Poplar

I made my bench top out of press board for the same reason. I don't have
to care about dinging the top, getting glue on it. If I ever feel the
need, I can flip the top over and start dinging a new top, or replace it
at a fairly cheap cost.

Thomas

McQualude wrote:
> Nick Bozovich spaketh...
>
>
>>With respect to using poplar for the bench top, I guess I wasn't aware
>>that it was so soft.
>
>
> I made mine from southern yellow pine. I use it hard, it has chisel gouges,
> sander marks, hammer marks, glue drips, stain spots, you name it. If I had
> a pretty bench, I would be afraid of it!

Thanks guys -

I think I'm going to use the poplar panels. What's the worst that can
happen? I have to replace the top - I plan on making it similar to Frank
Klausz's bench (from "The Workbench Book"), with some modifications from
Keith Rucker ("Building a Traditional Workbench"), so it should be easy to
change out the top. I'll put a good hard finish on it, and not worry about
it.

I figure it's kind of like a pick-up if you don't want it scratched, and if
you don't buy it to haul wood, gravel, dirt, etc., what's the point? Why
not just buy a car instead?

Nick

"Nick Bozovich" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Chuck -
> Thanks for the info -
>
> With respect to using poplar for the bench top, I guess I wasn't aware
that
> it was so soft. I've been using the panels as a makeshift bench for a
> couple of months(sitting on sawhorses). They are a little soft, but I
> figured that they just needed a finish treatment.
>
> These panels were just too good to pass up when my friend offered them to
> me - they are actually "seconds" from a shop that makes wood coffins -
they
> were supposed to be the bottoms for the coffins.
>
> Maybe I'll use them for cabinets like you suggested, or I was going to
make
> a bench arrangement for my compound miter saw and my future RAS, so maybe
> for that.
>
> I'm building a table with maple right now. I REALLY like maple, it works
> good, and has a great appearance. So I think I'll go back to using it for
> the workbench.
>
> Thanks for your help -
>
>

Nick Bozovich wrote:
> With respect to using poplar for the bench top, I guess I wasn't aware that
> it was so soft. I've been using the panels as a makeshift bench for a
> couple of months(sitting on sawhorses). They are a little soft, but I
> figured that they just needed a finish treatment.

I dunno...lots of people make their benches from pine or fir (2x).
IIRC, fir is softer than poplar. Put an MDF or hardboard on top
and you're ready to go.

--
************************************
Chris Merrill
[email protected]
(remove the ZZZ to contact me)
************************************

McQualude may have said:
> Nick Bozovich spaketh...
>
> > With respect to using poplar for the bench top, I guess I wasn't aware
> > that it was so soft.
>
> I made mine from southern yellow pine. I use it hard, it has chisel gouges,
> sander marks, hammer marks, glue drips, stain spots, you name it. If I had
> a pretty bench, I would be afraid of it!
>

If I had a pretty bench it would be afraid of me.

Dick


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