12 replies to this topic

[Kevmc]

I am thinking of using a different wood species for the dog strip to add a little contrast to the bench. I was wondering if anyone else is doing something similar or if you have any ideas/recommendations for what wood would be good. I was thinking purpleheart, Jatoba, Paduk or mahogany. Any issues with these woods or other recommendations. I am aiming to get caught up with the build this week

Thanks
KC

[thewoodwhisperer]

Hey KC. As far as the wood goes, I say just use what you like. The strip won't have a huge impact on movement or anything. But one word of caution. If you make your strip extra long so it includes the moving dog block, you'll end up with the accent wood on the wrong side in the final installation. So you might consider making the dog block separately.

[Beechwood Chip]

I was thinking that making the dog strip out of a harder wood than the rest of the table might reduce wear in the dog holes.

[thewoodwhisperer]

i should clarify my reply. if you are using an accent wood for the entire strip including the backer, the its all good. For some reason I was thinking just the backing strip.

[kaiser]

Beechwood Chip, on 06 February 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

I was thinking that making the dog strip out of a harder wood than the rest of the table might reduce wear in the dog holes.

Beechwood................The square dogs will wear out way before the the doghole strip. Reason for this is that the pressure on the doghole strip is primarily on the end grain and the the pressure on the actual dog is on the long grain. End grain is much more resilient than long grain. In conclusion use a harder wood if you would like it as an accent, but it does not make much of a functional difference.

KAISER OUT!!!

[kaiser]

Kevmc, on 06 February 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

I am thinking of using a different wood species for the dog strip to add a little contrast to the bench. I was wondering if anyone else is doing something similar or if you have any ideas/recommendations for what wood would be good. I was thinking purpleheart, Jatoba, Paduk or mahogany. Any issues with these woods or other recommendations. I am aiming to get caught up with the build this week

Thanks
KC

KC...Just watch of you use an oily wood and adjust your adhesive accordingly. Other than that, don't contrast density too much as it will not move consistently with the softer bench top. The harder the wood, the less it will expand and contract.

[Beechwood Chip]

kaiser, on 06 February 2012 - 04:44 PM, said:

Beechwood................The square dogs will wear out way before the the doghole strip.

I think I remember something about round dog holes becoming oval over time.

[Barron]

I used hard maple for my dog hole strip, and also placed one hard maple board in the same relative location (next to last on the outside) on the back slab, the rest of the top is oak. I did this mostly because I had the hard maple already so I didn't need to buy more oak, and I thought it would look nice ( my local hardwood source didn't have enough soft maple for the build, and I was cutting it close with the oak they had on hand). If you are using round dog holes the harder wood might be a good idea - although if they do wear over time I suppose you could bore out the hole to a larger size, insert a dowel, and then drill a new hole and be back in business.

[kaiser]

Beechwood Chip, on 06 February 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

I think I remember something about round dog holes becoming oval over time.

Yes that can happen if using brass or other typs of metal. If using wood, just make the dogs out of a slightly less dense wood, but again the dogs are long grain and the dog holes are end grain which is stonger and more resilient that the long.

[Andy. L.]

KC,

I'm planning on doing just the backer board of the dog strip in Purpleheart. The bench is hard maple so I'm hoping the contrast will add a nice effect to the bench.

Andy

[mwatkins]

I had planned on doing something similar. Not sure what I'm going to use but I'm thinking of tying it together by using the same speicies in my Chop, Deadman and End Cap. Been leaning towards black walnut but I'm concerned about the differences in density/hardness between the two.

[allencrane]

While I am using maple for the doghole strip (I'm actually just boring straight through the already glued up solid slab), I am using a contrasting mesquite for the end cap and leg vise chop. I too was initially concerned about the differences in density/hardness (mesquite is something like 2200 on the Janka scale - more than 3 times harder than maple). Anyway, Marc assured me that the wood species would be fine, and just suggested that I take my time with drilling and cutting because the harder wood will heat up the bits more. He was right, but I took my time and the end cap looks incredible. I liked it so much I'm adding an end cap (no vise, it's more of a breadboard) to the other end. I'm planning to do the front laminate with double condor tails on both the left and right sides for more contrast between the maple and mesquite.

If you're looking to use walnut, check out the bench that Mark at Bad Axe Saws built - using 6X walnut legs and sliding dovetails and through tenons. Very nice contrast, even laminating it between the lighter wood on the crochet. Incidentally, Mark at Bad Axe and Chris Schwarz mention the custom holdfasts from Phil Koontz at Galena Village Blacksmith in Alaska (http://www.galenavillageblacksmith.com). When I looked on his web site, Mr. Koontz was sold out of holdfasts (I blamed the guild! :-), but he actually wrote me last night and told me he got some more steel and made a batch. Very nice guy. Of course, I wasted no time ordering two of them.

You can read Marc's well-thought answer to my question in the January 24, 2012 at 11:43 pm post on the Roubo Slab Tenon and Screw Cavity post http://guild.thewood...y/#comment-3071

[allencrane]

Oops, here is the link to the Bad Axe bench with the contrasting walnut legs: http://www.badaxetoo...work-bench.html