Who has made their workbench from 2x4 material?
#11
I don't mean 2x12's ripped down. I mean real 2x4 stock. I asked b/c I have a chance to get enough 2x4's that have been used to make the workbench I have been wanting to build. I have moved too many times and gotten rid of the bench each time.

The price is just north of free so the money is right, but still is it worth the effort?

The wood has been used inside as studs so it should be dried well.

Opinions?
"Life is too short for bad tools.".-- Pedder 7/22/11
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#12
I've got a 60 year old house, and have made a benchtop out of old studs- but they were very different from what passes for 2x4s these days.
Good judgement is the product of experience.
Experience is the product of poor judgement.
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#13
I rebuilt a basement room after water damage. The salvaged framing was too valuable and put back into the rebuild. Far better than the garbage at Borg.

Your resource must be suitable to inspire the project. "North of free" has always been my nemesis. I forgot the price of glue, tools to square-up the wood, time and mess to glue, clamp, and clean up the resulting mess. And then do more squaring.

I sort of finished one short table, that now houses various tailed equipment as needed. It was from your specified stud stock. Unfortunately, new studs move while they dry. A second was carved from 2x10 salvage that demanded nearly half-a-gallon of glue and needed far more than the flimsy clamps I had at the time. Pieces of it serve as cauls and kindling. It never got off the ground.

Why do you see the the poster child of french benches using timber now? Far, far easier and much more convenient. You must have recyclers with the goods almost north of ready at slightly more than north of free.

My five cents...
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#14
I think if the material has been in service as studs they should have done all the moving and shaking they are going to- which is the main argument against using them in the first place. They should be fine. Just my opinion of course.
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#15
Welp, it's a moot point now. Right when I was gonna go, I found out its gone. Let this be a lesson, go when you see it... oh well.

Maybe I'll do oak.
"Life is too short for bad tools.".-- Pedder 7/22/11
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#16
Absolutely doable if you have the time to flatten the top. Standard framing stock utilizes the worst grade of wood for 2x4, and as you move up in size toward 2x8, 10, and 12 the wood quality greatly improves, and cutting it down, and making it work is much easier. That said free is hard to beat. Pine works easily, and for a top I like soft much better than hard wood. Soft is easier on the work. Pine also tends to be fuzzy, splintery, and for your frame it will become loose faster than hardwoods as it tends to yaw open at joints, especially if metal hardware is used, and you apply much force to it.
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya

GW
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#17
I made my last bench out of HD crap 2 X4's and it turned out to be a solid performer. This is the Paul Sellers style bench and I love it, it took a little work to smooth everything flat but was a lot of fun to build. I would do it again in a heart beat, sorry you missed out on the 2 x 4's. Oh by the way I used mostly a # 4 smoothing plane like Paul did.

Steve
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#18
I did.

Works fine.

A sharp plane won't be much bothered with the inevitable knots. As long as there are no embedded nails or screws, you won't have much trouble with the wood.

I say go for it.
Steve S.
------------------------------------------------------
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- T. S. Eliot

Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop
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#19
The first bench I made was out of 2x4s and lasted a good long time till it became obslete. Then I made another workbench more like a traditional bench out of 2x4s with a plywood and masionate top. That is about 20 yrs old and is the outfeed for the saw. The new traditional becnh is solid maple at 7' long.
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#20
Mine is made out of junk 2x4s from the home centre and worse 4x4s for the legs and it works great. I can't imagine spending more. I've worked on hardwood bench tops and I didn't see any advantage to be honest.
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