1/2" aluminum for a workbench top?

[ron in sc]

I've got a friend that has a 1/2" thick piece of aluminun that I've though about using as a top to go over my Sams Club workbench, which is one of those ones with a 2" thick hardwood top.

Would aluminum make a good workbench surface? That work bench will be use for working on dirty car parts and need to be able to withstand hammering.

[liliysdad]

It will gouge, dent, scratch and gall easily. Depending on the grade of Aluminum, this will vary from easily to VERY easily.

[elect]

yep,aluminum two thin for workbench top.

[elect]

oops meant soft not thin

[Defender Chassis]

oops meant soft not thin

Depends on the grade. Some grades are as hard as rypical low grade steel.

Why dont you scrap it and use the money to buy a piece of 16ga stainless. With the price of scrap aluminum what it is it may be a wash.:lol_hitti

[Brad54]

What they all said: When you set a starter, heads, a differential or virtually anything else that's steel on that top, you'll end up with nicks and gouges.

-Brad

[wrenchr]

Scrap the aluminum and buy some good 3/4 plywood. Pocket some extra cash!!

[rsanter]

dont scrap it
you can sell the aluminum to someone for a project
1/2'' is good for machining into brackets

laminate a .060 piece if stainless to the top you have and hold it with some countersunk screws or construction adheasive

bob

[Kevin54]

It will gouge and nick but overall a 1/2" piece will outlast you. Anything will nick and gouge with the right part hitting it. If the price is reasonable, go for it. You won't regret it. We have a few tables at work that have aluminum tops and heavy tooling gets tossed on them all the time. A piece of red ScotchBrite will clean it up every so often

[Merkava_4]

The only thing I was going to mention is that aluminum plate makes a strange sound if you hammer on it; it doesn't seem to be no where near as resilient as mild steel. $.02

[Nealcrenshaw]

Even if you put nicks and gougues in it,it's 1/2" thick.You can beat on it forever.I say do it.

[joecaver]

the alloy of AL and the heat treat condition will both play a part in how much damage it will incur. AL in the "O" condition would not make a very good top but "T6" would be very durable. Another thing to think about is that any scratches or dents that you may get over the years can easily be smoothed out either by hand our in seconds with a sander. If the price is right go for it. If it doesn't work out you can always remove it and sell it for scrap.

[ron in sc]

laminate a .060 piece if stainless to the top you have and hold it with some countersunk screws or construction adheasive
That's an interesting idea. I already have a 26" x 67" 304 grade stainless steel work area. I don't think I'd want to use 304 for the other table maybe 316. I'm informed that 304 will not hold up well to some chemicals and even bleach if left on the surface very long. They said the 316 is substantially more money.


If the price is reasonable, go for it.

It's free.


Depends on the grade. Some grades are as hard as rypical low grade steel

Grade is T6-6061. Is that a very good grade?

[Quiksilver]

I like the stainless top idea, but you could sell the aluminum and buy some hardwood to add the stainless top to.

[wythors]

My workbench is covered with 1/8" diamond plate aluminum. It has had heavy stuff up to a manual transmission on it and yes it has gotten scuffed up. But its a work bench, so who cares? As previously stated, the aluminum will outlast you. Who cares if it gets marked up?

[eschoendorff]

It will gouge, dent, scratch and gall easily. Depending on the grade of Aluminum, this will vary from easily to VERY easily.


/thread. There are numerous cheaper and more durable solutions.

However, if your friend is just going to give you that slab, I say go for it... what do you have to lose???

[Kevin54]

Grade is T6-6061. Is that a very good grade?

Yes it is a good grade. 6061-T6 is a hard grade of aluminum. Look at this chart http://mdmetric.com/tech/alumcomp.htm on the left are the aluminum types going from dead soft to hard. But withinh those types you will have different grades. Like 6061 for instance will have 6061-0 which is soft, T1, T4, T6 so as the number goes up so does the hardness. But then you have aluminum as in 5052 which at work we use two grades of hardness and those are 5052-H32 and 5052-H34. H32 is 1/4 hard and H34 is 1/2 hard. So it can get confusing. I use sheets of 5052 on top of my mill bed to keep chips out of the keyways and have had the same pieces on the tops for probably 10 years now. Hammers, cutters and chips are laying on them on a daily basis with no major nicks or gouges. But it is not as tough as steel in any way. The 1000 series up to the 3000 series is dead soft and used for forming. We use those materials for forming mostly reflectors with a deep draw and has the looks of a golf ball on the inside. It can then be buffed to a high lustre do to the softness.