardwood skins to it.  And while that will look very nice, I really favor 1/8" or 1/4" double tempered Masonite, personally.  It lasts a really long time and you don't need to worry about dinging it, spilling stuff on it, etc.  When it gets all ratty, you just pull it up, and turn it over.  When the second side is worn out, it's easily and cheaply replaced.  I know some folks want a bench that looks like furniture, and if that's your objective that's fine; I just prefer one that I don't have to worry about mistreating, or taking time to rejuvenate. 

John

[Robert Adams]

Both would be good material for a bench imo. The only pay problem with timeberstrand is that they aren't a stock item even at the lumber supplier. Special order and $15 a piece for 2x4x8. They are great but expensive. I like using them for doorways because they are straight and stay straight. Much easier when hanging doors. Lvl s can be had at depot for around $70.

[Steve N]

No experience with Timberstrand, never seen it here. Plenty of LVL though.

Megan built a bench for Popular Woodworking out of LVL


Here is a follow up after 2 years

[Tapper]

No experience with Timberstrand, never seen it here. Plenty of LVL though.

Megan built a bench for Popular Woodworking out of LVL


Here is a follow up after 2 years

Read the article about the bench that Megan and Chris built - thanks for the link! I'm not sure but possibly Timberstrand is a later product than regular LVL. A little research reveals that Timberstrand is made out of strips of Aspen trees, supposedly a better material for this application. LVL is made out of SYP I believe.

When I first read the article in ShopNotes about this bench I thought they had just bought a slab of Timberstrand and used it as the top. In fact what they did was cut the slab into strips, rotated them 90 degrees and glued them up just like you would if you were using hardwood planks. The advantage for TS seems to be that not only is it very strong but also stays almost dead flat over time. The "Traditional European Workbench" I built many years ago that was featured in Woodsmith #50 is still a great design, but the top has moved considerably in places and needs to be re-leveled. One plank has pulled apart from the others and will need to be re-glued (probably my fault).

I like John's idea of attaching a 1/4" Masonite skin on top that can be replaced easily when it gets chewed up. I used this method on a miter saw/RAS extension bench I built years ago, and just attached it with brass screws so it could be removed easily later if necessary. Using the round hole dogs will require drilling larger holes, installing hardwood dowels and then redrilling, something I had hoped to avoid. 

BTW, I have never used Maple for a bench top before. For those of you that have, is it a pretty stable hardwood for this application?

Again, thanks for all your comments and suggestions!

Doug