Recycled Lumber Workbench
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Once I started trying to plane boards and chop mortises, I realized my old workbench just wasn’t stout enough. I get a lot of shipping crates and pallets from my job, so I decided to make a new Paul Sellers workbench from salvaged lumber from them. I completed the legs this morning, next I will be planing down some 4×8 beams for the bench top. You can still see nail and screw holes on the inside of the legs, evidence of the previous life.
Memphis, Tennessee
That’s going to be some bench, are you sure it will be stout enough Steve. 😉
I love old timber,looking good buddy
Your not wrong there Ken! Steve those legs are looking very Beefy! Good work there, makes me even more itchy to start mine, got to source some wood first though.
DaddyChief.com - Welcome to my randomly scatty brain....
Thanks Ken & Simon, I’m getting a workout planing down the timbers for the top!
Memphis, Tennessee
Those knots looked hard work, good set of legs. I can not wait to see it when finished 😉
Wish I had built my Bench from scratch. Since I beefed up the one I bought it’s not too bad.Dagenham, Essex, England
Steve…that’s going to be a fantastic workbench.
http://hillbillydaiku.com
Looks great already Steve,that is gonna be a solid bench
Lopik - Netherlands
Looking great, Steve!
It’s good to see wood being recycled like this. There are organisations and businesses being set up to encourage this in England.
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
Those beams are quite impressive looking! Will surely be a stout bench, indeed.
If I may ask a question (not trying to hijack your thread, so forgive me, but this seemed an appropriate topic for this question), I’m thinking of using an older children’s playset made from pressure treated lumber as a source of wood for my bench. The wood is heavily weathered (lots of planing, yay!) but solid. Anyone know of any reason *not* to use pressure treated lumber? It seems to me that it would be perfectly fine; just wondered what others might think.
Chris any answers will take this thread totally off topic. I have started a thread about it here.
Cheers 😉
Another thing to be aware of, if you are handling wood from pallets, or shipping crates, look for the IPPC logo if it has one, see attached picture. This indicates that the wood has been treated for insects, so they won’t be transported from one location to another. If you see “HT” on the label, it was Heat Treated, and is safe for handling or breathing. If you see “MB” it has been fumigated with Methyl Bromide. I would leave that alone, again more chemicals that are suppose to be safe, but I don’t trust it for woodworking, burning, or extended handling.
Memphis, Tennessee
Nice, Steve. Where do you come across 4×8 beams like that? I’m sure just moving them around to get another face adds to the workout.
And thanks for the info too.
Tim, it all comes from shipping crates and pallets. The mill where I work, we get a lot of big heavy equipment in all the time, and that is the packing material. As far as the 4×8’s, there was actually 4 of them nailed together that had to be pulled apart and nails removed. The original built up beams were about 15″x8″, 8 of them all about 90″ long. I just hate seeing all that lumber thrown in the dumpsters, or ground up for mulch.
Memphis, Tennessee
I finished my bench yesterday, I am on vacation for 10 days, so I spent the first two finishing my bench. I am glad to get it done, it is a beast. Much better than my old bench, I can actually plane a board without rocking and racking the bench now!
Memphis, Tennessee
Steve
Great bench,I bet it weighs a ton , I like the patterns in the wood particular on the legs, have you put any finish on it yet.And you made it for HOW MUCH!!!!!Good job
Wigan, Lancs. England :
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