It’s definitely Beechwood which makes sense since most German woodworkers benches were made using Beech. It’s the perfect wood for a workbench being hard but not too hard and of medium weight. It takes Tung oil finish beautifully which you can mix with mineral spirits for a wipe on finish. After it’s dry (12-14 days for real Tung oil) apply wax.
Glad you flipped it! I'd vote for beech that would be what I'd expect to find in this kind of workbench. I'd flip them to have the grooves on the outside and the vises parts on the inside. And prior to planing it, I'd try to bring every defect with some damp toilet paper and a clothes iron, that's impressive on holes made without pre drilling and hammer traces. Keep that tool well it's just a tool well 😂😂! Oh and to make it look very good I'd make the whole top shift to the right and cut that corner on the side of the apron on the right too
Tip: split pins are meant to be single use. The easiest way to remove them is to use side cutters and cut the bow off and then the legs pull out easily.
Back in the 60's beech would have been used as it grows right here in the UK and Europe as a whole, while iroko wood is from west Africa and the cost would have ruled it out.
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Thanks Richard, the top looks like beech to me, which is quite common for bench tops, I was going to say just scrap the well board and replace it with ply, have you considered swapping the front and back Aprons as the front one has been rather butchered ? If you are familiar with Paul Sellers, he advocates securing the vice to the front of the bench so that may be worth considering as an alternative he also discusses on his blog about suitable bench top heights ! Btw, I like what you're doing here so have subscribed, don't want to miss what comes next !
I'm going with beech, you don't get much maple over there and the weight difference is noticeable. That being said, you could always do a contrasting wood for the Dutchmen to show off your work
LCC probably stands for London County Council, which was the precursor to the GLC (Greater London Council), J&M were probably the company that made the bench for the LCC, and the top sure looks like beech to me and the old school carpentry benches usually had pine frames to save on cost. I'm kinda kicking myself for not thinking of flipping the top over, it seems so obvious now that it's been said. 😅
@Anon-mk4ms could it be also Liverpool City Corporation? Where I live there are reservoirs with LCC marked on cast iron inspection covers everywhere (liked they owned the place or something 😀)
London County Council might be right, the bench was obtained in Suffolk so not too far from London. Yes, flipping the top was a great idea - so glad I asked the community 👍
Seeing the conditions, give some thought to swapping the front and back apron boards. The rear one is the better condition as I see it. I disagree with raising the top. It will put a joint all round in a place where the vises and other clamping items can lever against the joint. Better an 8" plinth.
You could use ply for your well, but I think the danger is that it won't be very hard-wearing and the surface will be liable to raise and split with changes in seasons and in the end be a bit of a splinter hazard. Perhaps some recycled T&G floorboarding would be a better option?
the top grain looks like beech. Are you planning to refit both vices? A single vice with a running deadman is a more flexible setup imo. I think I would laminate some kitchen worktop, plyboard or scaffold boards, to make a new top, but it will be interesting to see whatever you do. Raising it from the bottom would make it easier to clean underneath, Looking forward to see what happens.
Thanks, yes I will refit both vices. It's an unusual configuration but will be handy for holding long items. If I had space to the side of where the bench is going I'd move the right hand vice to the end. 👍
Yes it can be handy for holding long work, but for deeper long work (like gates and doors) the second vice becomes an obstacle. I learned this the hard way, but if your not planning on making doors the second vice is not a problem.
@@danceswithaardvarks3284 interesting point - thanks 👍 I'm going to be working on fairly small stuff so the 2nd vice might come in handy. I can always sell it if it gets in the way 😉
If you raise the top, where do the vices go? Would you get rid of the front and back aprons? I have to say, after part one, I was in the "burn it" camp. 😂
I've still got a box of matches on standby 😂 If I raise the top, the front apron would rise with it. So I'd just need to cut new recesses for the vices in the underside of the top.
Glad you're not planing any of the original top surfaces. Even without the random nails, there could be decades of ingrained sandpaper grit that will blunt a plane blade in a single pass. Maybe worth a punt if you've got a sacrificial 'too crap to care about' plane, but certainly keep your awesome hand-scraped No 5 well away.
Thanks Doc, good idea about all that abrasive grit. I reckon the bench probably did a bit of metalwork in its time too, so no telling what horrors lurk within the surface!
Glad you flipped it! I'd vote for beech that would be what I'd expect to find in this kind of workbench. I'd flip them to have the grooves on the outside and the vises parts on the inside. And prior to planing it, I'd try to bring every defect with some damp toilet paper and a clothes iron, that's impressive on holes made without pre drilling and hammer traces. Keep that tool well it's just a tool well 😂😂! Oh and to make it look very good I'd make the whole top shift to the right and cut that corner on the side of the apron on the right too
Thanks Bruno. Agreed it would look better to balance the overhang of the top on both sides. I'll probably keep it as it is for this version so I can re-use the same coach bolt holes. 👍
It’s definitely Beechwood which makes sense since most German woodworkers benches were made using Beech. It’s the perfect wood for a workbench being hard but not too hard and of medium weight. It takes Tung oil finish beautifully which you can mix with mineral spirits for a wipe on finish. After it’s dry (12-14 days for real Tung oil) apply wax.
Thanks David, the general consensus so far seem to be pointing towards Beech. Will definitely be getting a coat of oil at the end 👍
Definitely beech . LCC is possibly Lancashire County Council I’m from Lancashire and it was stamped on a lot of high school stuff in the 80’s
Glad you flipped it! I'd vote for beech that would be what I'd expect to find in this kind of workbench. I'd flip them to have the grooves on the outside and the vises parts on the inside. And prior to planing it, I'd try to bring every defect with some damp toilet paper and a clothes iron, that's impressive on holes made without pre drilling and hammer traces.
