Wednesday, March 3, 2010  Ordering Lumber  Dear Benchcrafted, I
am interested in making a bench but I want to know what my total
cost is going to be. How much lumber, and what size will I need?
Is maple the best? white oak? I am not certain. Thank you! Jesse
When we wrote the instructions for our bench plans we
intentionally omitted a cut list. Why? We think they detach the
woodworker from developing a feel for the project. In our view,
you should build the bench from the measured drawings and
develop your own strategy for getting the necessary parts from
the stock you have available to you, and according to how you
work. Some may have access to 12/4 or even 16/4 lumber. This
would make the top much quicker to build, as well as the legs.
On the other hand, we've build this bench using 6/4 lumber for
the top. We've also built this bench using only 8/4 lumber for
all parts, and that's what we recommend in the instructions.
That thickness is widely available. As for what species to use,
that's not something we