Hey guys, I've been looking to make a new workbench and I happened across some unknown wood that is 1/5 inches x 9 inches and about 5 feet long (about 4 pieces) . It's pretty straight and I thought I might be able to use it as a workbench top. I'm not a pro or anything so I think it will do what I want (hold a front vice and provide an overhang for clamps).

Since it's only 1.5 inches thick, I was thinking I could bolster it by using 3/4" plywood under it. Or even use a 3/4" MDF board on top of it to provide a flat surface.

However, given how wood moves, could I actually attach the ply to the solid wood without massive warping problems? (I'm guessing the ply would not move, but the solid wood would move around agains the ply and arch upwards)? If I sandwiched the solid wood in plywood and/or MDF...well shoot, then I might as well not even use the sold wood and just build a torsion box, right?

Should I just have a thin 1.5 inch solid top? Again, I'm not sure what type of wood it is, it used to be a bed or something in my neighbours house (he got evicted after 20+ years and the wood and other stuff was tossed into the backyard). It had a few knots in it and it's stained a dark colour.

Thanks!

Vince