Bench Tops

For work benches, I want tough tops. They will be made of 1½" thick stock, jointed together. I have found yellow pine to be quite attractive, especially when treated with linseed oil.

Tops for reloading benches should have their grain running from front to back, so as to provide better resistance against the forces of the press. Note that this means I may need to find longer pipes for my pipe clamps, since it will necessitate clamping across the wide dimension of the bench top.

I want to get some kind of finger-joint or v-joint cutter that is capable of cutting 1½" stock. That will almost certainly require me to have a ½" router. A shaper might be a better option if I can find a shaper cutter for the job.

V-Joint Cutter

Finger Joint Cutter