As far as making a top for a woodworking bench, I found I can get Ipe´ decking
for a decent price. It is very hard iron wood. I would need to rip each board in
half of the width and stand them up to gang glue them together. each board is
any of several lengths with free cross cutting to length by the dealer, I can do the
ripping on my own, adult ed. class (Oliver 270D 14"). The boards are exactly 1"
thick x 5 1/2" wide, $2.70 per linear* foot.
To make the square dog holes, table saw dado 6/16" deep x 3/4 wide (0.375 x
0.75) into cross sections of some boards before ripping to create a 3/4" square
hole or several, fold together for gluing. Once the top is dry I will need to hand
plane it, I suppose I should by an A2 blade for the #5, and get it as sharp as
possible.
Is this a viable solution for an excellent wood for a top? Or am I lost?
Also need to know is which glue should I use? Dap powdered poly or would
TB II / extend work just as well?
Thanks all,
Alex
"AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> The boards are exactly 1"
> thick x 5 1/2" wide, $2.70 per linear* foot.
Prices fluctutate, but I could have bought Ipe for $2.10 this past summer.
May pay you to check around.
I can't answer your other questions, but I do have one comment. Every bench
I've ever seen in my limited experience has been a light colored wood. I'm
not sure that I'd want to work on a dark colored bench. YMMV or course.
"AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:kDgid.74713$bk1.46780@fed1read05...
>
>> Prices fluctutate, but I could have bought Ipe for $2.10 this past
>> summer.
>> May pay you to check around.
>> I can't answer your other questions, but I do have one comment. Every
>> bench
>> I've ever seen in my limited experience has been a light colored wood.
>> I'm
>> not sure that I'd want to work on a dark colored bench. YMMV or course.
>>
>>
> That is a good point, light colored wood for the top such as I have read.
> Maybe
> the Ipe´ would be better for the trestle, as laminated with tennons,
> longer center
> piece for the strechers (yes, I ordered "the bench book"). It would be an
> easy way
> to design it, with no mortise and tennon cutting. Cripes I could hand saw
> all of it,
> almost...
>
> As far as pricing, out here on the west coast it can't be too much of an
> issue, we
> have to pay for shipping. As an example, one local exotic woods dealer has
> 8/4
> hard maple for $6.85 b/f, and a lumber yard building supply place has it
> for, gee
> whiz, $4.87. Other people get it for $3.00 because of their region, as I
> learned
> my preious bench building thread.
>
> Thanks Edwin!
>
> Alex
well, at $2.70/ft, isn't that like $5.60/bf?
"AAvK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:jHvid.76863$bk1.65051@fed1read05...
>
> > well, at $2.70/ft, isn't that like $5.60/bf?
> >
> >
> YES! But, in this area, it is the wood that it is!
>
> Alex
You should know that the ipe I've seen is hard on tool edges. I think I'd
almost prefer a softer wood for a workbench.
> Prices fluctutate, but I could have bought Ipe for $2.10 this past summer.
> May pay you to check around.
> I can't answer your other questions, but I do have one comment. Every bench
> I've ever seen in my limited experience has been a light colored wood. I'm
> not sure that I'd want to work on a dark colored bench. YMMV or course.
>
>
That is a good point, light colored wood for the top such as I have read. Maybe
the Ipe´ would be better for the trestle, as laminated with tennons, longer center
piece for the strechers (yes, I ordered "the bench book"). It would be an easy way
to design it, with no mortise and tennon cutting. Cripes I could hand saw all of it,
almost...
As far as pricing, out here on the west coast it can't be too much of an issue, we
have to pay for shipping. As an example, one local exotic woods dealer has 8/4
hard maple for $6.85 b/f, and a lumber yard building supply place has it for, gee
whiz, $4.87. Other people get it for $3.00 because of their region, as I learned
my preious bench building thread.
Thanks Edwin!
Alex
>That is a good point, light colored wood for the top such as I have read.
Frank Klausz came to our club (The Long ISland Woodworkers Club) last night,
bringing his newest workbench. He talked about the dark bench (the one in
Woodworkers Journal was bloodwood) and said don't worry about it. I've met
Frank now on numerous occasions, and he has forgotten more about cabinetmaking
in one day than Norm learned in a lifetime, so don't worry about it.
What you do need to worry about is the moisture content. Ipe is a great surface
for a wrokbench, because it is so massive, heavy and stabile. However, the
chances are, since what you are getting is decking material, the MC is probably
in the 12-13% range. If you want to know what it should be (8% is a reasonable
guess), then put a meter on your current bench, or some other piece of wood
that has been in your shop for a couple of years. That is the point of
equilibrium you aim for. In my shop, it's between 8 and 9%. In yours, it
depends on where it is. If you need ot dry the ipe a bit, put it in your attic
if you can, it will dry faster there.
> Frank Klausz came to our club (The Long ISland Woodworkers Club) last night,
> bringing his newest workbench. He talked about the dark bench (the one in
> Woodworkers Journal was bloodwood) and said don't worry about it. I've met
> Frank now on numerous occasions, and he has forgotten more about cabinetmaking
> in one day than Norm learned in a lifetime, so don't worry about it.
I bought that issue, then subscribed, now have two! I agree with him as well, I simply
MUST have a black keyboard. A dark background to work on will not reflect extranious
light into my eyes, and an ablity to see the parts of any project. If need be... maybe it can
be bleached. Crazy ain't I?
> What you do need to worry about is the moisture content. Ipe is a great surface
> for a wrokbench, because it is so massive, heavy and stabile. However, the
> chances are, since what you are getting is decking material, the MC is probably
> in the 12-13% range. If you want to know what it should be (8% is a reasonable
> guess), then put a meter on your current bench, or some other piece of wood
> that has been in your shop for a couple of years. That is the point of
> equilibrium you aim for. In my shop, it's between 8 and 9%. In yours, it
> depends on where it is. If you need ot dry the ipe a bit, put it in your attic
> if you can, it will dry faster there.
I have no shop and no bench! This would be my first one, can't do anything about
drying it further. This local Ipe´ sits in an open storage shelving shed of giant size,
big sliding doors in a lumber yard. So in this season it will be too moist, for cripe's
sakes! Maybe I will just buy some and save it for the trestle. That amount of board
feet has to be "worked out" too.
Alex
>This local Ipe´ sits in an open storage shelving shed of giant size,
>big sliding doors in a lumber yard. So in this season it will be too moist,
>for cripe's
>sakes! Maybe I will just buy some and save it for the trestle.
Even the trestle has to keep from moving. Moisture content changes can do some
serious things to wood and joints. Trestles for workbenches need strong stabile
joints.
It's not that the ipe is rained on. It's incredibly impervious to weather. It's
the internal moisture content. 12% is simply too wet internally to maintain
itself once moved into a dry envrionment. I really wanted an ipe bench too, but
decided not to for several reasons:
1. The drying time. You can't discount it. Workbenches are tools meant to be
kept flat. But check the ipe first. It could be dry enough inside. Worth
checking out.
2. The gluing up. Ipe is tougher to glue than standard domestic hardwoods.
3. The weight. You build it, you have to lift it. Ipe weighs about a third more
than white oak.
So I decided to stick with maple for the top, and mahogany for the base and
cabinets. Why mahogany? Because I got a good deal on some, and had enough 8/4
to use for the legs around the shop. ANd it's also lighter than maple, and
easier to build with.
If you want mass and weight, you can always build very thick legs, and then
build a panel in between filled with sand (hint-put the sand in bags first).
Also, if you add a couple of vises, then the weight of the bench will go up
another 50 to 100 pounds.