What Are the Benefits of a Maple Wood Workbench?

Features

• Hard maples such as sugar and rock maple form a distinct species separate from the soft maple varieties such as bigleaf maple, box elder and red maple. Soft maples are suitable for many wood projects as they are softer and easier to work with compared to hard maples like sugar or black maple, but hard maples are slower-growing, close-grained woods more resistant to decay and providing a more resilient wood surface. Hard maple wood is nearly twice as hard as soft maple and, though more expensive, is preferred for projects requiring dense-grained wood.

Benefits

• Maple offers a fine, even grain that finishes to a smooth texture. Workable with hand or power tools, maple makes sturdy bench braces or legs. Because the maple holds its shape without warping or splitting, it provides a long-lasting workbench top. Its dense grain resists dents and scratches and withstands work strains of vises and clamps. Unlike plywood or softer woods, maple wood holds workbench screws tightly so that they do not back out or wiggle loose. Due to its wood strength, a maple workbench supports heavy power tools and other equipment. Heavy and shock-resistant, a maple workbench resists floor sliding under work pressure and jolts.

Appearance

• Freshly harvested maple sapwood, the outer tree wood, ranges in shades from near-white to golden red while the inner tree heartwood is light brown to red. Some maple wood grows with a rippling stripe across the regular grain. Looking like the stripe of a tiger, this feature may be called curly, tiger or fiddleback maple. The more stripes that occur in the wood, the more costly this maple is as it is highly prized for musical instruments and ornamental objects. Bird’s eye maple contains small oval wood patterns that look like birds' eyes. Quilted maple, less common and highly desired, looks like rippled or quilted designs in the wood. Plain maple is preferable for workbenches as the specialty grains are more pricey but with no added durability.

Considerations

• A workbench is a functional bench, more like a tool than furniture, but finishing the workbench makes maintenance easier and protects the wood. Boiled linseed oil, tung oil, beeswax and gum turpentine, used alone or in formula combinations, protect the wood and are easily replenished as needed. A good commercial finish also seals the wood and provides a uniform surface. Projects move easily on the finished bench without excess slipping. Sealing the wood makes spill cleanup easier and reduces chemical contamination.