I have been wanting to build a bench for years now but I have had several excuses that I keep coming up with for not doing it. No money for hardwood for one. No jointer/planer. Need a bench to build a bench etc. I have decided I am just going to do it. I will be following the lead from others and using framing lumber for it. I have decided that even though I would like a hard maple bench, since this IS my first bench, I would rather screw things up using framing lumber. Plus it will allow me to see what I like and dislike about the design and THEN, later on, I can make my "good" bench out of hard maple.
So here is my problem. I have seen all these guys posting photos of their great looking benches made from framing lumber obtained from Lowes/HD and what not. I go down to start getting ideas of a cost for this project. I am in upstate New York and stopped at the Lowes, Home Depot and another more local lumber yard. We don't get southern yellow pine up this way. But I know folks make very nice benches out of Fir as well. Problem is, all I see available is knots with a little wood holding them in place. This lumber is junk. It is all knots! Where are people finding even reasonable framing lumber to use for making a bench? I am looking at 2x10's and 2x12's in 12, 14, and 16 foot lengths. I can barely find anything that I would be able to get a 7 or 8 foot length of wood from that would not have knots on the edges, which would then become part of my bench top. What am I missing here?