Good day, and thank you in advance for your time.
I will soon be buying the wood to build my first cabinetmakers bench, and would like your advice on the type of wood I should use based on the selection that I have to choose from.
The wood’s specific gravity and price are all I have to judge from, as I am not familiar with most of these woods as I am just beggining. Otherwise, I don’t love the texture of oak and I like maple.
Price is certaintly important to me, but quality is more so.
In any case, have you any opinion? (I don’t know the specific species for all of these)
birch – 4/4 $4.42 bf
hard maple 8/4 $6.68 bf
hickory 8/4 $6.12 bf
red oak 8/4 $5.17 bf
whit oak 8/4 $6.95 bf
Thank you much. Adam
Replies
Adam,
Maple is the classic wood for bench tops. Birch is also a good choice, a bit more prone to warpage, but by carefully choosing the boards and the construction method, a necessity with any species really, it will make a perfectly good top at some savings in cost.
I think you would find the hickory to be somewhat like the oaks and a bit harder to do joinery with, such as dovetails for classic style vises, than either the the maple or the birch. I'm also not sure how prone hickory is to excessive wood movement, it isn't common in Northern New England. Of the two oaks, white is much more stable.
John
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