"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
:


"Daniel Martin" wrote in message
om...
I used 1" MDF doubled up to get 2". Its cheap, flat and hard enough
for my needs. I keep the good wood for my projects. The base is
built woth kiln dried spruce. If I ever move it will stay behind and
I will build another one exactly the same.

Daniel


I took a class at the Manchester CT Woodcraft. They have benches made
from MDF. Edges are trimmed in hardwood, the entire bench is coated
with poly. I'd not hesitate to make a bench from it. Not as pretty as
a well made maple bench, but it works well with a lot less cost.


Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

And where different workers will use the bench over time, an excellent
approach.

Building a fancy bench has almost become a badge of honor among some
woodworkers, and I can see that. However, many of the furniture building
pros who visit our woodworkers's club don't spend time on that project, as
they would prefer to/need to tend to projects which pay the bills.

A commercial bench, or an expedient bench, the fastest time to precision
woodwork is often the consideration.

If time is not an object, then an heirloom is a possibility. But, you may
find, it takes SOME kind of bench to build the fancy one. So the type
Daniel mentions is seldom wasted. My bench is very similar to his, but
with 3 layers of cabinet-grade plywood, instead of MDF.

There is, by the way, an excellent article on building a bench in the
latest (Aug 2004) Woodwork magazine. By Michael Cullen, I believe.

Patriarch