Is this a good price for a 6" x 6" timber?

[Greg Woloshyn]

I'm planning my first workbench build and found a really nice pine beam for sale locally that measures 6.25 x 6.25 x 12 feet long. Wondering what's a fair price on this? Seller is asking $40 for it.

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[Malcolm McLeod]

BORG has 6"x6"-12' PT SYP for $33 online (this is 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" actual & will be dripping wet).

Or looking at the cost per bd-ft of your $40 beam (assuming the 6.25"sq IS actual), that's ~$1.02/bd-ft.

....Neither perspective makes your prospective purchase a bargain, but certainly not unreasonable for this neck of the prairie.

[Matt Day]

For the legs?

[Greg Woloshyn]

For the legs?

Yes, I'm planning on using cheaper materials for the base, and maybe maple or ash on top. But, I want at least 6" width legs for strength and looks.

[Jerry Olexa]

sounds reasonable,,,

[Phillip Mitchell]

$1 bd/ft isn't unreasonable, I guess. Is it White Pine? Is it a full 6 1/4" square and is it straight (without twist) and reasonably square as is? Is is sawn from the heart of the tree (containing the pith in the timber) or more specifically, how are the growth rings running on the end grain?

If it's a full 12' (or more) then you could technically get 4 legs from it that were just under 3' total length (each) as long as there wasn't any major checking or cracking near the ends of the timber. If that's what you want then go for it. I would rather have Doug Fir or Yellow Pine if using a cheaper softwood for a workbench base, but that's just me. Stronger and heavier, but White Pine can be nice to work with.

[Bill Space]

It is only one piece. If it meets your needs and the seller will not take less, it is not the end of the world.

Worst case you lose a couple bucks. Maybe you win by a couple bucks at the asking price.

If you need it, buy it. Not worth worrying about.

You do do need to figure in travel time and gas expense though, to determine the actual cost. Guess that depends on how local it is.

[Greg Woloshyn]

Well I ended up getting the timber. It's a nice straight piece and very dry but lots of checking from the wood sitting and drying. If I use these pieces for workbench legs, is it practical to fill the cracks with epoxy?

[Jim Becker]

Well I ended up getting the timber. It's a nice straight piece and very dry but lots of checking from the wood sitting and drying. If I use these pieces for workbench legs, is it practical to fill the cracks with epoxy?

Unless the checking is excessive, filling or not filling is purely an aesthetic decision on your part.

[Danny Hamsley]

It is almost impossible to keep a thick timber from checking and cracking unless dried in a vacuum kiln. It is just the way very thick wood acts, so you just have to accept it and deal with it. $40 is a good price for a beam like that.