Slab vs laminate tops

[woodcanuck]

I was able to find a nice slab of soft maple 12"x16/4x7' (my bench will be on the shorter side).

So I am thinking that I'll use the slab for the back half of the bench top and laminate up some 8/4 for the front half.

Does anyone have any thoughts on using a slab top? I'm wondering if I have to make an accommodations for the single slab that I don't have to make for the laminated top. I would guess that wood movement won't be much different, although I imagine it could cup over time.

Is anyone else using a single slab for one or both benchtop sections?

[AMarshall]

What immediately comes to mind is the total thickness of that slab. If it's 16/4, you might not be able to get it flattened and still have a total thickness of 4 inches. Because of the Benchcrafted tail vise requirements, you really want the front slab to be somewhere between 3 3/4" and 4" final thickness. You can go thinner for the front slab, but it would require some workarounds to get the tail vise mounted correctly.

Anyway, if you end up with the monolithic rear slab less than 4" thick it would probably be easiest to use some spacers between the top and the base. These spacers would raise the rear slab up to the height of the front slab. The spacers would just be short strips that sit on top of the short stretchers of the base. You could keep the rear legs a little taller, or you could get fancy and make a thin collar to surround the tenons on top of the legs to close all the gaps.

As for long term movement, I really don't know but I suspect it would be minimal.

[MarkRigney]

I have a similar question. I'm going to dig through the wood pile this weekend to decide which wood I'm going to use. Here are the known options:

1. 12/4 Hickory, 16" x 12' (several slabs this size)- I am thinking I would just face glue two pieces together for the tops and use round dogholes.

2. 4/4 White Oak, 6-8" x 12-16' (tons from my Grandads place) - lots of milling, but the wood have some special meaning. Talk about a family heirloom!

3. 8/4 slightly spalted Pecan - I may have to fill/stabilize any soft spots on this, but it would look amazing. I might use. This forte legs, since there isn't much else we can do with it.

Any advice?

[ChetlovesMer]

My only caution is to make sure it's dry. I've seen a lot of the slabs out there recently that weren't. You probably notice how often fireplace mantels split and check, that's because they were installed before being dry enough and then they dry out from the warmth of the fireplace.

But if its dry, it should be fine. The old workbenches in my highschool woodshop were all made from solid slabs. They were the European style with the tool tray. They seemed fine and they had been around since ever.