Oak, birch or beech for workbench countertop
- Thread starter Ovidiu
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Defender Chassis
Well-known member
Best pick would be rock maple but of the the three you list, I say beech. Oak is second.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Beech has a density rating of 45 lbs./cubic ft. and is a hard wood with very good split resistance. Birch has a density of 40-45lbs./cubic foot with very good split resistance, and oak has a density of 45lbs./cubic ft. but with only a good rating on split resistance. Beech and birch has moderately tight grains and oak has a coarse grain. So basically it boils down to what looks the best as far as color. Beech and birch will be lighter than the oak.
would this be better then?
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1472
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1472
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Hard Maple (rock maple) has a density rating of 35-44 lbs/cubic ft., a hardness of medium hard, only "good" split resistance. and a moderate-fine grain.
I'll see if this comes through. It is a table that shows the hardness of woods. A lot picking out a proper benchtop depends on what you are going to be using the top for. If mainly for looks, then you can go with almost anything. If you are going to be working on engines then you want a rather tough top with a hard sealer on it. If you are going to be having fluids and such, then you want something that the fluids will not penetrate. Or you may want to cover your top with a piece of lexan to make any spills easy to wipe up and something that would be replaceable at times. I would probably go with one of the first three choices unless you can find someone getting rid of bowling alley lanes. Your sealer on top will make a huge difference over no sealer. Some sealers are very tough poly's.
Here is another chart in Wikipedia showing hardeness comparisions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test
Anyways....see if you can read this:
I'll see if this comes through. It is a table that shows the hardness of woods. A lot picking out a proper benchtop depends on what you are going to be using the top for. If mainly for looks, then you can go with almost anything. If you are going to be working on engines then you want a rather tough top with a hard sealer on it. If you are going to be having fluids and such, then you want something that the fluids will not penetrate. Or you may want to cover your top with a piece of lexan to make any spills easy to wipe up and something that would be replaceable at times. I would probably go with one of the first three choices unless you can find someone getting rid of bowling alley lanes. Your sealer on top will make a huge difference over no sealer. Some sealers are very tough poly's.
Here is another chart in Wikipedia showing hardeness comparisions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test
Anyways....see if you can read this:
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OK, I can see that! I had seen something similar before, but I had trouble "relating" to it for a couple of reasons:
- there are different types of oak, or maple for example in these charts, whereas the materials that are listed don't have the proper name or specs attached.
- not sure how that particular hardness translates in work surface quality
Your post helps me out quite a bit, I was thinking about sealing it, I guess either with some poly or epoxy. I'll be using it as a medium-duty workbench, some grinding, some banging, but nothing super heavy or anything.
When I change the color field, the material at the bottom changes as well, at least for me. I went into IKEA on Sat to check them out, they had cutaways and it looked like the wood grain was quite different on all of them, and I assume they are actually made out of the actual wood they are named after.Yep!
Also, note that the IKEA countertop here is available in oak, birch, or beech color - but the material (down at the bottom) is listed as solid birch.
For the record, I don't care about the color as much as I care about the durability.
south pier garage
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
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- 84
if that's the case, you might want to make a galvanized metal cover for it to take some of the wear. when the tin goes, you could change it out. like seat covers for the bench!
Keep
Well-known member
Rock maple or ash would be the best bet. On the other hand. you can buy regular 2x4's rip them in half glue them up its a bit more work.
Sure you will ding/dent the pine/spruce BUT for the price of the maple/ash you can build 5 or 6 of the other tops. They will be just as strong and you will not feel so bad when you ding them.
What are you after? Function or looks? that would be the deciding factor, maple/ash will look better but either will 'work'
Sure you will ding/dent the pine/spruce BUT for the price of the maple/ash you can build 5 or 6 of the other tops. They will be just as strong and you will not feel so bad when you ding them.
What are you after? Function or looks? that would be the deciding factor, maple/ash will look better but either will 'work'
Keep
Well-known member
IMO which ever top you go for you will want to use an oil type sealant. Poly will just scratch or flake off. Use a good linseed or tung oil. Thin it just a touch so it really gets into the wood. This will help keep anything from staining the wood, also this will allow you to re apply the sealer without having to strip the old stuff off.
Only real draw back is that some of the oils like linseed will yellow the wood.
