5/16" Tempered glass as workbench top

[Sonic-Boom]

I have a shower door that I am having a hard time unloading I was thing about setting it into a wood frame to make it flush as a workbench. Its 76" x 42" x 5/16" tempered glass. Wondering thoughts on this, durability and such. Is it a horrible idea?

 

[rlitman]

Tempered glass scratches pretty easily. I can think of a number of uses where a glass tabletop are nice, but I don't think a workbench would be one of them.

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

I don't think 5/16 tempered glass will survive as a workbench. Could be dangerous.

 

[kd3pc]

pretty much a non-starter...unless your "bench" is a writing, painting, art unit.

Very little strength and virtually no resistance to something dropped on it.

YMMV

 

[Rock knocker]

Tempered glass scratches pretty easily.

It's harder than all steels. Takes rocks or abrasives to scratch it.

Very little strength and virtually no resistance to something dropped on it.

Tempered is very hard to break. I've hit many a piece of 1/4" tempered during commercial remodels with a hammer, and it takes a lot of effort.

 

[rlitman]

pretty much a non-starter...unless your "bench" is a writing, painting, art unit.

Very little strength and virtually no resistance to something dropped on it.

YMMV

I'd say glass is good for more than just that. It would work great as an electronics workbench, as solder and rosin drips would be quite easy to clean up from it. I used to use a tempered glass "cutting board" for this purpose. I just wouldn't use it for wrenching, and as I implied, heavy objects placed on it will easy scratch it.

Tempered glass is stronger than most people think, and 5/16" is going to be damn near impossible to break by dropping something on it.

A glass table is also a good makeshift light box, if you can use that sort of thing.

 

[rlitman]

It's harder than all steels. Takes rocks or abrasives to scratch it...

This is SO misleading.

First off, being harder than steel does not mean that steel will not scratch it. I've worked around a number of light tables used for cutting with razors, and the tempered glass gets grooved and messed up much faster than normal glass.

Second, the tempering process leaves the surface softer than plain glass. So sand and dirt grit (like pumice) that would not scratch glass will scratch it.

Finally, a glass tabletop is a polished super glossy surface. EVERY SINGLE scratch will be easily visible and will be an eyesore.

Now if you were talking about a shower door made from 1/2" plain glass (not tempered), you could take a wet sander to the surface and frost it, and scratches would then not be so bad, though plain glass would be more susceptible to being broken by dropping something on it.

 

[Rock knocker]

I'd say glass is good for more than just that. It would work great as an electronics workbench, as solder and rosin drips would be quite easy to clean up from it. I used to use a tempered glass "cutting board" for this purpose. I just wouldn't use it for wrenching, and as I implied, heavy objects placed on it will easy scratch it.

So wrong. Physics is beyond you.

 

[Showkey]

It's harder than all steels. Takes rocks or abrasives to scratch it.



Tempered is very hard to break. I've hit many a piece of 1/4" tempered during commercial remodels with a hammer, and it takes a lot of effort.

One slight tap or hit or dropped item in the right spot...........

 

[gungatim]

It's harder than all steels. Takes rocks or abrasives to scratch it.



Tempered is very hard to break. I've hit many a piece of 1/4" tempered during commercial remodels with a hammer, and it takes a lot of effort.

I have a door I bought new with tempered glass. at least it said it was. had to peel the plastic off it which was set in wood framing. used a razorblade to slice through the plastic and now have lots of cuts in the glass as a result...it is pretty thin glass though (French door).

as far as a workbench top, I can't believe anyone would even ask. we had a coffee table with glass top as a kid, I think it lasted a month before it was broken. not to mention what happens when you eat corn nuts and drink drano around one (watch the Movie "Heathers")...

 

[Stuart in MN]

Tempered is very hard to break. I've hit many a piece of 1/4" tempered during commercial remodels with a hammer, and it takes a lot of effort.

But it can break...if I hit my wood workbench top with a hammer it's going to dent, but I don't have to worry about it shattering into a million pieces.

 

[gungatim]

But it can break...if I hit my wood workbench top with a hammer it's going to dent, but I don't have to worry about it shattering into a million pieces.

the key to breaking a side window in a car isn't hitting it with a hammer, it just bounces off. a young street thug that worked with us in HS who used to break into cars explained the way to do it. use a flat screwdriver (or prybar, tire iron, whatever) and pry the glass from the side. breaks instantly and makes very little noise.

he said he learned that after hitting himself with a hammer that bounced back at him...he went to jail later that summer and I never heard from him again...

 

[johnnyradiant]

bang the surface - pretty darn hard to break it.
bang the side with a fraction of your surface bang and you're likely to see one become a million.

I wouldn't want it unless you're using the bench surface like a desk and not a desk being used like a bench.

I like steel or wood depending on the type of work.

Maybe if you wanted it for a glue-up bench as opposed to wood, then any excess glue would just 'flake' away when dry or would be quite easy to wipe up while still 'wet'. I'd have to be more careful with clamps though.

