When to get the wood to build my bench

[Joseph Doyle]

Hi there folks. It has been a long while since I was last here, but I am getting back into wanting to do more with wood. So, I am going to build myself a bench, which will probably be along the lines of the Anarchist Workbench that Chris Schwarz wrote about. This will be done all with hand tools, although I may use a circular saw to break down 2x12's into 2x6's. Other then that, my goal is hand tools all the way.

Now to my dilemma: I live at the beach in Southern NJ, and I have a detached garage that is uninsulated, unheated, and unconditioned in any way. Lots of gaps around the door, so the outside weather is basically what my inside weather is, short of the precipitation that we see here (rain and snow). I am not on a timeline to start this bench, but I am wondering about when to buy my wood, and how long to let it acclimate. My plan is to use construction lumber in the 2x12 realm for this build.

So, do I buy the wood now in the heat and humidity of the summer and let it sit for a few months, or do I wait until the fall when the humidity diminishes a bit and then let it acclimate for a few months after that? Secondly, I will be ripping the 2x12 to 2x6, so do I do that right away before the wood acclimates, or wait until it is acclimated and then rip it? I have read both scenarios in various places, and I am not sure which process makes the most sense. I want to avoid as much twist and cupping as possible, so all suggestions will be most welcome.

Thanks guys.
Joe

[Jack Dover]

It doesn't matter. The 2x12 you're going to buy is going to be green DF anyway (the widest KD DF in your location goes up to 2x10, don't know why). Also it's a workbench, the joints don't need to be airtight, because again, in your location it will move after you build it and all your nice lines will open a bit. I guess you could air dry it, would take only 2 years according to a book, but the garage is not insulated anyway.

Also, just my two cents: all those anarchist benches are terrible as a bench and even more so as your first bench. I would start with a simplest and cheapest bench just to figure ways of work and where's the most convenient locations for stops, vises, height, holdfast holes, etc. And only after a few years of working at that bench I would consider something as pretentious as the bench type you've picked.

[Andrew Hughes]

I would like to suggest you don’t build your bench from construction lumber.
Hard maple is a much better choice. I have had several different styles of work bench plywood,Mdf,Douglas fir my current is hard maple. European Beech would be another good choice
That Schwarz bench is really popular it’s alot of work making a bench with handtools. Don’t skimp on your wood choice
I made the base for my bench Lie Neilson made the top.
Good Luck

[Daniel Culotta]

Not sure if you're joking of just have a thing against Chris Schwarz, but...the anarchist bench is a basic bench that's easy to build, cheap, and has all the normal functionalities of a workbench. Not sure what I'm missing, and I don't have any particular affinity for it, that's just the strongest reaction I've ever seen to an extremely basic bench design. Do you not like the name?

Joseph, I'd rip them then let them sit 2-3 weeks in your shop. KD 2x6's might be easier to find and work with than 2x12's and you won't have to rip them. If you only have green 2x12's you may have to let them sit longer; I'd really try to go with a KD option. They'll still liable to have a high-ish moisture content but should be fine after a few weeks in your shop space.

Just looked at the bench design and the layout/recommendations for stops, vises, height, holdfast holes, etc. seem fine for general work. That design is so simple it'd be easy to modify later if you want. If you're not sure on height you can leave it a little high and cut it down later if you want, though I've found that height is something that's easy to spend a lot of time considering, but unless you get it really wrong, is easy to adapt to with whatever you choose.

Have fun building it! That's a lot of work with hand tools. No one will tell if you break out the planer or table saw for a little backup .

[Marc Fenneuff]

My local hardwood lumberyard stocks kiln-dried skip-planed 8/4 southern yellow pine in wide widths that would be tailor-made for the Anarchist Workbench. I've considered starting to collect boards for my own workbench but that project is still a ways out for me. Maybe see if you can find something similar locally?

[Maurice Mcmurry]

So, do I buy the wood now in the heat and humidity of the summer and let it sit for a few months,

Thanks guys.
Joe

I recommend buying right away, stacking with stickers and providing air flow. Putting it up in your rafters (if you can) will speed up air drying. The heat of summer will reduce the moisture content. Don't let it get too hot too fast as can happen in a hot attic. Buy extra and wait as long as you can. There are good YouTube videos of simple DIY wood drying projects. I have used plastic sheeting and a box fan to create a wind tunnel air dry speeder upper with good results. Construction lumber will be around 19% M.C., furniture lumber should be 6 to 8 %. If you can get it down to 10 or less your results should be just fine for a bench that will basically be outdoors. Construction lumber may not be ideal but it does grow on trees. Best wishes on your project!