Only real draw back is that some of the oils like linseed will yellow the wood.
jake00
Well-known member
I used 3/4" oak solid flooring for my main bench, stained it and finished it with acid cure floor finish... hardwood flooring is what I do. Either of the benchtops would be fine. for the price though, I'd just go to the box store and get some unfinished red oak, should be about 20sqft in a bundle and it should cost around 2 bucks a sqft.
I don't want to do the 2x4 thing just because I think it looks cheap, the solid pre-made butcher block will have a more high-end feel to it. That being said, it's gonna see some work on it, so I don't want to spend too much for it just to look good, and at the end of the day, a couple of dings and burns aren't really gonna make it look bad, just give it more character.
As for the steel top, I think I will actually make myself sometimes later a moveable (on casters) bench that will have a steel top for all the heavy banging, so that's out.
My mind is already made up on the $150 - $200 wood butcher block. From what i can tell so far from the available options, I have, in the order of preference:
1. maple (lumberliquidators)
2. beech (ikea)
3. oak (ikea)
4. birch (ikea)
Any other suggestions? I would also appreciate some suggestions on products for sealing it, I haven't done much work with wood.
As for the steel top, I think I will actually make myself sometimes later a moveable (on casters) bench that will have a steel top for all the heavy banging, so that's out.
My mind is already made up on the $150 - $200 wood butcher block. From what i can tell so far from the available options, I have, in the order of preference:
1. maple (lumberliquidators)
2. beech (ikea)
3. oak (ikea)
4. birch (ikea)
Any other suggestions? I would also appreciate some suggestions on products for sealing it, I haven't done much work with wood.
ddawg16
Well-known member
You need to decide to what extent you want to beat on it.....
I have a table I made that is about 24" high...it has a plywood top that is easy to replace....I drill into this beast without regard knowing that it's easy to replace.
If you want a tough surface out of wood and don't plan on drilling into it...I would suggest the Ikea one....for the money, you can't beat it....it's not easy to make one of those....to seal it, I would suggest tounge oil....it will give you a nice oil repelant surface that is easy to repair....a poly or water based finish will tend to peal up....
You might want to consider buying one of the Ikea tops and covering that with 14g stainless.....the mass of the hardwood top would the stainless steel cover feel like a solid surface....make sure you use a thin layer of rtv between the steel and wood for good coupling.
BTW....I am so done with oak....I really like working with soft maple (though it is NOT soft)....next would be birch....or, if you want something cheap but somewhat hard...poplar.
I have a table I made that is about 24" high...it has a plywood top that is easy to replace....I drill into this beast without regard knowing that it's easy to replace.
If you want a tough surface out of wood and don't plan on drilling into it...I would suggest the Ikea one....for the money, you can't beat it....it's not easy to make one of those....to seal it, I would suggest tounge oil....it will give you a nice oil repelant surface that is easy to repair....a poly or water based finish will tend to peal up....
You might want to consider buying one of the Ikea tops and covering that with 14g stainless.....the mass of the hardwood top would the stainless steel cover feel like a solid surface....make sure you use a thin layer of rtv between the steel and wood for good coupling.
BTW....I am so done with oak....I really like working with soft maple (though it is NOT soft)....next would be birch....or, if you want something cheap but somewhat hard...poplar.
e-tek
Well-known member
We're renovating our entire home and the living room currently has 13/15" OAK hardwood. I would LOVE to get it all out and make bench tops and other stuff out of it....but alas it is not to be...it will likely become the floor boards under a new laminate hardwood floor...
I'll forever know there is all this OAK wood under the floor....uggh!
I'll forever know there is all this OAK wood under the floor....uggh!
nate379
Banned
I'd do plywood and stainless over it.
Why not just resurface the original oak flooring. Then stain and coat it with Polyurethane..
I prefer the look, feel, and warmth of real wood over any laminate wantabe..
nate379
Banned
Wood tops don't hold up well at all to flames and that's is mainly what I work with. Torch, plasma cutter, welder, grinder, etc.
dfndr
Well-known member
I was going to do Ikea but saw beautiful 3/4" plywood at Lowe's for $31 for 4x8 piece. They'll cut it down the middle for free so I can glue it, put some screws in form the bottom side and have a nice 2x8 bench.
