Sway friend from borg lumber,...or let him use it?

[Craig Behnke]

i have a friend that has asked me to help him make a countertop for his vacation cabin (joint, plane, glue up, etc.). he wants a basic, no-frills countertop, 8 ft long, 32 inch wide that will take the abuse of camping life.

he wants to use borg lumber, 2x8's of southern yellow pine or doug fir (not sure if pressure treated). I've mentioned that the borg stuff wouldn't be my first choice and i'd recommend him getting hard maple from a local mill, but it's his baby and he can do what he wants.

in the past i've glued up borg boards with mixed success (warping, joint separation). should i very strongly recommend that he reconsider using the borg wood, or should I let him use it and try my best to help him work around the issues.

if he stays with using borg wood, i would recommend he let's it dry out for 1-2 weeks in his garage and i would recommend he does extensive doweling of the joints. I was thinking of using titebond III for the glue up. Any other major things I could do to help his project if he sticks with borg wood?

thanks for the help.

[glenn bradley]

I have always ended up with more spoil that parts when using BORG lumber. In the end I could have bought some properly prepared poplar at a "real" lumberyard and saved money. Using BORG lumber is a false economy; it has never paid off for me.

[eugene thomas]

Would 1 or 2 weeks be enough time for construction lumber to dry?

[Bill Gugel]

Get a formica counter top,cheaper faster easier.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

If you use borg lumber, use something close to the final dimension, don't rip 2x10's in half and expect them to stay put. If you get the good stuff, and can basically just finish the edges, there is a chance it could work. Same with any framing lumber though, not just the borg.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you glue green lumber up into a 32"-wide counter, the eventual shrinkage will be obvious. In a couple of years, the counter will be an inch narrower or so. You'll also need to use some sort of sliding connection between the counter and the base, so that shrinkage can be accommodated. If your friend really wants to use construction lumber, a better scheme would be to nail each 2x6 down to the base without gluing the 2x6s together. When they shrink, the gaps between the boards will get bigger, but that's "rustic".

[Alan Bienlein]

I have no problem with borg lumber. It's just a matter of knowing what to look for. Here is a photo of some shop cabinets I just finished with borg lumber. The doors were made from a 2 x 12 x 16' piece of southern yellow pine that I ripped into 2-1/2" pieces and then ran them thru the band saw to split those in half to make the stiles and rails for the doors. They came out a hair under 3/4" after making a pass on the jointer and a pass thru the surface planer.
IMG_20140105_141400.jpgIMG_20140105_141323.jpg

This is a shot of my work bench top also done with southern yellow pine 2 x 6 x 12's. I ran these on my jointer on edge after surfacing both sides running them thru my lunch box planer.
003 (601 x 800).jpg

I should mention that the wood I used for the doors I cut and machined the day after bringing it home from the borg.

[Bill White]

By the way, don't use PT lumber for a countertop. Bad stuff for that application.
Bill

[Myk Rian]

Get a formica counter top,cheaper faster easier.

^^^^This^^^^ Get one with a wood grain.

[Rich Riddle]

Alan,

You made your workbench top from Southern Yellow Pine from the borg? Never considered Southern Yellow Pine for a workbench top.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Alan,

You made your workbench top from Southern Yellow Pine from the borg? Never considered Southern Yellow Pine for a workbench top.

That's what mine is made of, once you glue it together its very stable.



I ran it through a lunch box planer in sections then used a number 6 Stanley one it was glued into one piece..

[Sam Stephens]

for abuse, syp won't do. it will dent. maple won't, at least not w/o some effort. For me, the cost is my time, not the lumber. if pine is what he wants, then I'd get some from a proper lumber yard and make sure the pitch is set, i.e. so the resin doesn't bleed out. If he's dead set on syp from the borg, get the long wide boards 2x10s and 2x12s 8-16ft range. They'll be the straightest. The boards cut from the center of the tree w/ the pith are preferred b/c the grain is basically QS. Just rip either side of the pith b/c you don't want that portion. You will have to watch out for internal stress though i.e. boards that warp while you cut, so plan on buying extra.
fwiw, my workbench is syp as well. great stuff in the right application.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I've found the 92" kiln dried hemlock pine 2x4s to be stable and generally dry enough to trust.

bench-fr.jpgbench-back-400x500.jpg

[glenn bradley]

Would 1 or 2 weeks be enough time for construction lumber to dry?

Obviously experiences differ. I had the kiln dried 2 x 12 douglas fir from Lowe's stickered in my southern California shop for 2 months. It was pretty lively when milled down but, I finally got enough material to make a base for my bench. I had bought enough material for a second project and calculated 20% waste. I barely got the workbench base out of it. Even with the 200lb top on, and loaded drawer units in the base, it continued to move. It is a constant annoyance and as soon as I reach my limit, I will rebuild the base out of something else. JME.

[Nathan Callender]

I wouldn't do it with DF. But, if you get some good syp then why not? You need to be selective on the boards you pick and grain orientation, and remove the pith, etc, but if he is going for a rustic, thick top, then it would be perfect.

i would definitely coat it with an epoxy top finish though.