Iroko science benches

Not very wide planks by the look of it. One of the old woodworking benches would be useful if you have room for it.

I got some bits of old school science lab benches that dated from the 1950's. I think real teak and planks about a foot wide. The top surface was a bit damaged in places and incredibly hard where they had been wax polished regularly.
 
Years ago I snaffled a largish length of scrap almost 2" x nearly 3 foot wide solid teak chem lab benching from maybe 1900 - fantastic ultra-hard and VERY dense wood - nothing at all like the stuff sold as 'teak' now. You only had to plane off a millimetre to get down to perfect timber
 
Did the same myself in 1980 and "reclaimed" four science lab worktops. Fitted out my Trapper 500 with three of them in 1984 and I still have one top left that I am cutting up this weekend for my present boat and it is as you say, a couple of shavings and there is the real thing.
 
[ QUOTE ]
a couple of shavings and there is the real thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

If only. They must have been used by exceptionally well behaved pupils. I took me a lot more work than that to get rid of "Mr H.....g is gay" engraved one and "Dr O....n is a Pakki" in another!

(Single lived with his mother all his life but not gay AFAIK, and Mr O , British now not a pakki any more... his words. Palestinian originally anyway!
 
When some of the old Aldershot barrack blocks were being demolished we found that the floorboards were about 40mm jarrah. One side had had about 80 years of squaddie oot wear, the other side was as new. The boards were just being burnt. We were just building a house ...............
 
Just be a bit careful working with Iroko, it's a useful timber but the dust isn't healthy and Iroko has been implicated in lung disease. I would recommend effective dust masks for < 5 micron particles.
I'm afraid that wood isn't always the nice green, wholesome material we would like to think.

Martin T.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top