If you do your ripping before you stack and sticker it will speed up your drying time and help you identify your less desirable pieces
-Maurice

[Richard Verwoest]

I do not believe Jack has read the Anarchist workbench book, though it is free. There is only 1 workbench designed and built in this book. The Anarchist workbench is a great start. I mimic Chris's words....buy the construction grade lumber and build it. It's going in an uncontrolled environment anyways. Though I would recommend using a power planner to surface. Haha.

[John C Cox]

The best time to buy wood was 10-years ago.

The next best time is tomorrow.

I would not buy 2x12's to rip down to 2x6's... Buy 2x6's. Cheaper per board ft because they can come out of smaller and less expensive trees.

[Richard Coers]

Please reconsider using construction lumber. Find a local mill with a kiln and buy furniture grade. Building a workbench is a once in a lifetime project. Pull out all the stops and make something you are proud of, and one that your grandkids will fight over. I built this in 1986. Oh yeah, it wouldn't take much to plug all the cracks in your workspace.
workbench.jpeg

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Kiln dried hardwood will of course be superior. When budget and availability are constraints construction lumber becomes a temptation. I keep my eye on what shows up at the home stores and lumber yards. I did a project with inexpensive 1 X 4's from Norway. They were "utility boards". Better than furring strips, not as expensive as premium kiln dried. There was a unit of very nice ones at one of the home stores, straight grain, lots of small knots. no big knots, no bark. The moisture content was around 10%. They were flat enough to be laminated without planeing, which would have been a big help had I chosen not to use power tools. They were inexpensive, however this was pre covid.

[chris carter]

People say to get hardwood, but this is not a universal truth. Many of us prefer a bench made of douglas fir or souther yellow pine (both Janka 650-ish). There are many advantages to working on a softer bench. When I built my current bench I could have spent whatever kind of money I wanted on hardwoods, but opted for DF construction lumber because my very first bench (which is now my “homeowner takes abuse for whatever needs to be done bench) is oak and having done woodworking on both materials I greatly prefer this DF surface. Additionally, most of us are on our second, third, fourth, twentieth bench. You don’t know what you need until you start making stuff. Chances are this will not be your last bench and after a couple years you’ll say, “man, if I could do it over, I’d change this and that and this other thing.” It’s a lot less painful to replace a bench that only cost a few hundred bucks in wood than one that cost double, triple, quadruple the money. I’m an advocate for the idea to make your first bench cheap and fast, learn what you like and how you work, and THEN build your dream bench – because you don’t know what your dream bench is right now.

I also don’t understand the negativity toward a classic Roubo style bench (which is what the Anarchist bench is). They are great. They are insanely stiff and robust. They are also incredibly flexible. More than any other bench I think of the simple Roubo as a blank slate where you can put holes, vices, and other doodads pretty much anywhere you want without restriction. Many other designs have some kind of restriction because of a tool well, a stretcher, a cleat, a bolt, shape, etc. A classic Roubo is also dead simple to make. If you can cut a halfway decent mortise and tenon then you have all the skill needed.

As mentioned, my current bench (my “dream” bench) is DF except for the vise (ash). Since 12ft boards weren’t going to make the twists and turns into my basement, I did my parts selections based upon where knots were and broke the boards down into easily managed chunks. I stickered them in the basement with a couple fans circulating air for about a month. I also used a ton of F and pipe clamps to clamp the stacks thinking that whoever suggested such a thing was providing wishfull thinking – but alas, every board was dead straight in the end.

2x12’s in DF and SYP are almost always green – just whatever moisture loss happened while they were sitting around. In my case the 2x12’s I got were about 20% which was only a couple % more than the kiln dried stuff. Kiln dried construction lumber is usually around 18%. But if you let it sit it will get you close enough. If your shop is subject to the outdoor humidity then you aren’t going to be getting to the dryness of furniture grade lumber anyway. That said, I only got 2x12s for the stuff where I needed that. I bought 2x10’s for the bench top which was a little over 4” thick. Ripped in half and cleaned up, that a little over 4” thick for a top. 2x10s are typically kiln dried. When you get down to 2x8s in construction lumber you need to be good at identifying wood because it’s all SPF (spruce, pine, fir mixed up) and some of that stuff will be incredibly soft depending upon pine species. Like janka 400 soft.

