prov163 Posted February 21, 2017 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 I built mine out of pallet wood just to drive Eric nuts Actually I'm starting to think seriously about building a new bench so this thread has been helpful, though a bit tense. What about Ash? In my area 8/4 is about $4.50 bf (same price as soft maple), hickory is $5.50 and hard maple is $6.50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 21, 2017 Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 7 minutes ago, prov163 said: I built mine out of pallet wood just to drive Eric nuts Actually I'm starting to think seriously about building a new bench so this thread has been helpful, though a bit tense. What about Ash? In my area 8/4 is about $4.50 bf (same price as soft maple), hickory is $5.50 and hard maple is $6.50. Two hundred seems to be about two days wages at most every job I worked. (The build is in the 150 BF range by all accounts with 200 purchased.) Some paid much more but took far more out. If you are strapped tight, make the top of hard maple and the base of soft maple. They should play nice together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've had both a solid core door and hard maple bench... While the Roubo is a fun project, it's not one you'll want to do again anytime soon. Like others have said, build it right and the best you can the first time. Several people on here that used soft maple later wished they had used hard, and alder will dent looking at it. Lots of people have also used soft maple and thought it was fine. Marc and shannon both just mentioned on the podcast last week that they preferred soft Maple to Hard maple for a bench. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 42 minutes ago, Mike. said: Ash is a funny wood. In theory, it should be fine. But in my experience it is not as hard as janka would have you believe. A lot of smaller yard trees are being harvested, so maybe that is the problem. That being said, ash is very impact resistant. should be hard enough for a bench, and tends to be a stable material. That's the thing with the Janka rating. It has no basis in real-world situations. Most of us care about how hard it is to dent the first couple millimeters at most. When was the last time you embedded a steel ball a quarter inch into a workpiece? Just from looking at my two mallets (Ash and Walnut) I can't say that one is any harder than the other, but apparently they are 300 lbf apart on the Janka rating. I think Shannon mentioned his Workbench is made from Ash, since it was dirt cheap at the time he was building. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dknapp34 Posted February 22, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I built mine out of pallet wood just to drive Eric nuts Actually I'm starting to think seriously about building a new bench so this thread has been helpful, though a bit tense. What about Ash? In my area 8/4 is about $4.50 bf (same price as soft maple), hickory is $5.50 and hard maple is $6.50. I made my Roubo out of hickory. Don't make a Roubo out of hickory. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov163 Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 1 minute ago, Dknapp34 said: I made my Roubo out of hickory. Don't make a Roubo out of hickory. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro LOL. Sounds like advice borne of experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Ash would be fine in terms of density and stability and the whole thing. I personally don't care for the look of it but that means nothing. My only real gripe about ash is that because it's an open-pored species it would have a tendency to catch and hold a lot more filth on its surfaces. Not that that really matters but if all else is equal I'd use hard maple. My bench is soft maple because when I was building mine that was the bandwagon everyone was riding. The argument was because if you ever dropped a workpiece on your bench, one of them is gonna dent and you'd rather it be the bench. But I've dropped bubinga on my bench and they BOTH dented. So there goes that worthless theory. I regret the decision. The ONLY drawback that I can possibly think of using hard maple as opposed to any other species is that hard maple is a bit more difficult to work with. But once the bench is done, you can spend the rest of your life enjoying the fact that you used the best possible species available for a workbench. And the extra cost? Pff. You were over that the day after you made the purchase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I actually think Shannon said his bench was doug fir, unless he was talking about a previous bench. I'm going back to the sidelines laughing at this thread now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barron Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I am sorry, but if you are afraid of denting your bench, or even worried about denting your bench, you should probably find a different hobby. If it gets too beat up, just reflatten the dang thing and move on. If you want a hard bench great, but it's only better if that's what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 5 hours ago, BonPacific said: If any other PNWesterner has a source they're willing to share, I'd love to be corrected. Yes please. Maple around here is $9-10 bd/ft. Walnut is 14-15 bd/ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Janello Posted February 22, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Eric lives vicariously through my eyes wishing he had my hard maple workbench that he wished he built (and I knew he wished he built) and so I made one so he could live vicariously through my eyes looking at my hard maple workbench. He also secretly wishes he had the newer vise that looks like a ship wheel.....but The point of all that nonsense is...he's right. It's awesome. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho Andy Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 43 minutes ago, MattF said: Yes please. Maple around here is $9-10 bd/ft. Walnut is 14-15 bd/ft. Can't help you with maple.... or many other hardwoods.... but I can give you a GREAT deal on lodgepole pine, probably not a good choice for a bench I can't believe I read through this entire thread... I wonder if bglenden got his answer? Seriously...thanks to all for being passionate about your work!