maple workbench stretcher opinions needed (newbie)

[Craig Johnson]

Hi all.
I hope I have this in the correct section. If not maybe the mods can move it for me.
Woodworking newbie here.
I want to find some maple for workbench stretchers. The plan I have calls for 2x4s but I want to use maple instead. I can find some 1 inch thick maple here locally on Craigslist.
My question is what is the best way to attach the 1 inch thick maple pieces together. I am figuring not just using glue by itself.
I dont have a table saw, band saw or biscuit jointer at this time. I want a very solid workbench that I will have for a long time.
Or maybe there is a maple substitute that would be better suited.
I already have some maple 4x4s and want the whole base to be maple.
Hopefully some of you more knowledgeable guys out there can point me in the right direction

Thanks in advance..

[Chris Friesen]

There's nothing wrong with using just glue, as long as the boards mate together without any gaps and you have enough clamps to properly apply pressure.
You'll need to find someone with the proper equipment though...you'll want a jointer, planer, and either tablesaw or bandsaw, along with a whole bunch of clamps. (The image is from Chris Schwarz's workbench-building class showing what I mean...here they're gluing up the tops, but it's the same general idea.)

[Peter Quadarella]

Craig, a glue joint is stronger than the wood itself. If you break the table (very unlikely!), the wood will give before the glue joint breaks - typically biscuits are used to help with alignment not for strength.

That said, to get a proper glue joint, you will need to joint the mating edges - that is, you need to flatten them very well so that when you put them together there are no gaps. There are many ways of doing this; typically you would use a jointer; there are also ways to do so with jigs and a powered planer, and of course you can use hand planes.

You then need to clamp them; this will be difficult without a number of clamps. Perhaps you can borrow some from another local woodworker, or you could drill through them and use bolts or something similar (which could be removed afterwards).

I would recommend picking up a book on workbenches (the one by Chris Schwarz is good).