Workbench top: two species of wood?

Scritch · 2008-11-13T18:21:02+00:00

Sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for. I got a few pieces of 5"x15"x7' Douglas fir glulam beams, and am nearing completion of a rather heavy workbench using them. Although the top will be 4 inches thick, and very stiff, I am beginning to be a little concerned that the top surface will be a bit soft, so I am thinking of putting on a layer of hardwood for durability. My concern is that differing rates of expansion over the 29" width of the top will break the glue joint between the two types of wood. Thus, I have a few questions for the ng:1) Am I too worried? The bench is in an unheated garage, and the climate here near Seattle is very mild, so I don't anticipate that the wood in the bench will change that much in moisture content over the year.2) Can I just try to pick a hardwood that is fairly close in wood movement to Douglas fir? I am going to try to use some recycled flooring, so obvious options are hard maple, red or white oak, or hickory.3) If I do glue on a layer of hardwood, what might be the best glue choice? I know some glues are not flexible at all, such as hide glue, but others are much more forgiving, like polyurethane. What might be a good choice?Thanks for your help.