Anyone cover a work bench in sheet metal?

[Cobra4B]

Building a new bench out of freebies and using laminate countertops. I'd like to cover w/ sheet metal to make it look better and hold up better. Never looked into it, but my cheapo Craftsman workbench is done this way. Anyone do this? How do you bend and cut the metal to fit. Any advice/tips are appreciated.

Here's the bench thus far...

 

[Zrexxer]

Sure. I covered an 8ft long general purpose bench in my garage with galvanized 22 ga. Just had a local sheet metal shop brake a lip on the front for me, then I installed it onto a 3/4" plywood top by spreading out some Liquid Nails adhesive with a notched trowel and pressed it into place. Sure makes cleaning up messy disassemblies like gearboxes etc. nice.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Since I have a friend in the business, I did one with solid surface Corian. There will be more....

 

[APEowner]

This isn't a very good picture but here's the bench in my shop. It's 16 ga stainless over 1/2" plywood. I built it about 10 years ago and I love it. I've done allot really heavy, dirty work on it and it still cleans up nicely.

<a href="http://s602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/APEowner/shop/?action=view&current=IMG_4211.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/APEowner/shop/IMG_4211.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I had a sheet metal shop do the bending.

 

[Mike83]

I thought about doing a metal top, but I prefer having a wood surface so that I don't damage any workpiece or anything on it. It absorbs chemicals and spills, so there's no cleanup. I can drill holes or screws into it to secure something. For my purposes, wood works better at this time but when space allows I will probably have both types - metal top and wood top.

 

[Cobra4B]

Thanks... so basically I need to find a sheetmetal shop and give them my dimensions? Didn't know if it was a DIY type of thing or not.

 

[pnut]

Mine is thicker than sheet metal. It is 3/8" plate steel so I could use it at a welding table. Never used it much for that, but it has made a durable, easy to work on tabletop. Attached with countersunk square drive wood screws to the workbench top (particle board). Under the towel is the top.

 

[fishywarren]

At my old job we would cover are benches up with cardboard. It help with oils insuch. And it would be easy to change. Just got to watch out with the torch.

 

[Cobra4B]

I can see that being effective, but this is my home garage and I want it to look good. Can't see cardboard looking too hot.

I really want to cover it because the 10' piece of counter I got is a nasty off-white almost cream, and the piece I'm pulling out of my kitchen to cover the remaining cabinet is an even worse 80's design w/ a pinkish tone to it.

So... I want to cover it all so it looks nice and uniform.

 

[krooser]

I did a bench in galvanized years ago... it worked well but I should have glued it to the wood surface underneath it... next spring I want to cover on of my benches with a stainless steel cover... a little thicker stock this time and glued and screwed.

 

[APEowner]

It's not easy to get nice edges and bends on with hand tools so unless you want to use it as an excuse to buy a shear and a brake it's not really a DIY project.

 

[Cobra4B]

10-4... will find someone locally to make a top/cover for me once I get it all in place. I have a car buddy who does this type of stuff now that I think about it.

Didn't know if this was something where I could go to the local Lowes/Home Depot and get it done on a Saturday.

 

[stricht8]

Building a new bench out of freebies and using laminate countertops. I'd like to cover w/ sheet metal to make it look better and hold up better. Never looked into it, but my cheapo Craftsman workbench is done this way. Anyone do this? How do you bend and cut the metal to fit. Any advice/tips are appreciated.

Here's the bench thus far...

I also have the cman bench with sheetmetal top and find it very convenient. It cleans up easily and is not as delicate as one might think. You could just cut the sheetmetal to size leaving enough extra to be able to fold over the edge. Then get a 2x4 or somthing and clamp it along the edge of the bench and push down on the overlapping edge with another 2x4 or tap with a mallet going from one end back and forth till you get the 90 degree bend. Not that complicated. Just make sure that it is clamped well.

 

[Eddie 70]

That looks like its going to be a nice little setup Brian. I want to do something like this in my garage. My wife keeps finding the cabinets like you have there. I just keep putting her off. Looking forward to seeing how your finished product turns out.

Did you do the checkerboard wall behind the cabinets too?

 

[Kevin54]

Check with your local HVAC place. Most will sell you sheets of what you need and will bend it for you on their brakes.

 

[krusty the clown]

here's mine it's a little thicker than sheet metal at an 1/8" though

 

[Cobra4B]

That looks like its going to be a nice little setup Brian. I want to do something like this in my garage. My wife keeps finding the cabinets like you have there. I just keep putting her off. Looking forward to seeing how your finished product turns out.

Did you do the checkerboard wall behind the cabinets too?

Hey Eddie... small world. The checkerboard is self-stick vinyl tile. I had done the entire garage a few years ago and the next day it started falling off. Ended up having to re-do it using 3M spray adhesive to make it hold up. Since then it's been perfect. I just got lazy and never finished the wall in question. Now that I'm building the workbench I won't have to finish it. I'll just do the exposed area under bench.

Check with your local HVAC place. Most will sell you sheets of what you need and will bend it for you on their brakes.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[svrdrabbit]

I've never tried it on a long run, but I've C-clamped a piece of 1/4 thick Angle to the edge and worked the sheet metal edge over slowly with a 2x4 and a hammer using the plywood as the stop. That's using 20 gauge sheet. I've made a lot flanges that way. They always turned out nice for me.

