Wood for work bench
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I intend going into my local U.K. n Ireland actually builders merchants and buy the timber and hardware i need to build paul s work bench has and else done this and what did you ask for
I intend to use standard construction timber
If i had the correct lengths of timber I could manage to laminate them into the cut list pieces but I feel unsure about how many lengths of each standard size i should be asking for
Thanks in advance
AnthonyDid you find your wood? I am curious too as the cut list is final sizes, after planing and after laminating so I’m not sure all what you’d get at the big box store to make it work either.
- Ben
standard 4×2 or 2×4 in USA will work perfect i build pauls bench with a saw hammer 1/2 chisel which was used to cut mortises and use in the poor mans router and a Stanley no 4 . try to get the clear non knotty wood for the top . you might need to re-flatten the top in time . it still a perfect bench now nearly 10 years on .
"we can learn what to do, by doing" Aristotle
The board quantity depends on your decisions and what is available.
What space do you have?
How tall are you? (best height seems to be about 150 mm below elbow height which correspond to the 38″ Paul ‘s recommendation for somebody about 1.75 m)
How long do you plan to make your bench?
How deep (front to back) do you want the bench? (workbench-top + well + back apron) (note: the front apron is glued to and thus included in the bench-top width)
How much depth for the workbench-top and how much for the well?
If one works like Paul, mostly in the vise, a top with a width of 30 cm / 12″ (or one board more in the lamination) is perfectly OK (front apron thickness included).
When one has laminated/ untwisted/flattened the bench-top one knows how thick it is. Then if one knows the thickness of the bearer he will use, one can decide how long the legs must be ( total height = leg length + bearer thickness + top thickness)I have only a small space and I used recycled 47 X 75 mm X 3m long for the top, so my workbench is about 1.5 m long (3 m/2). A depth of about 60 cm means easy reach.
But if you look the 2012 video, you will see Paul making a high and long double sided workbench (two work-top and a well in the middle).
One has to make some choice.Thanks for the replies
I plan to make it a similar height and width to paul s except I intend to use a five foot by two foot off cut of kitchen worktop instead of the glue up top
Hej Anthony,
Just a piece of anecdotal information.
Glulam works very well as a workbench top. After 18 months mine is still straight and flat. The holes for the bench dogs have grown a little, though not to their full depths and with no impact on their function.
Sven-Olof Jansson
London, UK; Boston, MA
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