So in answer to when should you buy your wood: The earlier the better. Don’t worry about bench style choice; that style will do anything and everything you’ll need. Don’t worry about construction lumber, it makes a great bench – just use hardwood for whatever vise you put on the thing. Leg vises are not my favorite, but they score high on the WSS (workbench sexiness scale).

[Cameron Wood]

My bench top is a piece of glu-lam beam. DF with some knots, butt joints, etc. I dutchman'd a few spots, but otherwise just some flattening.

A hardwood bench would be nice, but the softwood lumber is apparently good enough as I'm still using it 45 years later.

AFAS when to get the wood, I would visit lumber yards multiple times to look for good, tight-ringed stock. Size is secondary as pieces can be glued up, and various sizes will be needed for the base.

After roughing out the stock, and stickering it for some time, I suggest using one other power tool: your vehicle to drive the benchtop pieces to a nearby shop to be jointed and planed flat on their big machines.

[Keegan Shields]

The labor cost (in time) building a bench is far more expansive than the wood (kiln dried or construction lumber). If I'm spending 130 hours building something, its going to be with wood I want to use.

I wouldn't want to deal with the pitch pockets, knots, the high moisture content, and the mushy wide growth rings in the 2x6s around here.

[Andrew Hughes]

The labor cost (in time) building a bench is far more expansive than the wood (kiln dried or construction lumber). If I'm spending 130 hours building something, its going to be with wood I want to use.

I wouldn't want to deal with the pitch pockets, knots, the high moisture content, and the mushy wide growth rings in the 2x6s around here.

I agree Keegan. Social influencers seem to have more power who wants to listen to a bunch of strangers on a forum? Videos and books are far more influential.
I remember a saying judge a man by the friends he keeps.
Let the record show you can judge a woodworker by the bench he builds.
Good Luck

[Scott Winners]

I am extremely happy with my Doug Fir bench.

Alaska is more or less a rural suburb of Seattle, so I am awash in Doug Fir construction lumber, as well as Canadian Spruce- Pine- Fir. Construction lumber should have some markings on every stick so the building inspector can easily confirm the lumber used for framing matches the drawings in all the places. Within the coverage area of the WWPA (Western Wood Products Association), "stud" is a valid grade mark, but the total millmark should have also a species identifier and some sort of code identifying the (saw)mill where the sticks were produced. NELMA (North East Lumber Mfr's Association) is pretty widespread in the northeastern US. There is a SEMA in the south east, but there are at least two other associations putting mill marks on SYP in the southeast. I can buy lobster cheaper than I can get SYP up here, so I have little more to offer.

The advantage to ripping 2x12 is they often have the central pith of the tree in the middle of the board. If you can rip most of that pith out with one kerf width you will be left with two quartersawn boards - and you can easily glue up your bench top bark side up with a little planning.

There are two main attractions to the Doug Fir top for me. One, my first bench. I am going to make my next one a teensy bit taller. Also, for the next one I am going to lower the front stretcher a little bit. I "can" hook my workboot under the front stretcher to sort of clamp myself to the bench for many operations, but if that front stretcher was a leetle bit lower... Second advantage, when I am working with beech or oak or hickory and drop a furniture part onto my DF top, the benchtop takes the dent and my furniture part is unharmed. The one downside I see is the through holes for my holdfasts do tend to get "wallowed out" faster than they might were my bench made of a harder wood. OTOH hand if I spend $$$$ on the next bench top it too will eventually get wallowed out.

I have hard copy of both of Chris' workbench books, and in both he makes a strong case to use whichever wood you can buy at the lowest price per pound. For me that turns out to be local air dried birch at around one dollar per board foot. That will get me a slightly harder top that shouldn't wallow out as fast, but it will be cheaper than DF so no heartbreak when I wear it out, blah blah.

For me with DF construction lumber I like to purchase at least one week before use and store them stickered in my garage for best airflow. I agree with a previous poster that 2-3 weeks would be better, I really look at 7 days stickered in my garage as a minimum. If a board is going to move on me later, it is usually giving me solid clues on day 7. The vast majority of DF construction lumber I see here includes "S-GRN" in the mill mark. Per WWPA that means 'surfaced green', defined as run through the planer when the moisture content was less than 20% MC. At the really big mills that I see a lot of product from that seems to mean 19.95% MC day of surfacing.

Good luck. Just build it so you can get going, but know in your heart it won't be your last workbench. All the next ones will be better than the previous ones...