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To make a long story a little shorter My sister had a 200+ year old silver maple tree cut down as it was starting to create a safety issue over her house , naturally I suggested taking it to the saw mill since it was still surprisingly solid in the middle , the tree is some 4 ft across and 9 ft long , the issue that comes to mind is what to make that will last another 100 years ? I have been wanting to build a work bench for several years , I also have a few other projects that might be worth doing , If I do the work bench, the legs will be 8x8 and the solid top will be 30 inches wide and 5 inches thick with a 14 inch tool tray, a face vise and a tail vise and bench dogs , and a storage shelf underneath . but at my age I don't think I could move it around as needed in the garage . so ,maybe a few tables would be a better option along with a set of matching chairs . any suggestions would be welcome , it should be cut up in the next three weeks or so depending on the weather and the mill , than it will take a while to dry and cure out . coming from a tree that has stood this long preserving it for another 100 years will be a honor .

IF you decide to go with workbench, do you have a local kiln that can dry them? I saw Andy Klein recently make a workbench for Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) out of 6" thick timbers. After drying and cleanup, it yields a 5" thick workbench top. I think a vacuum kiln was used to dry it faster and minimize checking, but not sure. Not trying to talk you into the workbench idea, but I just found it interesting to make a thick, beefy workbench top like this out of a solid piece of timber (without noticeable cracking and checking) rather than laminating it.

As far as mobility, I would recommend casters. I have converted some fixed cabinets in my shop with high quality locking casters. Once locked, I haven't had any movement and so far no amount of hammering above on the cabinet has affected the casters operation so far as I can tell. I know "traditional" workbench design is a fixed bench, but honestly I see no reason why high quality casters can't be used permanently in the base for it, though some prefer flip-down, temporary casters instead. Just a thought...

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgx3OtkYtg[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlO9pmrChVM[/youtube]

Lost Art Press has a free book on workbench building. It includes advice on materials and moisrue content considerations. Theyve built quite a few "wet" benchs as well as dry wood benches.

Jim

RFGuy wrote:IF you decide to go with workbench, do you have a local kiln that can dry them? I saw Andy Klein recently make a workbench for Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) out of 6" thick timbers. After drying and cleanup, it yields a 5" thick workbench top. I think a vacuum kiln was used to dry it faster and minimize checking, but not sure. Not trying to talk you into the workbench idea, but I just found it interesting to make a thick, beefy workbench top like this out of a solid piece of timber (without noticeable cracking and checking) rather than laminating it.

As far as mobility, I would recommend casters. I have converted some fixed cabinets in my shop with high quality locking casters. Once locked, I haven't had any movement and so far no amount of hammering above on the cabinet has affected the casters operation so far as I can tell. I know "traditional" workbench design is a fixed bench, but honestly I see no reason why high quality casters can't be used permanently in the base for it, though some prefer flip-down, temporary casters instead. Just a thought...

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgx3OtkYtg[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlO9pmrChVM[/youtube]

I believe I seen a build on that bench or one like it !! thanks

jmoore65 wrote:Lost Art Press has a free book on workbench building. It includes advice on materials and moisrue content considerations. Theyve built quite a few "wet" benchs as well as dry wood benches.

Jim

Thanks I will try to check it out !! There is a commercial kiln not too far away but I have never used them ,I have all ways just air dried , a kiln may be a better option I will check into it . thanks again.

Hobbyman2 wrote:

RFGuy wrote:IF you decide to go with workbench, do you have a local kiln that can dry them? I saw Andy Klein recently make a workbench for Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) out of 6" thick timbers. After drying and cleanup, it yields a 5" thick workbench top. I think a vacuum kiln was used to dry it faster and minimize checking, but not sure. Not trying to talk you into the workbench idea, but I just found it interesting to make a thick, beefy workbench top like this out of a solid piece of timber (without noticeable cracking and checking) rather than laminating it.

As far as mobility, I would recommend casters. I have converted some fixed cabinets in my shop with high quality locking casters. Once locked, I haven't had any movement and so far no amount of hammering above on the cabinet has affected the casters operation so far as I can tell. I know "traditional" workbench design is a fixed bench, but honestly I see no reason why high quality casters can't be used permanently in the base for it, though some prefer flip-down, temporary casters instead. Just a thought...

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgx3OtkYtg[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlO9pmrChVM[/youtube]

I believe I seen a build on that bench or one like it !! thanks

Those slabs came from Matt Cremona in Minnesota. They were dried in a vacuum kiln. He talks about them in the below video starting about 6:10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OdsCDbiYII

Thanks jsburger , those boards look really heavy ! I did see a video of some very strong casters .

The drying process begins , first step was unloading the lumber and painting the ends of the boards. I checked for a local kiln and haven't found one yet, for now it looks like they are in their new forever home , we will see how long they take to dry .next summer I will cut the 8' 6x6 into shorter pieces .