Plywood - Sanded or Sheathing

[Cudajas]

Guys, I am building a workbench for my garage.

The plans call for a 3/4 in plywood shelf and doubled up 3/4 plywood top.

Pricing out plywood and the difference between sanded plywood and sheathing plywood is pretty substantial.

So what is the right option to use, the sanded or will sheathing plywood provide enough strength.

Jason

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Sheathing is structural and sanded is more for looks. I would go with B/C sheathing.

Check this out:

http://www.ezwoodshop.com/plywood/plywood-grades.html

 

[DanarchyCustoms]

Sheathing is structural and sanded is more for looks. I would go with B/C sheathing.

Exactly.
If you cant get both layers out of one sheet (larger that 2' or 4') and you'll need to buy two sheets; save yourself some money and buy one BC sheet for the bottom layer and one nice AC sheet for the top.

As a last precaution, plywood is made up of plys of thin wood so when you select a sheet, make sure its not veneer because the "work surface" will just peel and age horribly under abuse. Just stick to Cabinet Grade (AC).

 

[kf4zht]

In a workbench you won't see any strength difference. I use sanded for furniture, when staining and when using rabbit/dado joints (more consistent sizes).

In shop projects I mix them up. Designed some cabinets to crank out more storage. Plan on cutting the doors and end sides from sanded, the rest from sheathing. All of it will be painted but it avoid voids in the commonly seen pieces.

I would consider covering the top with masonite and a few coats of watco. Looks good and is liquid resistant. When it starts to look like **** you can re-top it cheap

 

[SARG]

I'd go with the 3/4 ply but then top it off with Masonite (hardboard).

When the top gets crappy ....... just replace the top.

 

[Cudajas]

thanks for the tips guys.

My only options at Lowes (at least online) is 3/4 spruce. I do not see BC plywood listed. I know I will get flamed for using Lowes, but I have gift card that will cover the cost of the plywood plus a bit.

As for the top, the top layer of plywood is designed to be replaceable. At this point I can get the whole bench out of the 1 piece, so I will give it a try.

Jason

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

OSB for the subsurface would be a less expensive option since it's going to be used as filler material with a replaceable top.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'd go with the 3/4 ply but then top it off with Masonite (hardboard).

When the top gets crappy ....... just replace the top.

This is what I do. The Masonite has a nice smooth surface and it resists oil spills better than plywood. It's cheap, too.

 

[yhprum]

^^ If you oil the masonite it will resist staining too. Paint and glue wont stick as well either.

 

[bigguns69]

Here is what I did in previous post.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174995

 

[Cudajas]

thanks again guys.

I went to Lowes last night and picked up the plywood. I will post pics of the bench once its finished. I will take a look at the Masonite top, once I get it built.

At the end of the day my total spend on the bench should be about $10 (bought some screws).

The plywood and some screws were a gift card for Xmas (still have 6 bucks left).
the 2x4 frame is built from lumber I recycled. When my sister moved from her rental house she had to tear down a wall for a room she built, so I took all the 2x4s I could fit in my little car.

So I wont have a large bench, 2' x 4' but it will be cheap and fit into my small 10' x 20' garage!!!

Jason

 

[b974k]

Tempered masonite I have used it for 50 years

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used 2 layers of 3/4" PT plywood and them painted it with some Rustoleum.

 

[jmiller_2308]

Is that slatwall on the legs or some sort of channel to load shelves into?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Is that slatwall on the legs or some sort of channel to load shelves into?

If you follow the link in my sig, page 7 (post # 137) starts the build thread. What you are seeing is the sides of a small shelving unit.

 

[jnyost]

I topped my workbench with Masonite. It's cheap and disposable. You can use the cheaper grade plywood and top with that.

 

[ez-duzit]

Yup, tempered Masonite for the top cover.