New Work Bench For Free - Need Help

[darkside]

Hi there, picked up a bench made of 2" metal pipe . It stands 4 feet by 4 feet by 30" high. No top on it yet and I want to do this very economicalically. I wanted to put a metal top but even a sheet of 1/4" thick sheet metal runs me over $200. Any suggestions. I think that a plywood top would ruin it., I want to do a lot of pounding and welding on it. It doesn't need to be a welding table but just a heavy duty workbench. I got it for free and really want to make use of it. Any suggestions would be good. Thanks a lot.



Need Help

 

[Uncle Buck]

Buy your steel top at the scrapyard, I don't think it would run $200.00 would it?

 

[Bradley Miller]

A solid core door would work wonders on there . . . with some splicing/dicing. If your concerned on the price, just put metal plate on one end.

 

[bobbyd]

I used two salvaged hollow metal doors for the top on one of my benches. Free (came off a job I'm finishing) and quite durable, withstands a lot of punishment and is metal (grounds well for welding). Most larger metro areas will have architectural salvage yards where you could pick one or two up. Another place to find them cheap is hollow metal door suppliers/manufacturers. Often they have doors that they misfabricate, slightly damaged, etc. that they have nothing else to do with.

The picture is crappy but you can see the bench in there.

 

[bobbyd]

****, forgot the pic.

 

[motorheadjohn]

A single layer of plywood probably wouldn't be enough, but my brother built a nice workbench by gluing and screwing 3 layers of 3/4" plywood together for a workbench top. Maybe try something like that?

 

[DIGGER_DAVE]

Or, take a bunch of 2 x 4's (on edge) bolt together with threaded rod, and cover with a piece of 3/4" ply. (some "gorila glue" between the 2 x 4's would make it even STRONGER!)

 

[Luckydevil]

I'd get some 2x4's, glue them together and stain them. Then use table-top epoxy on top of the wood. That would give it some character and it would still be durable as hell.

 

[Sundowner]

it's real sch. 40 pipe?
buy some wire sidwalk mesh, make a rectangle out of scrap 2x4's, lay it flat on the ground with a $2 plastic tarp under it, and fill it to the top with about 2, $5 bags of concrete. let stand for 3 days and then get some friends to help lift it onto the table.

 

[astroracer]

2 x 6 T&G pressure treated lumber would be stout. My main bench has this stuff on the top of it and I haven't hurt it yet...
Mark