Ideas for workbench top ?

[metalhead212121]

View media item 7859

That has to be one of the coolest/simplest setups for a miter saw Ive ever seen! I cant count how many times I have shoved a piece of wood UNDER a piece of wood that Im cutting just to get everything level!!!

 

[gtcs1]

Thank you I dont want to hijack this thread but were did you get thoes and what did you pay? Verey nice

Honestly, was free. A gift from a friend. I was so pleased.

 

[kippieland]

I am going to rip a bunch of 2x4s to make my own butcher block countertop. Right now I have 3/4 OSB with 1/4 Hardboard on top. I covered it with Poly and some paste wax. Works good, but I want something a little nicer looking. I wouldn't use hardboard without any poly on it because I did that with one bench and it got stained really fast from grease etc.

 

[formek]

Honestly, was free. A gift from a friend. I was so pleased.

Thanks

 

[markeric]

Steevo, any dents in that 12ga yet from dropping tooling or heavy objects?

Thinking of going the same direction for my lathe workbench top, and stuck between 1/8" and 3/16" steel sheet. Big jump in price and I don't plan on banging on it or welding, Lathe on one end, drill press on other.

 

[jshillin]

I just put a top on the bench I built for the shed this week. I got a red oak slab, it was 7 1/2' long by 28" wide and 2 1/4" thick. I cut it down to 5' long, 24" wide and it's still a beast to handle. Should last me a long time.

 

[k1rodeoboater]

Just curious if anyone has thought of or used 2x4s sandwiched together standing on end as a workbench top. I've thought of doing this, as it seems like a fairly cheap way to get a solid 3-1/2" thick workbench top. I figured you could drill them and use threaded rod to hold them together every foot or so.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought it would be a good idea...

I've done it. 2x4s are some of the worst lumber. Buy 2x8s, 2x10s, or 2x12s instead in as long of a length as possible. They will have less knots in them and are generally in better shape. Rip them to the width you need and glue them together.

I generally wait a few weeks after buying the wood to let it dry out some more. The construction lumber will be pretty wet still, even the KD stuff. I expect the top to warp and flatten it again at a later date. After the first 6mo it likely won't move very much.

If you don't have a table saw and a way to plane it flat save yourself some grief and buy a solid core door.

 

[sreeb]

I've been very happy with a new or second hand formica countertop. You can get them on CraigsList or in places like the scratch and ding sections of Lowes or Home Depot for $50 or less. They hold up very well to chemicals, and take a beating.

Jim

+1

Every orange and blue store will have a few chipped ones cheap.

I cut them in ~3ft lengths and just set them on top of plywood bench tops which allows me to pick them up and move projects around.

Just pitch them if they get too beat up.

 

[Lucky13driver]

It sounds like we have similar tasks we use our workbenches for. I'm using some 5/8" steel plate 12' x 30" deep. As far as a tough inexpensive coating I'm using truck bed coating that I put on with a roller. So far it's held up really well. I also have some spray cans of it for touch up. I have needed to use it yet.

Here's a link to my workbench build:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=408820

 

[sixty4]

Been trying like hell to find one on my local CL a thick maple or butcher block top.

 

[k1rodeoboater]

Been trying like hell to find one on my local CL a thick maple or butcher block top.

Got an Ikea nearby? They have a 1 1/8" thick one that's not a bad price

 

[woodee]

Been trying like hell to find one on my local CL a thick maple or butcher block top.

Ditto here. maple is expensive but you can get oak or birch cheaper new. Check Menards, Lumbar Liquidators, or a Floor N Decor. Floor n decor is actually the cheapest

 

[ncboat]

Underlying bench top is 1 1 /2 thick poplar i put 3/4 oak flooring on and trimmed with bamboo stair nose. Underlying top and shelves are from Habitat and flooring was $5 a box in clearance section of box store along with stair nose . The bench is perfect height for intricate work like carburetor or electronic. Everything has been either clearance or scrap sourced. Tip of the hat to Steevo for tool box bank concept. Tool box were Lowe's closeout $200 dollars apiece.

 

[mikehaugen]

Every so often there is a guy on Chicago craigslist selling sections of bowling alley floor. I haven't needed one yet, but that is the route I would go if I were looking for another bench.

Sent from my SM-G930V using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[JeffsJeeps]

My local bowling alley in NW NJ converted to synthetic lanes. He is selling 5 foot sections of the old wooden alley for $100 each. I very well may go this route. He might ship if anyone's interested.

Jeff

 

[rburke65]

3 of my 4 benches are plastic laminate and another is hardwood

 

[sixty4]

My local bowling alley in NW NJ converted to synthetic lanes. He is selling 5 foot sections of the old wooden alley for $100 each. I very well may go this route. He might ship if anyone's interested.

