What are you using for a Workbench top?

[Colonial Cobra]

I'm picking up two of the HF 13 drawer tool boxes to use as a workbench. Now the debate on what to use as a top.
Any ideas for affordable materials to use for a top??

 

[bazzateer]

For general workbenches I've alaways used kitchen counter-tops. The local hardware store usually has decent length off-cuts available for very little cash. Get the thickest one you can, when securely fixed to the supporting structure they make for an excellant and cheap work surface.

Obviously not much good for welding etc.

 

[jimmy p]

I am also planning to pick up two HF 41"ers for a bench. I currently have a 10 ft section of a bowling alley trimmed down to 33" wide with 2x4 supports under it. I think it cost me $80. I like it because I dont care if I chip it or stain it like I would with a new piece.

 

[jimmy p]

I have also seen 8 ft solid wood doors on CL for $50 that would work nicely as well

 

[CraftsmanOnCall]

I'm using doubled-up 3/4" plywood with a laminate surface. The double-up was done with both glue and screws and makes for a surface with very little flex. This was important in my case as I have a number of tools mounted or clamped to the edge.

 

[Jack Olsen]

What are you going to be using the bench for?

Ikea has butcher block and stainless steel tops. So does Craftsman.

My oldest bench is a 2" solid-core door, with steel banding around the facing edge.

 

[Torque1st]

I use tempered Masonite or hardboard over my substrate of choice. It is cheap and easy to replace.

 

[Stuey]

Ikea birch butcher block countertop.

 

[usmc_noma]

i used two pieces of osb and tempered hardboard.

 

[greg]

I went to my local machine shop and had 3/16" broke front and rear . It was $170.00 for one 4'x 10' sheet cut in half . Then I had it bent up 1/2" in the rear and down 1 1/2" in the front . This gave me a 22" deep countertop . Once it was in place I welded it up .

Here it is installed and welded up at the seam. The weight alone held it down and then the vises , and grinders attached finished the job .

 

[pgreen]

Living in Western Michigan, the office furniture capital, I have several choices... Haworth has an outlet store in Holland, Michigan. They sell lots of 2nds. Laminated countertops are like $1 / foot, with all kinds of sizes and shapes. I bought some formica from them last year to make a desk top. Formica sheets were $1 each for a 4x8 (or 4x10)!

Herman Miller has an outlet store also, and I'm assuming Steelcase does as well...

 

[sammerdog]

For a countertop, I grabbed some preformed laminate from Lowe's before we had a falling out. Looks good plus it makes for a great serving area when we do a hog roast or beanie-weenie out front. I keep a couple hunks of sacrificial lumber underneath to place on top when I'm doing ickey cutting/pounding/chemical stuff:

Hey pgreen - I've been to all three outlet stores - for countertops, the Herman store in Zeeland is great.

For filing cabinets, the Steelcase Store out in Kentwood is the bee's knees, but you need an employee/retiree to sneak you in (my MIL gets me in there).

 

[sanddrag]

I just used 3/4" varnished MDF on mine since I already had it. Works fine. It soaks up a bit of oil, but that's fine. It's a workbench, not a food preparation counter.

 

[krooser]

1/4" steel...

 

[robin1731]

My bench top is 12' long by 24" deep. It is made up of two 3/4" pieces of plywood. Screwed and glued. Then one piece of plastic laminate on top. Didn't cost me a cent as at the time I was working at a cabinet shop. Very solid. My bases are two base cabinet's removed from Chicago's O'hare airport. The shop I worked at made ticket counters for Delta, American, Continental and some other Airlines. We would remove the old cabinets and install the new. We usually had to bring the old back with us. They sometimes were to beat to use but these two were in pretty good shape.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Ideally, you get the right surface for the job you're doing.

That's a solid-core door to the left, 1" steel plate in the back, Ikea Birch butcher block on the right, and then 3/16" steel on the little guy over the saw.

 

[Crusty Nut]

Mine is 1/2" steel.

 

[paranoid56]

Ikea birch butcher block countertop.

this. such a great idea

 

[rlme36]

I've done the Ikea butcher block and doubled it up for my woodworking bench and the latest addition was an order from Grizzly tools for a 10' by 30" 1 3/4 rock maple bench top to span across my new tool cabinets. Couldn't find stainless in something this size without it being silly priced.

Big fan of the boweling alley, just way to hard to find by me

rob

 

[jake00]

I used 3/4 plywood then 3/4" white oak flooring on top. I made a maple butcher block top for my other bench

 

[nate379]

3/4" MDO. It's like $30 a sheet... when it gets beat up after 5-6 years, rip if off and throw a new piece on.

 

[Ryan Hill]

Something I have done in the past worked really well. Find your local commercial furniture dealer, ie Steelcase, HermanMiller, Knoll and stop by the Warehouse. They always have old tables to get rid of. I found 10 24"x60" tops for free that I was able use for my benches.
Ryan

 

[Eds_tls]

I used MDF for the bench I built. I haven't put it thru its paces yet but its relitively inexpensive and feels sturdy

 

[jimmy p]

Ideally, you get the right surface for the job you're doing.

