Need some reassurance that I’ve got this right… I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet to help me calculate the best value dressed redwood from a timber merchants. I’ve got the thickness, breadth, worked out the cross-sectional area, then the volume per metre length, number then required for a metre cubed, then price…

Plan is to build a laminated workbench, btw. If my spreadsheet is correct then the second best option would be my preferred – 45 x 95mm.

Ta!

Are you making a solid cube of timber?

Have you thought about wastage? You don’t actually want a cubic metre of timber, you want a piece of XxYxZ for a workbench. If you want a worktop 35mm thick then paying for 45mm thick is a waste of materials, even if it’s cheaper on paper.

As you say 90×45 would be preferable I’d say you’re fine though. Although why not just go for 145×45 as it’s 20% cheaper?

Are you making a solid cube of timber?

No – that was just a cost comparison method!

As you say 90×45 would be preferable I’d say you’re fine though. Although why not just go for 145×45 as it’s 20% cheaper?

Ta. The 145×45 would be a bit overkill in terms of thickness but a laminated top 95mm thick would be ideal.

No – that was just a cost comparison method!

….and an irrelevant one.

Unless you’re buying it by the cubic metre.

Pick the lowest linear metre rate that’s thick enough to meet your needs.

You may be overthinking this a bit.

You may be overthinking this a bit.

Yeah – undoubtedly!

Are you talking about using lengths of timber , butted together to forma solid top?

If so, the calculation you need is cost per m2 of surface area so you need to work out how many 1 m long widths of each size of timber you would need to form the width of workbench you require and then multiply that by the linear metre rate for comparison.

e.g you would need twice as many 45 x 45 than 45 x 95 to form a 45mm thick worktop.

Are you talking about using lengths of timber , butted together to forma solid top?

Indeed. The same timber would also be glued together to make the legs, etc. It would be a variation on the Paul Sellers design:

A top 95mm thick would be ideal, as would legs 95 x 90mm.

Cheers.

Ah ha, I was assuming you were going for 45mm thick, with 90mm width, not t’other way around.

I’d go 45×90 then.