workbench top lumber dimensions

[Brendon_t]

15 hours ago, drzaius said:

Okay, let's look at a top that is make of 3 pieces of lumber, all properly dried, milled & glued up. When moisture content changes, as with the seasons,  the wood moves. But wood does not move in a perfectly linear fashion throughout the board. What will happen is that the board will twist, cup, or curve slightly. With only 3 boards in the top, that's going to mean the top is going to go out of flat.

Our next top is made of a series of 3/4 boards all glued up to give us that same size & thickness top. Then we get some seasonal moisture changes and the accompanying movement. But in this case, each small board is moving in its own way, and because each board is just a small part of the whole, those movements will work to cancel each other out. One board tries to curve a little to the left, while the other attempts a little  curve to the right, and so on. The law of averages sees to it that the overall deviation from flat will be minimized.

Of course, there are workbench tops all over the place that stay flat, but there are also many that just don't. My goal was to maximize my chances of getting a top that would stay flat, so I went the route of lots of milling & gluing. 

There are other factors as well. I enjoy milling and I enjoy glue ups. And last, but not least, 4/4 maple was $1.90/bf vs $6.50/bf for 12/4 maple. But the overriding goal was to get a good, heavy, stable top.

My intent was not to claim my way is best, but to express a view that while not popular, presents viable alternate choices for someone who is planning a bench build.

Not bad at all. I didn't do any butt joints, but I did glue up a few narrow pieces that were less than the 4" I wanted for the top.

Good points. 

It sounds to me that we've figured out that there really isn't a superior way.  What is important to Ross and Gdub may not be as important to Nuts and I. 

Comes down to preference and what's important to you. 

 

I appreciate the discussion even though nobody got super pissed : )

[drzaius]

10 minutes ago, Brendon_t said:

Good points. 

It sounds to me that we've figured out that there really isn't a superior way.  What is important to Ross and Gdub may not be as important to Nuts and I. 

Comes down to preference and what's important to you. 

 

I appreciate the discussion even though nobody got super pissed : )

This is what I appreciate about this forum as compared to many others; it's possible to have some good discussion without all the acrimony that sometimes comes out.

[Brendon_t]

2 hours ago, drzaius said:

it's possible to have some good discussion without all the acrimony that sometimes comes out.

Agreed, though depends on the players, and sometimes, the acrimony is really Really entertaining ..

[wtnhighlander]

Back to the shorts aspect, I wouldn't hesitate to use them on the interior of the slab. If you go with square dogs, maybe plane the sorts to appropriate thickness, then cut them up and space them  out between two long boards to make the dog hole strip, instead of milling dadoes or chopping square holes.

[Bmac]

8 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

Back to the shorts aspect, I wouldn't hesitate to use them on the interior of the slab. If you go with square dogs, maybe plane the sorts to appropriate thickness, then cut them up and space them  out between two long boards to make the dog hole strip, instead of milling dadoes or chopping square holes.

Yes, and I used shorts that were the same thickness/width as my leg's tenons to avoid chopping out 4" through tenons. This worked great and even helped with assembly. The section of the bench between the leg through tenons was glued up and sat perfectly between the leg tenons and on the leg's tenon shoulders. Then I simply glued on the shorts and the outer full length piece to make the top flush with the outer portion of the legs.

[Spanky]

After reading all this, I think I will keep my dog out of this race. 

[Brendon_t]

2 hours ago, Spanky said:

After reading all this, I think I will keep my dog out of this race. 

Oh come on. I'm sure you could add to the overall discussion, Or hilarity. Dealers choice.