Best workbench surface... opinions?
- Thread starter cudacharlie
- Start date
Silver Lexus
Well-known member
I bought a stainless steel food prep table for $100 or so at Sam's Club and it looks and performs great. A lower shelf allows me to stack my microfiber and tool boxes.
Wile1Coyote
Well-known member
Stainless over Wood, I keep a big old hunk of masonite cutting board over a section of mine to do really dirty work on though. Seems to clean up fine for me. Simple green is all I use.
XR7G428
Well-known member
I have three surfaces, my wet bench, for cleaning interior parts and trim, is cultured marble. My general benches are MDF covered in trunk liner carpet. It is cheap and disposable after It gets dirty. It also wont hurt, or scratch anything I put on it. For assembly of clean parts and electronics, I have a maple butcher block, often covered with a thin piece of plastic (.140") for protection. I would suggest that you might want consider what you are doing as you select the bench tops. Truck bed liner on Thick MDF is really pretty good, both durable and water and oil proof.
I just don't like stainless or aluminum. I always end up chasing parts that are bouncing off or rolling away, plus it is hard to get it clean and it is so expensive (SS) that I feel bad about it when I scratch it.
I just don't like stainless or aluminum. I always end up chasing parts that are bouncing off or rolling away, plus it is hard to get it clean and it is so expensive (SS) that I feel bad about it when I scratch it.
IndyGarage
Well-known member
I prefer sheetmetal over a plywood base.
20 gauge over 2 layers of 3/4 plywood or 1 layer of 3/4 MDF over one layer of 3/4 plywood or underlayment.
It gives it a durable metal surface but some give from the wood. MDF under the metal gives a little harder surface, plywood a little softer.
20 gauge over 2 layers of 3/4 plywood or 1 layer of 3/4 MDF over one layer of 3/4 plywood or underlayment.
It gives it a durable metal surface but some give from the wood. MDF under the metal gives a little harder surface, plywood a little softer.
I made some of mine out of old solid core doors and they are great. I didn't put anything on top of them as these are used on my reloading bench but if I was to use them in a shop setting I'd cover them with something more stain resistant.
JTG
Well-known member
I got a stainless table for free from work and love it. I would look around for a good deal on a used stainless setup.
I got a stainless table for free from work and love it. I would look around for a good deal on a used stainless setup.
Thats a good idea. There was a resturant prep table at an auction the other day that was probably 30 deep and 6 feet long. It ended up selling for 150 or so bucks which is probably not a bad deal but not for me. I'll check the salvage yards.
chadman
Well-known member
I agree on the sheetmetal top being the best but I prefer 7 gauge over two layers of 3/4" ply. It will take much more abuse than 20 gauge. It really depends on what you do with your bench as to what is the ideal surface for you. I often tear down engines and rebuild them. For me steel is best. During teardown I can put oily parts on it without the worry of the oil soaking into the wood. When it comes time for assembly you just clean the smooth steel top and lay out your parts for assembly. No worries of wood chips contaminating your engine parts. No need for it to be stainless either. If you use it regularly and occasionaly mist it down with WD-40 it won't rust.
7.5 year old thread resurrection.To the OP (if he's still alive), and the thread reviver:
You don't say what you are using the bench/countertop for. So the answer is:
It depends.
The use makes a big difference.
I have multiple work surfaces.
The top of my toolbox is maple butcher block.
My general work bench is 3" thick butcher block.
My electronic/soldering bench is melamine over particle board with multiple receptacles along the front.
My welding table is 2" thick steel plate with I=beam legs, and weighs about 1600 lbs.
My part clean up area is essentially a commercial restaurant stainless steel triple basin sink with drainboards on each side.
My bodywork/painting benches are perforated steel, and are on wheels.
My "clean area"/hobby bench/drafting table is particle board covered with Borco (soft surface).
My woodworking benches are 3" thick butcher block.
I'm not saying that my shop is perfect, but I've learned that one material is not optimal for all uses.
'dale
You don't say what you are using the bench/countertop for. So the answer is:
It depends.
The use makes a big difference.
I have multiple work surfaces.
The top of my toolbox is maple butcher block.
My general work bench is 3" thick butcher block.
My electronic/soldering bench is melamine over particle board with multiple receptacles along the front.
My welding table is 2" thick steel plate with I=beam legs, and weighs about 1600 lbs.
My part clean up area is essentially a commercial restaurant stainless steel triple basin sink with drainboards on each side.
My bodywork/painting benches are perforated steel, and are on wheels.
My "clean area"/hobby bench/drafting table is particle board covered with Borco (soft surface).
My woodworking benches are 3" thick butcher block.
I'm not saying that my shop is perfect, but I've learned that one material is not optimal for all uses.
'dale