Keep that tool well it's just a tool well 😂😂!
Oh and to make it look very good I'd make the whole top shift to the right and cut that corner on the side of the apron on the right too
I love this workbench and how much life is packed in it, super excited to see the end result
Thanks, it's really great to be able to rejuvenate something like this and preserve some of its history 👍
Tip: split pins are meant to be single use. The easiest way to remove them is to use side cutters and cut the bow off and then the legs pull out easily.
Looks like a beech bench top and a pine tool well.
looks like beech, i think traditionally iroko was used on work benches
Back in the 60's beech would have been used as it grows right here in the UK and Europe as a whole, while iroko wood is from west Africa and the cost would have ruled it out.
Thanks Richard, the top looks like beech to me, which is quite common for bench tops, I was going to say just scrap the well board and replace it with ply, have you considered swapping the front and back Aprons as the front one has been rather butchered ? If you are familiar with Paul Sellers, he advocates securing the vice to the front of the bench so that may be worth considering as an alternative he also discusses on his blog about suitable bench top heights !
Btw, I like what you're doing here so have subscribed, don't want to miss what comes next !
Thanks Andy, that's a good idea swapping the aprons - hadn't thought of that. I'll compare the two and pick the best one 👍
I'm going with beech, you don't get much maple over there and the weight difference is noticeable. That being said, you could always do a contrasting wood for the Dutchmen to show off your work
Nice idea using a contrasting wood, that'd help tell the story 👍
LCC probably stands for London County Council, which was the precursor to the GLC (Greater London Council), J&M were probably the company that made the bench for the LCC, and the top sure looks like beech to me and the old school carpentry benches usually had pine frames to save on cost.
I'm kinda kicking myself for not thinking of flipping the top over, it seems so obvious now that it's been said. 😅
@Anon-mk4ms could it be also Liverpool City Corporation? Where I live there are reservoirs with LCC marked on cast iron inspection covers everywhere (liked they owned the place or something 😀)
London County Council might be right, the bench was obtained in Suffolk so not too far from London.
Yes, flipping the top was a great idea - so glad I asked the community 👍
It looks like beach, with Douglas fur tool well
Seeing the conditions, give some thought to swapping the front and back apron boards. The rear one is the better condition as I see it. I disagree with raising the top. It will put a joint all round in a place where the vises and other clamping items can lever against the joint. Better an 8" plinth.
You could use ply for your well, but I think the danger is that it won't be very hard-wearing and the surface will be liable to raise and split with changes in seasons and in the end be a bit of a splinter hazard. Perhaps some recycled T&G floorboarding would be a better option?
Ply is actually pretty tough as long as you don't get it wet, a coat of varnish (even the cheap stuff) will keep it going for decades indoors.
Top definatly looks like beech. Tool well i'd cover the piece there in ply. How you'd flatten a piece with lots of nails is an interssting one.
The benches I had at school where beechwood
Grain reminds me mostly of beech
As others have said, looks like quartersawn beech
the top grain looks like beech. Are you planning to refit both vices? A single vice with a running deadman is a more flexible setup imo. I think I would laminate some kitchen worktop, plyboard or scaffold boards, to make a new top, but it will be interesting to see whatever you do. Raising it from the bottom would make it easier to clean underneath, Looking forward to see what happens.
Thanks, yes I will refit both vices. It's an unusual configuration but will be handy for holding long items. If I had space to the side of where the bench is going I'd move the right hand vice to the end. 👍
Yes it can be handy for holding long work, but for deeper long work (like gates and doors) the second vice becomes an obstacle. I learned this the hard way, but if your not planning on making doors the second vice is not a problem.
@@danceswithaardvarks3284 interesting point - thanks 👍 I'm going to be working on fairly small stuff so the 2nd vice might come in handy. I can always sell it if it gets in the way 😉
Beech I think
If you raise the top, where do the vices go? Would you get rid of the front and back aprons? I have to say, after part one, I was in the "burn it" camp. 😂
I've still got a box of matches on standby 😂 If I raise the top, the front apron would rise with it. So I'd just need to cut new recesses for the vices in the underside of the top.
does it look like a beech?
Glad you're not planing any of the original top surfaces. Even without the random nails, there could be decades of ingrained sandpaper grit that will blunt a plane blade in a single pass. Maybe worth a punt if you've got a sacrificial 'too crap to care about' plane, but certainly keep your awesome hand-scraped No 5 well away.
Thanks Doc, good idea about all that abrasive grit. I reckon the bench probably did a bit of metalwork in its time too, so no telling what horrors lurk within the surface!
the work surfaces look like beech, the rest looks like pine
Beech for sure
looks like beech
Looks like beech.
From the thumbnail it looks like Beech
@10:45 Yep, definitely Beech. 100%
Thanks for the confirmation 👍
Glad you flipped it! I'd vote for beech that would be what I'd expect to find in this kind of workbench. I'd flip them to have the grooves on the outside and the vises parts on the inside. And prior to planing it, I'd try to bring every defect with some damp toilet paper and a clothes iron, that's impressive on holes made without pre drilling and hammer traces.
Keep that tool well it's just a tool well 😂😂!
Oh and to make it look very good I'd make the whole top shift to the right and cut that corner on the side of the apron on the right too
Thanks Bruno. Agreed it would look better to balance the overhang of the top on both sides. I'll probably keep it as it is for this version so I can re-use the same coach bolt holes. 👍
Beech for sure