Jeff

Let me know...

 

[kbs2244]

I go the sacrificial way
Use something cheap and replace when needed..

But I like a white surface
So, I use the white, tempered hard board called bathroom liner (I think) at the big box stores

The white surface has stood up to everything but acetone.

Since I do not need a full 4 x 8 sheet, I can sometimes get a damaged sheet for a discount

 

[Hybridss]

I used Bowling Alley. Then epoxy coated it. I have done lots of work on it. It has some stains and scratches but has held up well. I use my 1" thick welding table to really tough stuff though. If you are really going to be tough on it I would not recommend it. But for a medium duty surface its great.







This angled hole is one of the original mounting holes. I am going to clean out the epoxy and use them to help secure the wood to the frame. Even if its just for show. I wanted to retain as much of the bowling alley character as I could.












Oh...my poor saw blades...

 

[driftpin]

My bench top is 3/4 PT plywood, 2 layers thick.

Same base material for mine, fastened together w/carpenter's glue & screws. It's topped with 3/16" steel plate. I looked at 1/4", but decided it wasn't going to accomplish anything extra, except be heavier and more-expensive.

I through-bolted the steel to the plywood, using 1/4" flat-head machine screws. A quick wipe w/an oily rag keeps the rust away. I may use a piece of masonite on-top if I have some surface I'm working on that I don't want to get dirty.

I used some 1-1/2" x 1/8" steel strap for the edges, the strap is screwed to the 1'1/2" plywood under the 3/16" steel top. I had the 3/16" steel top cut slightly-wider than 24" so the 1/8" strap would neatly fit underneath the front 3/16" 'lip,' and at the back I screwed a piece of painted steel about 4" high to the plywood top, the painted steel piece came with the workbench frame.

Beneath the frame are three Craftsman roller cabinets, two are drawers, one is twin-doors. They fit there perfectly, and I can easily remove them for cleaning behind/underneath.

 

[willot1]

What about those cabinet legs and frames? They look familiar but can't quite identify.

 

[Torque&Recoil]

Just curious if anyone has thought of or used 2x4s sandwiched together standing on end as a workbench top. I've thought of doing this, as it seems like a fairly cheap way to get a solid 3-1/2" thick workbench top. I figured you could drill them and use threaded rod to hold them together every foot or so.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought it would be a good idea...

I have several workbenches, and yes, I made one this way. I used biscuits to join 2x4's together (about a foot wide) and ran that through a planer. I then joined two of these together to make a 2 foot wide bench. It worked OK, but not fantastic. Pine 2x4s are not particularly hard, so they dent easily. Also, they probably weren't 100% dry before I planed them, and after a while it warped a bit. On the plus side, it was inexpensive, looks good, and will take a heck of a beating as long as you don't mind some denting.

I have another bench made from bowling alley flooring (maple), and that one is harder, more flat, and more dent resistant. If you can find a bowling alley going out of business in your area you should stop by and buy some flooring. They will cut it to whatever size you want.

 

[Dozerhand]

I just keep it simple. My workbench top is 2x6's with 1/8 hardwood top. I've got a couple heavy duty cookie sheets including one that's i think is 18x30. I put them down if I know I have to disassemble something oily.

 

[BigGarage]

I put a 24"x 24" piece of 12mm glass on the one end of my bench as I was building some birdhouses at the time and needed a perfectly flat surface to assemble the bottoms of the houses.

Dennis

 

[niget2002]

I put a 24"x 24" piece of 12mm glass on the one end of my bench as I was building some birdhouses at the time and needed a perfectly flat surface to assemble the bottoms of the houses.

Dennis

I kept the quartz cut-offs from when we had the kitchen counters redone. I use those anytime I need a flat surface.

 

[rick carpenter]

Comments were made when this thread was first made about how loud steel-topped benches were. So I went out and banged on my bench tops with a ball pein hammer and... well, I'll come back to this later... The main sections are 1-3/4" industrial particle wood door bases with sacrificial 1/2" mdf tops. I coated all six sides of the mdf several times with a BLO/kerosene/varnish mix. Two little screws hold each in place. Between the mdf sections is my little steel bench. The base of the top is two alternating plywood layers with mdf in between, slathered with glue, and screwed down. I coated the base with flex seal as well as the bottom of the 1/8" cast iron plate tops. I screwed down the plates, ground down the screw heads, and I wax it once a year.

Banging on the mdf tops with a ball pein hammer makes a nice thunk, but the super custom top coat of 50 lbs/in^2 of "Garage ****" (tm) has a lot to do with that. Banging on the cast iron top makes a nice solid tunk.