8/4 vs 4/4 hard maple for bench top

[John Thompson]

I will 3rd that SYP doesn't splinter. I have built 5 SYP tops in the last 6 years.. two for me and 3 for friends and splinter is not an issue. It's also easy to work with as I can build a top in one day with a one to two day glue-up time. I use Doug Fir bases which is a splinter issue but not on the base as it is extremely stable once milled.

[Frank Drew]

If you can get a 4/4 top suitably flat it could be laminated to a 3/4 substrate like plywood or mdf and provide a thicker top. Once you have a suitably hard work surface the weight and its stability would be what you are going for. If the appearance puts you off you could put a skirt of 8/4 around the edge.

Richard,

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think that Boris is thinking about using 4/4 boards on edge, to laminate a thick top, not 4/4 as a finished thickness.

And I stand educated about SYP and its resistance to splintering.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

Boris,
Your price difference really surprises me. I would not expect 8/4 to be 2x the cost of 4/4.

Also note that 2 pieces of 4/4 will typically not mill out to be the same thickness as 8/4. And it is 2x the effort to select, prepare and glue.

Your time has to be worth something. I think I would go with the 8/4 (or thicker) and whatever is cheap, stable and readily available in your area .

[Matt Kestenbaum]

Within the last year there was a bench build article by Garrett Hack in FWW where he used 4/4 stock in 3 layers (adding up to a total top of 12/4) for the bench top. If I remember correctly he used less expensive hard woods for the two lower layers and hard maple only for the very top.

I did not exactly care for the overall design he advocated...seemed he was advocating deep/wide aprons (per Schwarz's book these make clamping to the top more difficult) and also the trestle base didn't have any provision for ever being disassembled and was made with a long steel rods threaded through the lower stretchers.

Chris Schwarz's book is a good read. He definitely recommends SYP.

I am too chicken to build my bench on my own...taking an intensive 6-day workshop next month to (finally) make the leap. I can't wait! Have been pulling my hair out with an MDF/ply topped table.

[Boris Sudel]

Ash, oak, elm, etc. are more open-grained than I'd want in a work bench, but they're all certainly hard enough and easy enough to work.

Frank,

Would you mind to elaborate as to why open grained ash would be detrimental to use in a bench. I don't think I understand this subject well enough.

Thanks,
Boris

[Eiji Fuller]

The thicker the better. 8,10,12 or even 16/4 if you can get it at a decent price.

Getting it done faster and more efficeintly is worth alot more IMO than saving a little money on the materials. I think my mindset is more inline with professionals as it seems that hobbyists can spend 1000s of hours on a project and have that as something to be proud of. The faster I can build the more food I can put on the table.

[Greg Portland]

I would like to hear your insight on whether the choice of 4/4 maple would affect bench functionality and bench top stability.

I think you've already gotten your answer to the 4/4 versus 8/4. If you are trying to build an older style bench for the challenge or for the artistic result then ignore my comments below.

If you are trying to build a bomb-proof bench, there are much easier and cheaper methods than laminating up a ton of maple. A set of torsion boxes makes an extremely strong top and truss system. This only requires some decent 2x4s and plywood. Threaded rod + fasteners will tension everything together and make it rock solid. Careful planning will allow you to add dog holes wherever you want in the top. For my bench, I beefed up the region around the vise hardware with maple & used maple for the vise faces.

[Paul Ryan]

Schwarz basically goes with the cheaper is better method, when it comes to materials. If you check out his blog he basically says and material will work for a bench, dont worry about the material too much. I am in the design phase right now, I will probably go with ash because it is dirt cheap around here. Popular woodworking even has a bench built with the laminated construction lumber. So no matter what you choose you really can go wrong. Just make sure you have a good design for what you want to do, and get the top flat. His latest bench is a cherry top with some unknown leg and strecher material.

[Bud Millis]

I used 12/4 on mine. In the end it was well worth it. your only going to build it once and it will last for years. That being said, in Pop Wood during the last year used plywood. They cut it in 3" strips and glued it together. Thats always an option.

The bowling alley is great. I've got several benches and counters made out of that.