What?!? Why are you covering it with laminate? Refinish it!
jake00
Well-known member
Stargeezer
Well-known member
Maybe you need a different sort of bench than these from Costco. At $200.00 they come with the laminated solid wood top and legs and brace. Hard to beat. The quality is not AAA on the tops-but you could belt sand these down and recoat to make them top notch. For a regular ole' bench to work off of-,I went with a couple of these. Only thing I am adding is a backsplash made from 1X8 pine that we'll lightly stain and finish with poly.
daddylama
Well-known member
i've got an IKEA birch butcher block counter top on one workbench that's held up fine to 2 years of complete abuse. once it looks too bad i'll flip it over onto the other side and get some more time out of it. i've got a transmission sitting on it at the moment, leaking fluid all over the damn place... the birch doesn't seem to soak it up. for the price, i can't complain.
What is the actual working height of those workbenches from Costco (floor to top of work surface)? I understand that they label them as 36" but I wonder how high one can go up with the adjustable feet. I think I want a 41-42" height workbench so I have been waffling on these Costco ones...Maybe you need a different sort of bench than these from Costco. At $200.00 they come with the laminated solid wood top and legs and brace. Hard to beat. The quality is not AAA on the tops-but you could belt sand these down and recoat to make them top notch. For a regular ole' bench to work off of-,I went with a couple of these. Only thing I am adding is a backsplash made from 1X8 pine that we'll lightly stain and finish with poly.
Keep
Well-known member
I am not sure how well this will show up. This top was made by ripping 2x4 and gluing them again. It does not look cheap and has held up well over the last few years.
http://www.netquickposse.org/photos...g&image=celebration2005+041.jpg&p=*full-image
This top has since been ripped into 2 pieces and used to make other workbenches.
Best thing is, if it gets stained all you need to do is plane off a little and its brand new again.
I would still go with the maple though. Its solid and will not dent as easily.
http://www.netquickposse.org/photos...g&image=celebration2005+041.jpg&p=*full-image
This top has since been ripped into 2 pieces and used to make other workbenches.
Best thing is, if it gets stained all you need to do is plane off a little and its brand new again.
I would still go with the maple though. Its solid and will not dent as easily.
Stargeezer
Well-known member
Sory I can't get to these to measure for a week or so: I'm 400 miles from the shop right now.
The adjustment on the feet is via a metal screw-in swivel pad foot. I doubt you'll get the 40' plus height from this bench without a mod of some sort..
Maybe someone else has one handy to measure?
PAToyota
Well-known member
You're right - I didn't catch that. I looked at those a couple years ago and they just had one wood with different finishes.
fourfeathers
Well-known member
Sams club sells a maple butcher block workbench for cheap too. I have a 3 year old model that I like a lot.
Thanks for the reply Stargeezer. If you are able to measure it when you get back that'd be great. Even If I could get 38" of height out of that Costco bench I might consider it for at least one of the 2 locations that I'm looking to put workbenches in (garage and shop).
fourfeathers
Well-known member
My Sams club bench is 38" tall. There is a diff model now though, so who knows.
Defender Chassis
Well-known member
Hmm, I'll go check out the sam's club workbench, thanks for the pointer.
Bulldog13
Well-known member
My benches are MDF...I screwed slabs of mdf to the tops so when they get 2 gnarly I can change them out...Its a work bench ..not furniture
Richard Givan
Well-known member
Lots of people recommend joining 2x4s to make a heavy-duty workbench top, but I never understood that line of reasoning. Any woodworker knows how much solid wood likes to move with the change of seasons and humidity. You are fighting that from the beginning, plus have all the work of trying to match up the gnarly, still-green stock that's sold now-a-days. Although not as problematic, a big chunk of solid hardwood presents the same sort of challenges, just not to the same degree.
Here's what I have done four times to make dense, strong, stable bench tops. Just use sheet goods--plywood, particle board, mdf. The latter two are flatter and denser, therefore better (not to mention cheaper). OS board isn't as dense or stable, and I would avoid it for that reason.
Rip the sheets up the middle to get two sheets 2' by 8' by 1 1/2", or cut them off shorter if needed. Usually, I have thrown another sheet into the mix for a total thickness of 2 1/4". I glue and screw them together and get a massive, stable top that you can pound on with a sledge. If you like, screw down a sheet of 1/4" or even 1/8" masonite as a sacrificial top that you can flip over or replace when it gets too tatty.