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 3 minutes ago, Idaho Andy said: Can't help you with maple.... or many other hardwoods.... but I can give you a GREAT deal on lodgepole pine, probably not a good choice for a bench I can't believe I read through this entire thread... I wonder if bglenden got his answer? Seriously...thanks to all for being passionate about your work!!! Haha, I'll pass on the pine. I have the Benchcrafted hardware sitting in the shop and just waiting on a good time to pull the trigger on some lumber. I have gone back and forth with myself about using Douglas Fir, but talk myself out of it every time. I figure as enjoyable as building a Roubo may be, I dont want to do it twice. I've gone this long with out one, I can wait a little longer. Others mileage may vary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho Andy Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Just now, MattF said: Haha, I'll pass on the pine. I have the Benchcrafted hardware sitting in the shop and just waiting on a good time to pull the trigger on some lumber. I have gone back and forth with myself about using Douglas Fir, but talk myself out of it every time. I figure as enjoyable as building a Roubo may be, I dont want to do it twice. I've gone this long with out one, I can wait a little longer. Others mileage may vary. Understood Matt... I built mine out of soft maple and sapele... looks and works great. Seriously, after seeing the Bell Forest price Eric mentioned...and considering the free shipping on orders over $100 (whenever that hits next)...that sounds like a pretty good answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 8 minutes ago, Idaho Andy said: Understood Matt... I built mine out of soft maple and sapele... looks and works great. Seriously, after seeing the Bell Forest price Eric mentioned...and considering the free shipping on orders over $100 (whenever that hits next)...that sounds like a pretty good answer. Yeah, I contacted them a couple weeks ago to get an estimate for the shipping. They also give a 10% discount for guild members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 3 hours ago, JosephThomas said: Lots of people have also used soft maple and thought it was fine. Marc and shannon both just mentioned on the podcast last week that they preferred soft Maple to Hard maple for a bench. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk I think soft maple would be fine for a bench but like Eric said red leaf would be better than silver. The reason I went with hard was because of some people posted after building theirs they wish they went with hard instead of soft. I have no regrets going with hard and my sharpening guy was happy when I was done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I think soft maple would be fine for a bench but like Eric said red leaf would be better than silver. The reason I went with hard was because of some people posted after building theirs they wish they went with hard instead of soft. I have no regrets going with hard and my sharpening guy was happy when I was done! Yeah you have no reason to be, your bench looks great. I was just trying to provide a contrasting opinion for people. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 9 hours ago, JosephThomas said: Yeah you have no reason to be, your bench looks great. I was just trying to provide a contrasting opinion for people. Why? It's wrong. LOL Opinions are overrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 It's not wrong. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 4 minutes ago, JosephThomas said: It's not wrong. If I told you that Justin Bieber was a better musician than Beethoven, you wouldn't be able to prove me wrong...but I'd still be wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Not the same at all. You're still wrong though. Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Just now, JosephThomas said: Not the same at all. You're still wrong though. Exactly the same. Opinions are overrated, especially wrong ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BonPacific Posted February 22, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 39 minutes ago, Eric. said: Exactly the same. Opinions are overrated, especially wrong ones. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 17 hours ago, BonPacific said: That's the thing with the Janka rating. It has no basis in real-world situations. Most of us care about how hard it is to dent the first couple millimeters at most. When was the last time you embedded a steel ball a quarter inch into a workpiece? Just from looking at my two mallets (Ash and Walnut) I can't say that one is any harder than the other, but apparently they are 300 lbf apart on the Janka rating. I think Shannon mentioned his Workbench is made from Ash, since it was dirt cheap at the time he was building. 16 hours ago, bleedinblue said: I actually think Shannon said his bench was doug fir, unless he was talking about a previous bench. I'm going back to the sidelines laughing at this thread now. I just listened to the last weekend show. His doug fir bench was his joinery bench, his Roubo is ash. I'm wrong, dumb and going back to my corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Just Bob Posted February 22, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 15 hours ago, MattF said: Yes please. Maple around here is $9-10 bd/ft. Walnut is 14-15 bd/ft. For a place covered in trees the PacNW is tough. I bought my bench wood (beech) at Edensaw Woods in Port Townsend. They have a huge warehouse and fairly reasonable prices. I paid $2,25 a bf for the beech. They also gave me a discount for quantity. The problem is that with the ferry ride, for me it is a 4 hour round trip. They deliver but I don't know how much they charge. I refuse to use Crosscut because, I think, they are overpriced, and they are in Seattle, I will never spend another penny in that city. A boat builder friend told me the other day that there a couple of places in Marysville, but I don't know anything about them. Bell Forest gets rave reviews here, but I have not tried them yet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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