pine or plywood?

Heres a question that should get alot of feedback. Is it better to use regular pine boards for a layout benchwork or ripped down plywood? I will be buying the lumber to start my new benchwork and I am looking for the most stable and longest lasting material. All the other layouts I have ever built were either flat bench top or cookie cutter type. For this layout (probably my last one) I would like to go with a L-girder type frame. All comments are welcome!!

 

Hi Andy....I use Pine for the framework. 1X3 and 1x4 and 2x2 for the legs. My current layout I did not use glue in the framework. Just plenty of screws. I used 1/4" plywood on top, and 1" styrafoam on that with is glued down. This was just after last Christmas that I made the frame and so far I have had no trouble with the fram of the foam seperating from the plywood. I also have 1X4 bracing about every 16" under the plywood.

 

As far as I've seen/heard/used plywood is by better. If you have the resources to rip a good sheet of plywood, you shouldn't ever have any trouble with warping or anything of the sort. The glues in that stuff make it almost bulletproof. Also, however you're fastening the benchwork together, plywood will definitely never split or crack when sending a nail or screw through it like solid wood will.

I think plywood's worth the extra effort.

 

Myself, I prefer 1x 3's or 1x 4's for the frame work, bench top supported every 16 inches on center. I use the 1x3's as the frame work, the outside edges are made with the 1x4's. I use 2x4's for legs. And then "angle brace" the legs from 2 sides with 1x3's.

Why use 1x4's on the outside edge? Suppose you want to "add" an addition later in time. Then all you have to do is take an screw a 1x3's to the outside edge 1x4 an your about set for table top height for the transfer!

I use 19/64th inch (said to be 1/2 inch) plywood for the top itself or sub-base. ALL my screw locations, are pre-drilled, an the head is counter sunk, for the clean lines. And then, if desired, you can "case" the 1x4's and 2x4's with paneling to give it a nice touch of "furniture" This is the reason I counter sink the screw heads! Nothing sticking out from the edge of the board to make a "lump" in the paneling process if thats desired. OR to get away from the work of gluing a "paneling casing" to this raw lumber, you can simple sand the faces of the board an the bottom (whatever parts of raw lumber is showing, an take off any sharp edges of the boards, an stain it to your likes. Then add a polyurethane clear glossy finish.

I also do alittle different additive to the legs feet. The first 6 inches of each leg nearest the bottom where the leg touches the floor, is painted flat or even gloss black! As a "kick plate" if its a place or location, a shoe would happen to get against it, which would knick the stain an finish. Where as black paint will knick an such, but touch up maintenance to it isn't an extreme being its paint an not stain an polyurethane finish....

 

I was thinking this would be a personal preference thing but just had to here the different suggestions. The main reason I was asking about the plywood is I can get a whole lot of scrap 3/4 thick pieces and I have the means to rip them down to size. The price is right so I just wanted to make sure know one has had a bad experience with it. Thanks for all the feedback!!

 

I went with ripped plywood for my benchwork. Like you, it was available and I had the means to cut it down. I do think it will be better in the long run. By that I mean more stable. My layout is in the garage and I thought I could use all of the help I could get. I glued and screwed 2x2 blocks at each joint and used 1x2 cross pieces at 16" on center for more support. I topped it with 2" foam (no plywood decking). So far, it has worked out very well.