You can trim the edges after everything is assembled into one top to get them more even. If you are fanatical, you can put a bit of body filler on the edges or cover them with a wood or metal edging for looks. Make a support system of two by fours or four by fours with some two by aprons, maybe a shelf underneath and Bob's your uncle, at least if you're British.
I just finished (almost) my latest frankenbench for my garage makeover project, which I will unveil soon. I made it completely out of leftover or recycled materials from other projects around the house. I made to a height of 38" (I stand 6' tall) to fit some other stuff under it and find that to be a good height for tinkering with stuff. Not so much for heavy work. I made it to a length of 56" to fit just under a pair of Gladiator cabs on the wall above and topped it with some heavy sheet metal that came from I can't remember where. That's a pretty small bench, but I won't be doing heavy work there. Pics to come shortly, as I said.
Here's what I have done four times to make dense, strong, stable bench tops. Just use sheet goods--plywood, particle board, mdf. The latter two are flatter and denser, therefore better (not to mention cheaper). OS board isn't as dense or stable, and I would avoid it for that reason.
Rip the sheets up the middle to get two sheets 2' by 8' by 1 1/2", or cut them off shorter if needed. Usually, I have thrown another sheet into the mix for a total thickness of 2 1/4". I glue and screw them together and get a massive, stable top that you can pound on with a sledge. If you like, screw down a sheet of 1/4" or even 1/8" masonite as a sacrificial top that you can flip over or replace when it gets too tatty.
You can trim the edges after everything is assembled into one top to get them more even. If you are fanatical, you can put a bit of body filler on the edges or cover them with a wood or metal edging for looks. Make a support system of two by fours or four by fours with some two by aprons, maybe a shelf underneath and Bob's your uncle, at least if you're British.
I just finished (almost) my latest frankenbench for my garage makeover project, which I will unveil soon. I made it completely out of leftover or recycled materials from other projects around the house. I made to a height of 38" (I stand 6' tall) to fit some other stuff under it and find that to be a good height for tinkering with stuff. Not so much for heavy work. I made it to a length of 56" to fit just under a pair of Gladiator cabs on the wall above and topped it with some heavy sheet metal that came from I can't remember where. That's a pretty small bench, but I won't be doing heavy work there. Pics to come shortly, as I said.
I made my work bench from old skids (3x3 for the legs) old 2 x 4's For the rinforcing and made the top from pine 3/4 thick boards from an old shack that I removed. The top is pine boards that have a lap on the sides only.
Pine is soft, I drill into it, screw other pcs to it to make fixtures, I slop paint on it, bang around on it. Its very functional. After all its a WORK bench.
Pine is soft, I drill into it, screw other pcs to it to make fixtures, I slop paint on it, bang around on it. Its very functional. After all its a WORK bench.
wantedabiggergarage
Member Emeritus
Woodworkers use 2x's for more joiners/cabinetmakers benches. I see 2x6 or betters recommended, as you get better lumber, and cut your stuff out of it. (I recommend Workbenches from Design & Theory to Construction & Use by Christopher Schwarz)
Solid wood does move, but woodworkers benches are designed for hand tool use, and the top should be planed ocassionally.
For general use, I go with what is available, but I have used plywood, and made a frame so I can remove/replace the top panel. Now, I am looking for a good deal on some scrap metal to put in or on the replaceable panel. I think a metal bench may be more beneficial in the garage.
Richard Givan
Well-known member
I have made two joiner's benches myself. The first was from some nicely seasoned yellow pine that came from the floor of a railroad car. That worked nicely enough, but wasn't as dense and solid as I would have liked.
The second one had a top from three pieces of 3/4" plywood (in a rather narrow configuration). I put dog holes along the front edge to use oak dogs to hold wood with the tail vice, mainly for planing. I made an old-fashioned shoulder vice for the front left side. I covered the whole thing with 1/4" strips of oak for the sake of appearance, primarily. I also made a tool tray for the back side, but it's usually full of junk.
It's solid as Gibraltar and won't move under heavy work, partly from the cabinets I put in under the top and filled with planes, chisels, etc. It's also flat and stable year round. I think it looks as good as any fancy European beech bench and didn't cost over $100. When I get it cleaned up a bit I'll show a few pics.