Workbench lumber size

Something I have learned is that holdfasts start having issues as you approach 4” thick benchtops. I am at 3 7/8” now and they are doing okay if I keep them roughed up but I plan on getting to 3 3/4 or less after a final flattening. You can see what I am working on in my Blog here on LJ

In the same vein as controlfreak says, it depends of the clamps you have.
Light aluminium sash clamp work easily with 2X4 (see Paul Sellers workbench build).
The nice thing with the light aluminium sash clamp is that you can use them afterwards when gluing furniture and smaller item.

If you follow Chris Schwartz anarchist workbench , he makes 3 laminations of 6 boards each an then glue them together. While the 1 1/4 thick boards used in each lamination are flexible enough, the 3 laminations have practically no flexibility. So he recommends using heavy duty clamps (see from page 215).

Personally, I would have no use for those heavy duty clamps afterwards.

Paul Sellers and Chris Schwartz have also very different views about workbench height, depth and work-holding.

D.B. Laney about mass :
“And by the way, if you can move this bench around while planing, you probably need to sharpen your irons. There just isn’t enough weight to compensate for dullness.”

-- Sylvain, Brussels, Belgium, Europe - The more I learn, the more there is to learn

Also consider the Moravian Bench.

-- Sawdust Maker

2 schools of thought about anything bench like.

1) Just build a bench, using it you will teach yourself what you like, and don’t like about it while using it. Many woodworkers make several benches as they go through their journey.

2) Read, and suffer for months, and years over which bench to make, how heavy, which vise/vises, and likely never really get a bench built.

When you get down to it, there are 4 real choices. Heavy, or Light. Tall, or short. Type of wood keeps some on the sidelines forever.

The number one subject for analysis paralysis in woodworking.

I’d recommend choice number 1.

If you plan to use a lot of hand tools, make it heavy, and lower, you can always stack a Moxon on top for the work you need to be closer to you. For hand tools, I agree 100% with DB Laney above. The heaviest bench can be moved by a dull blade. UNLESS that bench is mounted to a wall, then it will not move.

If you plan to just do assembly, and a lot of power tools, you might even consider a few smaller benches you can also use to support work going on, and off power equipment, something lower for case assembly, and taller for small stuff.

Best of luck.

-- Think safe, be safe

Thank you so much for your responses. I’m sure you’ve answered that question way too many times.
To be clear, I’m not really thinking about design quite yet. I plan on having a thick top (6”) and will do whatever fancy joinery I can muster for the legs and will consider details at a later date. I will face glue lam the top together with home milled Doug fir and am mainly wondering if it would make any difference with “checking “, twisting or warping with the depth of the rough lumber. I was planning on either two or three inches thick.
Thanks

Why so thick you ww’ing or rebuilding engines?

Just kidding but really you’re more liable to have issues with holdfasts(which you will want).

You asked, ultimatelybuild it the way you want the methods you describe are fine.

Trestle base is much easier than what Mr Roubo Schwarz does.

I couldn’t help but laugh he’s ripping down a plank by hand with a bandsaw 4 feet away.

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!

I think 6” is way overkill. A 3” to 4” top will work well with holdfasts, anything thicker and you may have problems. Consider the vises you want and design your bench around them, in fact I recommend you buy them before you build your bench top. For instance a wagon vise is difficult to add on later. It is best to build it right into the top. If you are going to use square dog holes then you need to build them into the top as well and you won’t know where to put them unless you have your vise.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I made an English workbench from Richard Maguire’s videos. I used rough 8/4 and I cannot see why i would need any thicker. I could easily park my car on top if it was big enough. Its more about the design. As somebody said, just build one instead of getting into analysis paralysis

The only thing I regret is having procrastinate so long.

I finally made a Paul Sellers Workbench 38” high, 1.5m long and with a work-top depth of about 1’ and a tool well also about 1’.
The top is about 70mm thick. (~2.75”)
It has been made with recycled construction grade pine.
I am very happy with it.

-- Sylvain, Brussels, Belgium, Europe - The more I learn, the more there is to learn

I would go with thinner rather than thicker boards for the lamination.

I agree with those who advise 4” max or 3” ideal thickness. 6” is impressive, but unnecessary. However, if that’s what you want to do, do it! I certainly understand.

As someone pointed out, if you glue it in groups you will end up with parts that are too thick to bend so they have to be pefectly flat to glue (or more accuratly, they have to fit together closely to glue).

I have some 3×6’s of Angelim Pedra and have in mind to use some for a bench top, but in the 3” thick direction.

-- I intended to be a woodworker, but turned into a tool and lumber collector.

3” maple top on mine. I wouldn’t go thicker personally as it’s just for looks after that in my opinion.

-- Darrel

IMHO – Thickness of lamination slab should be controlled by grain of log.
The key is end up with “quarter sawn” edge grain on the laminated top.

If have enough log(s) to slice off 3×6 slabs and not use the 2×2-3×3 center pith of the log where things get wonky, do it. If not, cut slabs thinner.
On opposite end of scale: if you can cut 14×6 slabs with proper grain direction, only need 2 of them. :-(0)

Don’t need to constrain yourself with even dimensions either. Lamination’s can be any thickness from 3/4 to 30” if grain is right direction on top. Only difference is amount of work required to make laminated top. No one is going to care if you have uneven sizes. It is a work bench, not a dining room table; right?

PS – Single/Dual slab bench tops are considered wood porn, use caution when posting big lumber like that as you might make the rest of us drool on our keyboards and unable to respond for couple days, LOL

Best Luck.

-- If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all, - Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign released 1967

That’s all great advice thank you. I was always told with a stand-alone bench that weight, heft, thickness of top was…. go as big as you could. I was looking at it from a weight perspective and not necessarily from a hold fast perspective.
I guess I have more to consider then I originally thought….
I’m going to research these resources

If you can, arrange the laminations so that the grain orientations match—fighting the grain when flattening the top is no fun.

Matt

Here’s a thread
https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/312565

-- I intended to be a woodworker, but turned into a tool and lumber collector.