John
Wonder if I can get your opinion. I have an old oak work bench table top that I assembled years ago form rough cut lumber. It was just hand sanded down and is very “not flat”. I want to rip it apart , remill and assemble now that I have proper equipment.
I have noticed that most work bench tops are maple….will the oak be ok you think? It will end up being 1.5″ thick and I want to drill if for bench dogs etc..
I would appreceiate any insights as i don’t want to to do all the work and find the oak would be no good.
Thanks
Replies
Provided the oak doesn't have stress problems from wild grain, which would cause it to move more than usual with changes in humidity, oak should be fine for a bench top. You may have problems with nicking and fast wear on jointer and planer blades because of grit and dirt in the used wood however.
You shouldn't have problems with using the smaller round bodied bench dogs. The bench won't be thick enough for the large rectangular body dogs that need large pockets to recess the dog into when they aren't being used.
John White
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