classic bench top, Ipe´ decking?

[AAvK]

As far as making a top for a woodworking bench, I found I can get Ipe´ decking for a decent price. It is very hard iron wood. I would need to rip each board in half of the width and stand them up to gang glue them together. each board is any of several lengths with free cross cutting to length by the dealer, I can do the ripping on my own, adult ed. class (Oliver 270D 14"). The boards are exactly 1" thick x 5 1/2" wide, $2.70 per linear* foot.

To make the square dog holes, table saw dado 6/16" deep x 3/4 wide (0.375 x

0.75) into cross sections of some boards before ripping to create a 3/4" square hole or several, fold together for gluing. Once the top is dry I will need to hand plane it, I suppose I should by an A2 blade for the #5, and get it as sharp as possible.

Is this a viable solution for an excellent wood for a top? Or am I lost?

Also need to know is which glue should I use? Dap powdered poly or would TB II / extend work just as well?

Thanks all,

Alex

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Prices fluctutate, but I could have bought Ipe for $2.10 this past summer. May pay you to check around.

I can't answer your other questions, but I do have one comment. Every bench I've ever seen in my limited experience has been a light colored wood. I'm not sure that I'd want to work on a dark colored bench. YMMV or course.

[AAvK]

That is a good point, light colored wood for the top such as I have read. Maybe the Ipe´ would be better for the trestle, as laminated with tennons, longer center piece for the strechers (yes, I ordered "the bench book"). It would be an easy way to design it, with no mortise and tennon cutting. Cripes I could hand saw all of it, almost...

As far as pricing, out here on the west coast it can't be too much of an issue, we have to pay for shipping. As an example, one local exotic woods dealer has 8/4 hard maple for $6.85 b/f, and a lumber yard building supply place has it for, gee whiz, $4.87. Other people get it for $3.00 because of their region, as I learned my preious bench building thread.

Thanks Edwin!

Alex

[Charles Spitzer]

well, at $2.70/ft, isn't that like $5.60/bf?

[AAvK]

YES! But, in this area, it is the wood that it is!

Alex

[AAvK]

I bought that issue, then subscribed, now have two! I agree with him as well, I simply MUST have a black keyboard. A dark background to work on will not reflect extranious light into my eyes, and an ablity to see the parts of any project. If need be... maybe it can be bleached. Crazy ain't I?

I have no shop and no bench! This would be my first one, can't do anything about drying it further. This local Ipe´ sits in an open storage shelving shed of giant size, big sliding doors in a lumber yard. So in this season it will be too moist, for cripe's sakes! Maybe I will just buy some and save it for the trestle. That amount of board feet has to be "worked out" too.

Alex

[J]

You should know that the ipe I've seen is hard on tool edges. I think I'd almost prefer a softer wood for a workbench.