kyleheon Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 I can't swing the full lumber purchase just yet but would like to get started on the top, well at least the front half. Roughly how many 8' 8/4 boards should I go with. I apologize for such a newb question but I'm not good at estimating lumber requirements yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMarshall Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 That's actually pretty easy to guesstimate since the top is monolithic. For a 24" deep, 4" thick benchtop you would need at least 12 boards at 8/4 thick. I'd plan for 14 for some extra slack since each board will plane down to about 1 3/4" in thickness. If you are going with a split top you might be able to get away with less. But assuming you are buying 9" wide boards and dividing in two to get the 4" thickness then you have to go in even increments so 14 is the magic number. Have you though about using inexpensive construction lumber for the top? You can usually find good 2x12's that are clear enough to get two 4" pieces when split. In my area these are southern yellow pine which is a great wood for benches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyleheon Posted March 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Doh! Just realized the cutlist has this broken out nicely. Hmm, I think for me it would be douglass fir if I went the "cheap" route. Problem is I really have my heart set in soft maple with walnut accents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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