Lumber sizing for workbench

[Brad Ridgway]

I think i am going to go with laminated southern yellow pine for my top...

I was reading the Chris Schwartz recommendation to buy 2"x12"x12' instead of smaller dimensioned lumber and i'm wondering if people agree with this as it seems odd. First i assume this would only be valid on quartersawn lumber (which is what i would use). But even then, wouldn't there be a risk of deformity due to internal stress once you start ripping it down?

thx in advance

[Dave Cav]

I would imagine given the size of most sawlogs today, most 2x12 lumber is going to be plain or flat sawn through the center (or close to the center) of the log. This will give you more or less quarter sawn grain on the sides, and flat sawn grain in the center. I would rip it down the center and then face glue it together, swapping every other piece end for end but keep the same edges up. That way you would have the quarter sawn grain on one side and the flat on the other, which would most likely be the bottom. I would crosscut the lumber to the rough length of the workbench plus about a foot, then rip it, then let it sit for a week or so. Following that I would joint it to establish a flat edge and then glue it up. After it is glued up, plane it down to your final thickness, which will probably be in the 3-4" range. That's how I built mine, only I used 4/4 ash 12" wide instead of SYP, which isn't readily available where I live.

[Ken Whitney]

Brad,

I think the reason Chris recommends 2x12s is that you can "roll your own" quartersawn lumber from this size stock. Each board would be ripped to yield quartersawn and flatsawn pieces, depending on the layout of the boards.

Ken

[David Giles]

It is also the lumber that has set the longest in the store, hence is the driest wood.

[Floyd Mah]

My recollection of his recommendation was that the smaller pieces of lumber tend to be the worse pieces of a log. The larger pieces of lumber tend to be the straightest and yield more useable wood. The smaller pieces come off the log last and are less stable. Having built a workbench from construction lumber (douglas fir), I can say from personal experience that it does help to divide a board in half and flip and glue up so that warpage is neutralized by alternating the natural tendency of flat sawn lumber to bow. Also let the board sit between sessions of flattening. I flattened a glued-up board with a handplane, came back the next morning and found my hard work in a nicely bowed shape. I had to divide and flip again to save the board.