Poplar or Spruce for workbench?

[agg221]

Of your list, poplar or sycamore. Poplar is a lot better than people give it credit for. It also soaks up oil really well which then means the woodworm don't like it. It is used for the beds of artics.

 

Alec

[jamesd]

Of your list, poplar or sycamore. Poplar is a lot better than people give it credit for. It also soaks up oil really well which then means the woodworm don't like it. It is used for the beds of artics.

 

Alec

 

Would you oil the wood to protect it a bit or just leave it natural? Is poplar a hard enough wood to withstand knocks and big bits of metal being put on it?

[se7enthdevil]

if it's to be bashed about then use the ash you have or make a whole bench from oak.

 

pop an syc are too soft for lumps of metal being chucked about on it.

[agg221]

if it's to be bashed about then use the ash you have or make a whole bench from oak.

 

pop an syc are too soft for lumps of metal being chucked about on it.

 

Spruce is what a most basic workbenches are made from, or you would end up with if you used lengths of joist to make one, as my Grandad did some 60yrs ago. That bench is sat in Mum's garage - the top is far from pristine but it is still perfectly serviceable. It was well dosed with something at some point, probably creosote, but now more like oil from the various engines etc that have been dismantled on it. It's fine - no woodworm, no rot, will do at least another 60yrs.

 

Spruce and poplar are both pretty resilient - they take knocks and dent a bit but lumps don't fall off. Oak is far more vulnerable in this respect.

 

Poplar and spruce are about equivalent in hardness on the Janka scale (approx. 400-500). Sycamore is a bit harder (770), ash and oak are around 1300. Note, I can't find a perfect match on species as I can only find American values, but they're not far wrong.

 

In my view, hardness is important if you want a nice stable workbench to lay out fine woodwork, but for bashing lumps of engine around it will get dented anyway (no practical timber is as hard as a lump of cast iron!).

 

I prefer poplar over spruce as it is more absorbent. It will take up a spirit-based insectide, followed by something oily to seal it. It will then be pretty resilient for a good few decades.

 

I would avoid oak as the tannic acid is corrosive to steel parts.

 

Alec

[jamesd]

Spruce is what a most basic workbenches are made from, or you would end up with if you used lengths of joist to make one, as my Grandad did some 60yrs ago. That bench is sat in Mum's garage - the top is far from pristine but it is still perfectly serviceable. It was well dosed with something at some point, probably creosote, but now more like oil from the various engines etc that have been dismantled on it. It's fine - no woodworm, no rot, will do at least another 60yrs.

 

Spruce and poplar are both pretty resilient - they take knocks and dent a bit but lumps don't fall off. Oak is far more vulnerable in this respect.

 

Poplar and spruce are about equivalent in hardness on the Janka scale (approx. 400-500). Sycamore is a bit harder (770), ash and oak are around 1300. Note, I can't find a perfect match on species as I can only find American values, but they're not far wrong.

 

In my view, hardness is important if you want a nice stable workbench to lay out fine woodwork, but for bashing lumps of engine around it will get dented anyway (no practical timber is as hard as a lump of cast iron!).

 

I prefer poplar over spruce as it is more absorbent. It will take up a spirit-based insectide, followed by something oily to seal it. It will then be pretty resilient for a good few decades.

 

I would avoid oak as the tannic acid is corrosive to steel parts.

 

Alec

 

Thanks for the advice can i pick your brain a bit more please? would the wood have to be completely dry before i build the bench or will it move to much if i construct it green?

Also what oils and insecticide would you use?

 

many thanks, James.

[se7enthdevil]

if straigt grained ash is very stable and doesn't shrink that much so could be ok for green manufacture, in saying that i would cut enough for the components and leave for 6 months before you start it.

 

perhaps you could do this, build yourself a bench from spruce whilst green, at the same time cut the ash for a bench and in 12-18 months make a proper bench if the spruce one is not standing up to the punishment. if its still ok then wait till it falls apart then you have dry ash to build it's replacement from...

 

oils should not be needed if its a work bench...

[agg221]

I would be inclined to fully air-dry the timber for the top at least. The cells in wood give up their water gradually, but the water from the cell wall goes last. It is only when this starts to happen (below ~20%) that shrinkage really happens. I would find gaps in the benchtop annoying as bits would fall through. The alternative would be to bolt it down (coachbolts with the nuts underneath) into slots rather than holes, so it can be periodically loosened off and slid back tight as it dries.

 

I dislike woodworm, so I would use an oil or spirit-based insecticide. I wouldn't be worried about rot indoors, assuming the floor it is standing on isn't too damp. Poplar takes this up very well, sycamore quite well, spruce very badly. I would use whichever one you can get hold of easily! Creosote and old engine oil are both very effective at killing woodworm - unfortunately they have a similar effect on you....

 

Alec

[jamesd]

I would be inclined to fully air-dry the timber for the top at least. The cells in wood give up their water gradually, but the water from the cell wall goes last. It is only when this starts to happen (below ~20%) that shrinkage really happens. I would find gaps in the benchtop annoying as bits would fall through. The alternative would be to bolt it down (coachbolts with the nuts underneath) into slots rather than holes, so it can be periodically loosened off and slid back tight as it dries.

 

I dislike woodworm, so I would use an oil or spirit-based insecticide. I wouldn't be worried about rot indoors, assuming the floor it is standing on isn't too damp. Poplar takes this up very well, sycamore quite well, spruce very badly. I would use whichever one you can get hold of easily! Creosote and old engine oil are both very effective at killing woodworm - unfortunately they have a similar effect on you....

 

Alec

 

Ok thanks, the poplar i'm thinking of using is probably 30" wide at least so i was thinking of making the top out of one board so there would be no gaps.

Is this a good idea or would such a wide board move to much?

[agg221]

Ok thanks, the poplar i'm thinking of using is probably 30" wide at least so i was thinking of making the top out of one board so there would be no gaps.

Is this a good idea or would such a wide board move to much?

 

It will move too much for any practical way of fixing it to work. If you mill from right near the centre (one board out from the pith) you will have the best grain to keep it flat, but you would still need at least two bolts per end to keep it flat. The board will then try to shrink across its width, but can't because it is held by the two bolts (ie the wood between the bolts wants to pull the two bolts closer together) but it can't, so the wood will then split up the middle.

 

Alec

[jamesd]

It will move too much for any practical way of fixing it to work. If you mill from right near the centre (one board out from the pith) you will have the best grain to keep it flat, but you would still need at least two bolts per end to keep it flat. The board will then try to shrink across its width, but can't because it is held by the two bolts (ie the wood between the bolts wants to pull the two bolts closer together) but it can't, so the wood will then split up the middle.

 

Alec

 

Ok thanks. I may try to quarter saw the log at least that way there is less chance of the wood moving to much.

The tree has been down for probably a year how much more drying time would i need after the boards have been milled?