 

[krooser]

I've got a 4' shear and a 3' brake but that won't help me... but my buddy owns a fab shop... his 50 ton shear and 12' press brake outta do it!

 

[zmotorsports]

I covered ours in 11 ga. S/S. Holds up very well and cleans up nice. I was going to do it in mild steel but a friend had some stainless laying around that he made me a good deal on.

The pictures are not very good of just the benches but I think they are pretty visible. Mike.

 

[BWS]

Not in this shop but had in the last.Did just a section 4 or 5' long with a parts washer at the end.It was alittle hillbilly(I bent it,pretty well),but was the chit for tearin into M/C engines and forks.BW

 

[carguykeith]

Just a work of warning, steel prices are not at thier cheapest right now... I just put in a order last week and it was right at $10/ sq ft for 16ga galvanized with 2 bends in it. We are usually more expensive up here, but I would be surprised if it was a whole lot cheaper down in the states.

 

[036.6turbo]

I covered mine with 1/8" sheet metal. Did not break the front edge, just left it a little long. Cut a 4" tall piece, and did the back wall. I built the bench, out of large machine transport pallets, that where given to me. I'm a cheap skate. Durable, and easy to clean.

These are the best pictures I can find right now.

 

[willymakeit]

Ive bent a lot of metal up to 16ga. with angle iron clamped to a buck [your exst. top]. Clamp at the edge of bend and work the edge from one end to the other gradually. For cutting use the blades that are carbide tipped [ designed for metal]. Make sure to wear eye,ear and hand protection as theses blades are loud and make lots of metal chips. Good luck.

 

[kidatari]

If you do choose to cover your bench with sheetmetal, be sure to glue it down well. The previous owner of my house covered the built-in workbench with 20-22-ish ga. galvanized sheet, bent it in-place to the shape of the wood bench, and nailed it in place. While it is still in one piece, any time that there is any kind of heat differential (heat gun, soldering, welding/etc), it warps and oil-cans like a mother.

If you're planning on doing any kind of heavy work, I would go with 18-16 gauge. Good luck, and post pics when all is said and done!

 

[Daniel Dudley]

I recently saw an aluminum top that was glued down like formica, and trimmed with a router like formica. I'm not sure this would be sturdy enough for an engine table, but it was a really nice top.

 

[Cobra4B]

This will enver be an engine table... just general workbench stuff.

 

[Falcon67]

I took my bench top dimensions to a sheet metal shop. They bent a top with folded over edges and it fit nice and tight. Didn't bother to glue it down as it's meant to be replaceable in the future. It got dinged and scarred with the first transmission that landed on it, so what. That's what it's for.

 

[pseudorealityx]

If you do choose to cover your bench with sheetmetal, be sure to glue it down well. The previous owner of my house covered the built-in workbench with 20-22-ish ga. galvanized sheet, bent it in-place to the shape of the wood bench, and nailed it in place. While it is still in one piece, any time that there is any kind of heat differential (heat gun, soldering, welding/etc), it warps and oil-cans like a mother.

If you're planning on doing any kind of heavy work, I would go with 18-16 gauge. Good luck, and post pics when all is said and done!

If you glue it down, it'll still "try" do warp, won't it? So it'll stress the frame?

 

[pixelmonkey]

.063 aluminum

4'x10' sheet purchased for $223
cut to 4'x8'
90 deg break for backsplash
rest bent with 2x4 and hammer. still working to get it where i would like it.

metal covers a 1 1/2" thick x8' x2' section of mdf.

chris<pixelmonkey>

 

[NRChopshop]

.080 Aluminum on this bench. The bench i built last night will get 12' of stainless.

 

[T>D>C]

I toured a manufacturing facility's tool shop (machine work on big chunks of steel) and they used diamond plate on their tables. 1) it makes it easy to slide around large pieces of steel due to less surface friction and 2) you can lay down round objects and it will not roll off the table.

 

[Photo]

Cobra,

Here`s a pic of mine:



Above the cabinets I put in 3 layers of 3/4" plywood. Bottom layer was about 2" narrower than top 2 layers. Stainless top wraps over top 2 layers at front and runs up wall for a backsplash.

I had it formed locally. 2 pieces 12ft long was $800.00 about 5 years ago up here.

Lane

 

[Cobra4B]

Link isn't working Lane.

 

[Photo]

Try it again, just corrected.

L

 

[neverenoughtools]

Nice ss top on your bench. If I had that kind of top on mine well I'd be afraid to beat on it !!

 

[Photo]

neverenoughtools,

I understand completely, I don`t beat on that bench.

I beat on this one (folding welding table) 1/4" Steel top.





Lane

 

[Cobra4B]

Wow that looks fantastic.

 

[gatchel]

Metal is clean and cool looking until you have to work on something electrical. Then it gets interesting. Would I do the whole bench, probably not. Most of it, yes.

 

[Cobra4B]

Metal is clean and cool looking until you have to work on something electrical. Then it gets interesting. Would I do the whole bench, probably not. Most of it, yes.

Rubber mat like a tile for a workout room should suffice for that?

Due to the rounded end I have I'm just going to get sheet metal and cover the vertical top. Will just paint the edge fof the counter with silver metallic spraypaint. Should be simple/easy and achieve the look I want.