Workbench - What species of wood?

laugh

If you were to make something like this, in Ireland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pfm6URciYc

*Roubo (He uses hard Canadian Maple)

What species would you use?

Where would you get your hands on it?

Alun

Beech would be a good alternative and readily available.

laugh

Cool! So I'm from Wicklow too (the other side of the mountains) where do you typically buy hardwood?

tabby aspreme

Try , kiln dried hardwoods in enniskerry for native beech , got some there recently, Strahan in Rathcoole would have imported beech as would Declan Byrne in Carlow which may be easier if your in south/ west Wicklow.

Nothing harder than trying to make your first bench when you don't have a bench to hold the timber with

Alun

laugh wrote: »

Cool! So I'm from Wicklow too (the other side of the mountains) where do you typically buy hardwood?

I'm a wood turner so typically don't buy it in the shapes and sizes you'd be needing for a bench.

woodturner

My first choice would be Ash. Beech is known to move quite a bit, Ash would be far more stable.

recipio

Have you done any pricing ? Beech is traditionally used in Europe as it doesn't splinter. The Yanks favour maple. It would be a lovely project but expensive !

Alun

woodturner wrote: »

My first choice would be Ash. Beech is known to move quite a bit, Ash would be far more stable.

Pretty much every commercially available workbench seems to be made from beech, and I'm fairly sure that traditionally European workbenches were made from beech also. The tops themselves are often made from laminated strips which I imagine would be to prevent any movement.

woodturner

Probably because it's cheaper than Ash. If you look up Richard Maguire workbenches they are almost all made from Ash