That's a solid-core door to the left, 1" steel plate in the back, Ikea Birch butcher block on the right, and then 3/16" steel on the little guy over the saw.

I love that garage.....has a vintage yet clean modern look to it. Nice work

 

[mjozefow]

Three layers of 3/4" plywood and a top "skin" of masonite or luan. The "skin" is replaceable and if you keep the bench depth to under 32" then you can get three layers from two sheets of plywood.

 

[tcianci]

I used 3/4 inch furniture grade plywood, with a buildup at the front and sides, like a cabinet shop would do for a laminate job. Then I coverd it with a scrap of sheet vinyl flooring. I have a sink in the counter so the vinyl works out great with the water splashing and the sheet vinyl is not a "hard" surface so it's great when I'm working on finished things like auto instrument panels and such. I used an aluminum stair tread nosing extrusion to finish the front and sides. Some solvents will attack it and it's not they type of surface that you would go afer with a razor knife, but it looks geat, is waterproof, easy to clean and it was free.

 

[jmh21586]

On my 3x8 center island work bench I have 3/4" high density particle board. Same stuff used to make countertops. $25 a sheet. Put a couple heavy coats of poly on it.

For my against the wall cabinet countertops I'll be installing 2x6's joined to gether kinda like a kitchen chopping block. My dad did this in his shop and it's very sturdy. I think he used a biscuit jointer which is what I'll do.

 

[mulepackin]

I use tempered Masonite or hardboard over my substrate of choice. It is cheap and easy to replace.

Ditto. I use it over doubled, glued and screwed industrial particle board. Angle iron edge makes a nice finish and a bit of a lip to hold things.

 

[89vert]

I used stainless steel .

 

[Kevin54]

I'm picking up two of the HF 13 drawer tool boxes to use as a workbench. Now the debate on what to use as a top.
Any ideas for affordable materials to use for a top??

I'm using the same countertop as Sammerdog, but I find that certain jobs on it will scratch the formica so you have to be careful. IKEA butcher block top would be good. Also look on Craigslist to see if you can find "bowling alley lanes". They make a hell of a workbench top or bar top. We put one piece down a buddies basement rec room and it was all we could do for three of us to get it down there. Those things are heavy duty.

 

[Rickstir]

I got an eight foot length of 2 inch butcher block, 24 inches wide from a school surplus sale. Cheap and very sturdy on a 2 x 4 frame.

 

[notquitegto]

I'm pretty excited for this spring because I finally get to build my workbench. For the top, I actually have an old bowling alley floor section. It's about ten feet long and two feet wide and about 2 inches thick. It's basically like butcher block, but a lot cooler.

Mike

 

[Mickey_D]

I have the maple butcher block tops on a couple of benches. Fairly tough but you do worry about letting oil sit on them. I also have 5 Kennedy box bottoms that I use as small benches and I use white laminate mdf on them. A 4x8 sheet costs something like $25, is very flat, cuts easy, and makes a great work surface. When they get too bad, I flip them over and use up the other side.

 

[Cobra4B]

1/2" plywood on my father's bench and old laminate counter top on mine... going to eventually cover with metal.

 

[Paul_NJ]

I stack a couple dozen spruce (nonstructural=cheap) 2x4's on end, drill, and tie them together with allthread in 3 places. Lag bolt it into the workbench frame gussets, which pulls it flat, and tack a (disposable) piece of masonite on top. It's definitely heavy and solid.

 

[smooth72]

I used stainless steel .

To do stainless tops, do you have to take your measurements to a vendor and if so what type of vendor?

 

[PCO6]

The structure of my 10' long main bench is a pallet rack. I have 30" 2"x10" wood stringers placed on top of the rack from front to back. Each stringer is screwed to the one beside it with pocket screws. On top of that is a 1/8" thick steel plate that has a 4" 90 degree bend down at the front and a 4" bend up at the back (like a splash guard on a kitchen counter). This bench and the 4" Record vise that is mounted to it are at least 25 years old. The bench has handled several transmission and engine sub-assembly rebuilds along with lots of general pounding.

 

[gorilla]

I have two workbenches, one is a 30" round stainless steel plate 1" thick welded to 10" steel pipe welded to a 24" square of 1/2" plate with four casters. the other is a section of glue-lam 24"x72"x8" with four 4"x4"x 1/4" wall legs. Both have stood up to many years of serious abuse.

 

[Falcon67]

I like sheet metal and MDF, but for your consideration - when my wife's dad was alive, he had a junk store. I got several chunks of white laminate counter top from him that were pieces of some floor or shop display. Pieces about 24 x 36 x 1 or so. I made a couple of small work surfaces with them, one where I do welding and grinding. I'm amazed at what that laminate will put up with. It's sure not very white on that table anymore, but it's still intact and it's been there nearly 10 years.

 

[wmonroe]

To do stainless tops, do you have to take your measurements to a vendor and if so what type of vendor?

I'm curious about this too as I will be building a bench this spring and would like a stainless top.