workbench metal top?

[bcoke]

What type of metal do you use to cover your workbench ??? It will be for a 18inch by 60inch narrow bench to work on carbs etc!!!! Gauge and metal type/finish needed? Thanks bobbycoke

 

[Ilikeike]

I have one old bench at home with 3/4" plywood, I put some liquid nails on it and clamped a piece of 5/16" hot rolled on top. works great.

 

[Randy in Maine]

I have some 1/4" thick aluminum that came from a sign that was never used as a sign on my workbench. Works pretty good for engine stuff.

 

[rsanter]

Your choice
Aluminum, steel stainless or even galvanized

Bob

 

[xafuel705]

I would use stainless. It cleans up real easy. We had stainless counter tops in the parts department at my last dealership and the techs would get it all dirty with all sorts of **** and it cleaned up so easy. A little BBQ stainless cleaner does wonders on it.

 

[brownbagg]

1/4 inch plate steel

 

[akdiesel]

For that type of work 12-14 gauge material will be plenty good. Sound deaden it with some 2x4 layd flat or some plywood sheets.

 

[engineer2]

Make sure you ground the metal top in case you work on misbehaving electrical stuff.

 

[Xauterus]

Some zinc plated sheet folder up at the rear and over the front will keep it easy to clean up.

 

[xtremek]

My bench top is made of scraps. I had some 2"x X" rough cut ash. Then I dropped some 1/4" plate steel that had been used to cover a hole so stuf could drive over it. Rusty and crusty. I spent a couple of hours with a flapper disc to knock down the heavy crude. Then I put some rust converter on it witha foam brush and thhat's where it stands now. You could drop a Mack truck on the top and it wouldn't budge. Cost - $15 for the rust converter. Nothing pretty, but truly efffective.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

the top on my bench is 4x8 sheet of 11 gauge mild steel. it has 6" covering the front of the bench, 2' covering the top, and an 18" backsplash. we have a press brake at work that will bend 12' lengths. it has 3/4" plywood beneath it and is makes for a sturdy surface. stainless is really nice to work on, but wasn't in my price range! a little wd-40 or the oil from what i'm working on keeps the top from rusting.

not the greatest picture, but gives you the idea.

 

[zmotorsports]

My two main workbenches are built from 2x4's and anchored to the floor and into the wall of the shop. One is 8' long and the other is 12', the tops of the benches are two pieces of 3/4" plywood with 14-gauge stainless steel on top of that. The back splash is bent up 4" where I have an electrical strip and the front end is rolled under about 1.5" to keep from snagging clothes on. My only dislike is my 12' bench has the stainless steel top in two peices, an 8' and a 4'. I would much rather it be one peice but I couldn't get it bent that way back when I built the shop.

They work great but I still have to be careful not to drop something really large on it. Many years ago I dropped a cylinder head on one and it dinged it, put a small dent in it. Not the end of the world, I just have to be careful moving large items around on it. They are very quick and easy to clean and always look great because they are so easy to clean.

For larger items I try to use my welding bench which is a 1/2" steel top and dang near bulletproof.

Mike.

 

[Richard D]

I have a large commercial office door for my bench top, with an oil-resistant Formica-type surface on it. Doesn't damage the surface of whatever I may be working on. I don't like metal work surfaces unless I am welding or banging the **** out of something.

 

[4 FN 27]

I have one bench with a wood top for light weight stuff. 1 has an .120 Stainless Top for clean assembly, 1 has a 1/4 Hot Rolled Pickled and Oiled Top for beating on stuff and my welding bench has a 5/8 Blanchard ground top on it. They all have a purpose.

Anyone, guests working in my shop gets bludgeoned with a dead blow hammer should they cross the line doing something that does not belong on that particular bench.

 

[Thumper68]

For anyone wanting a SS top check out used restaurant suppliers, they usually have many to choose from in different sizes and can be had on the cheap if you don't mind a few scratches.

 

[Fixed]

For those of you that bought your metal tops, did you buy them from a metal supplier? My local one seems to want and arm and a leg for anything over 16G, and I've been having a hard time finding anything used locally.

 

[zmotorsports]

For those of you that bought your metal tops, did you buy them from a metal supplier? My local one seems to want and arm and a leg for anything over 16G, and I've been having a hard time finding anything used locally.

I didn't purchase mine, luckily. I did some work on a guy's truck who happened to work at a large dump bed manufacturing facility. I swapped the labor on his truck for the stainless steel and bending it up for me. Otherwise it would have been out of my price range at the time.

Mike.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

i work for an ag equipment manufacturer, so i bought mine through our supplier.

 

[Fixed]

Thanks for the responses guys. I work for a sheet metal company, so I can get a good deal on 16G, so I may just buy a sheet of that and put it on top of some thick wood until I can scrounge up some heavier metal.

 

[Falcon67]

I have a 24x48 bench that I use for trans and misc work - I had a friend in the AC ducting business bend up a galvanized sheet metal top for it. Put a little clear silicone on the MDF bench top and used weights to hold the top down until the RTV cured. Had it for may years now, I think he charged me $25 for the top. If you are doing carb work, I don't see you needing anything much thicker. A double 3/4 ply top or a piece of 1 1/4" MDF will do well for base material.