 

[Cuda416]

The only place I've seen glass used for a work surface which made a whole lot of sense was as a build platform for R/C model airplanes. It was brilliant. The parts were glued to it with CA and just popped off when needed.

Other than that, I've only used it for the "scary sharp" tool sharpening method. Basically, using 2000 grit or higher wet dry to flatten the backs of chisels and plane blades but then it goes to the side so i don't break it. That was a 1/2" thick piece of tempered glass.

 

[rlitman]

I have a door I bought new with tempered glass. at least it said it was. had to peel the plastic off it which was set in wood framing. used a razorblade to slice through the plastic and now have lots of cuts in the glass as a result...it is pretty thin glass though (French door).

as far as a workbench top, I can't believe anyone would even ask. we had a coffee table with glass top as a kid, I think it lasted a month before it was broken. not to mention what happens when you eat corn nuts and drink drano around one (watch the Movie "Heathers")...

But, but, but, physics yo! That's impossible. If you only understood that, it wouldn't have ended up scratched.

Yeah, a number of years ago, I did something dumb that ended up breaking a glass coffee table (not tempered, it split in half). Had to replace it... They can be broken. Still, it took a seriously hard impact to do that.

the key to breaking a side window in a car isn't hitting it with a hammer, it just bounces off. a young street thug that worked with us in HS who used to break into cars explained the way to do it. use a flat screwdriver (or prybar, tire iron, whatever) and pry the glass from the side. breaks instantly and makes very little noise.

he said he learned that after hitting himself with a hammer that bounced back at him...he went to jail later that summer and I never heard from him again...

I've seen window breakers use a ball bearing. The small contact area for the impact helps. Another thing is to smash up the ceramic from a spark plug (or TIG cup), and throw a pebble of that at your window.

 

[Nowater]

Some model builders use glass, but often it is a smaller piece used for gluing and cutting.

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

I could see using it as a secondary work bench for the sorts of things where it would be nice to have. Possibly use a sheet of MDF as a cover when not needed. Could even have a split hinged sheet of MDF so you could have it covered, but be able to lift the cover and use it when you want to use it.

 

[kwschumm]

pretty much a non-starter...unless your "bench" is a writing, painting, art unit.

Very little strength and virtually no resistance to something dropped on it.

YMMV

Tempered is very impact resistant. But a tiny little "dink" on the edge can cause it to explode. As long as the edges are protected it might actually work. But I wouldn't try it just because it seems wrong (and because I couldn't bolt a vise to it!). And then there's always the thing where if you bang it with a sharp piece of hard it will also explode.

 

[Jason280]

Man, that sounds like an incredibly bad idea.

 

[rburke65]

So what's the big deal?.... Use it and if it breaks ya grab the shop vac and sweep it up.

 

[JimNC]

Do it. Take pictures of it once a month, lets see how it wears. With enough pressure in one point it'll shatter, maybe as little as dropping a screwdriver from a few feet, but it's an interesting experiment, costs nothing, and doesn't really create any significant risk. Go for it.

 

[samss]

Instead of a workbench top, why not hang it on the wall and use it as a dry erase board?

 

[DblDog]

We all seem to have an experience or two with tempered glass. I think Sonic should use the tempered glass for a workbench top. We'll all learn from it...Sonic-Boom or Sonic Doom?

 

[jimreed2160]

It seems really big for a benchtop. Something 36x24 would be nice for small item repairs but your size seems to be a disadvantage. The internet seems to think that you can cut tempered glass. Why not give it a try? If you can cut it onto quarters, it will be more useful. If it shatters into 1000 pieces, then your disposal issue will be greatly simplified.

 

[joe_padavano]

So what's the big deal?.... Use it and if it breaks ya grab the shop vac and sweep it up.

Just wear steel toed shoes so the stuff that was formerly on top of the workbench doesn't crush your toes...

 

[kwschumm]

So what's the big deal?.... Use it and if it breaks ya grab the shop vac and sweep it up.

This is a good theory that isn't easy in practice. I don't know how they do it but those darn glass chunks find their way into every possible nook and cranny and some that are impossible. They'll be turning up for years! As a restorer of pinball machines I've seen my share of tempered glass explosions.

 

[mike in tucson]

an automatic centerpunch works pretty good to break a tempered glass car window.

 

[rburke65]

You are correct.....my wife had her GMC broken into and they broke out the side back window. Had to be 5,000 little pieces of glass that took months to sweep up.

 

[kmacht]

Why not a bench for painting things. The parts could be sprayed while sitting on the glass. Use a razor after the paint dries and it comes right off.

Keith

 

[jabin]

I used a small 2'x3' piece of bullet proof 1.25" thick glass window as a work top for my computer work. I can tell you the solder will pit it. It was extremely heavy but had a cool factor with my computer geek friends.

The piece of glass was an observation windows out of my local utilities test facility.