Workbench surface for mechanic

[Flinter987]

So I'm getting ready to start on my garage workbench. I was just going to go with plywood for the surface, but then I got to thinking about how aweful that will look once I get oil splashed all over it. I'd like to be able to set a transfer case or small engine on it without worrying about it too much. So I started looking into laminate tops. What do you guys think about tempered hardboard. It's super cheap and would be real easy to change out when need be. Will it be durable enough for me though? Any other suggestions?

 

[Strouty]

How big? I would build it out of plywood and then have sheet metal (12 gauge) bent to fit over it. You could do a relatively small bench with the steel top and then have wood for the rest. I would not want to use laminate to put transfer cases and small engines on.

 

[Flinter987]

Here is the product I was looking at. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hardboar...25-in-x-23-75-in-x-47-75-in-7005015/202088786

 

[Flinter987]

Six feet in length but only four for greasy/oily stuff.

 

[astroracer]

Go with the plywood and cover it with 1/4" hardboard. The hardboard will take a lot of abuse before needing to be replaced.
I have a scrap piece of laminate that covers my wooden work bench. Saves a lot of wear and tear also.
Mark

 

[thatguysb]

wood surface gets my vote over metal.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Tempered hardboard is a good choice. It's durable, reasonably resistant to oil and grease (even more so if you slap on a coat of varnish first), it's cheap, and when it does wear out you can simply replace it.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Go with the plywood and cover it with 1/4" hardboard. The hardboard will take a lot of abuse before needing to be replaced.
.
Mark

Put a skirt around that sticks 1/8" tall on back and sides. Holds hardboard.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/re...MIus3A7ZPO1gIVW7bACh2G2QNwEAQYCiABEgJ0iPD_BwE
Transmission shops use metal tables.

My choice would be plywood. When it gets nasty, add another layer. Or do the reverse. Start with 5 layers 1/2 cdx flip once. Use top for something else when nasty. (Concrete form?) Polyurathane or linseed will shed a lot.

I worked with a clean freak once. His home shop had rolled paper on a dispencer above one end. Paper fed through a slotted board. Cut dirty end off with utility knife. Rolled a little more off. Blue tape held it down.

 

[GYPSY400]

Steel.. 1/8" minimum (11ga.).. preferably 3/16. 1/4 plate is better, but it's a little heavy to handle.
Wood top benches are a joke in a mechanics shop ( perfectly fine in a wood working shop).. you will never see a wood work bench in a professional shop.

Wood durability is one thing and can be worked around, but the other issue is wood chips and dust etc...

Imagine building an engine and having it fail because the oil system got contaminated with a small chunk of wood scraped off the work surface.

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[astroracer]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've built many a small engine on a wooden bench and never had one fail because of wood chips getting into it. Hardboard doesn't "chip". A few small engines and transfer cases aren't going to hurt it unless you are dropping them from 3' above the bench.
I have two benches that are steel plate and, to be honest? I would rather assemble a small motor on a clean wooden bench because it's not as slippery as the metal.
Car and truck motors never see the bench. They are assembled on the engine stands.
Mark

 

[Flinter987]

Would this be horrible, even if it just saw light use? It's basically roof flashing. https://m.lowes.com/pd/IMPERIAL-24-in-x-3-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Sheet-Metal/3234805

 

[GYPSY400]

I have two benches that are steel plate and, to be honest? I would rather assemble a small motor on a clean wooden bench because it's not as slippery as the metal.
Car and truck motors never see the bench. They are assembled on the engine stands.
Mark

Good point about the wood not being as slippery.

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[c39er]

My bench is all 2X6 framing and decked with 2X12 planks covered with stainless sheet. Bench has been used hard for over 20 years.
Cleans up quick.

 

[bad_idea]

I built mine with 2'x8' butcher block tops from Sears. They put them on sale on their website routinely. They are lower grade, but the price matches. I have put mine through hell and they still look decent.

 

[Mandres]

I have tempered hard board on mine. It's holding up better than I expected, and it's cheap and easy to replace if I need to

 

[benjamintmiller]

I have both wood and metal benches, and I use the wood ones most of the time.

Here are the advantages of wood, as I see it:
- You can actually see steel screws and small parts
- The bench takes damage, not the part
- Less slippery
- Much easier to make
- Quieter when you're banging away on something
- Not ice cold in the winter

Top Lipton (oxtoolco on youtube and author of several machining books) has a workbench covered in outdoor carpet. That looks especially nice for delicate assemblies... I'll be building one of those in my next shop.

 

[vwtom]

I just looked at craigslist and found a few options on old stainless steel commercial kitchen table.

https://rockford.craigslist.org/atq/d/vintage-commercial-table/6309846890.html

At $150 - that is big for the money. See if there is something in your area.

 

[ItsNemo]

Wood is easier on the parts themselves and can always be replaced if it gets dinged up. I did double 3/4" plywood with the top layer being sanded one side good, then did around 4-5 coats of spar urethane on top...the urethane makes it easy to wipe up the top and so far after a couple years nothing has soaked into it or has been too hard to take off beyond a little spray nine help.

 

[AngryBeaver]

for general mechanics bench, you want something heavy. you want something durable.

if you are working on transmissions and transfercases, then most auto guys I know, self included use a welder.

I have one wood bench. its in the basement for hobby stuff. my shop has four other work benches.... a 4x6 steel general bench... engine tear downs, some smaller welding, etc
A 3x5 rolling welding table. a 2x8 steel topped one 2x8 pallet rack bench for rear ends, transmissions and anything else that won't get by a car on the lift to the main work bench. then i have a small 3x3 rolling bench that goes outside for any kind of grinding or sanding to keep the chit out of the shop.

all were built for free or out of scrap...

look on CL for a steel bench. something you can bolt a vise to and not worry about it caving in half when you are prying, wrenching or beating on frozen or stuck parts, or oil soaking into the wood.

often times you can find a 4x6 or 4x8 1/4" plate steel bench cheaper than you can buy wood materials for, or steel for that matter.

 

[SuperCat]

How about vinyl flooring on top of your plywood top bench? Flooring is cheap, easy to replace, liquid resistant, and does not damage or scratch your project. Pick up cheap vinyl flooring at flooring specialty stores: ask for small pieces, end of roll pieces, scrap pieces.
I have seen people put laminate flooring on benches also, costs a bit more, but looks super cool. Pretty easy to install and replace. Hope those ideas help.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I have a 3/4" plywood work surface on my rolling toolbox that I do most of my automotive work on.

I actually prefer the 3/4" rough plywood surface to most other surfaces. It does get ugly when the oil and other chemicals soak into it, but I like it because its not so slippery like a solid surface or metal workbench would be, and its easy to work on, very forgivable. For example I was taking apart an old carburetor to rebuild it and I could easily tap the carburetor with a small mallet or screwdriver against the plywood to split the gaskets. If I were working on a metal surface, I would be more hesitant about tapping the carburetor as the metal surface could scratch or deform the carburetor.

I also write on the surface quite often such as order that fasteners went in, labeling front/back of a part, etc. Easy to have a piece of plywood that you don't care about. If it gets too ugly I'll just replace it. No harm no foul.

 

[larry4406]

I used a 3'x7' commercial metal fire rated door slab.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'm in the wood camp myself. When it gets bad, it's easy enough to replace.

Like mentioned above, I do have a section of outdoor carpet that I put done when doing some light work or gun cleaning.

 

[Dragfluid]

If you're going to do REAL automotive repair that includes tear down of major components, the you need a REAL top.

1/8" steel.
You can pound on it, sharp edges of components won't bother it, and it's easy to clean.

 

[Davefr]

I'm really a fan of PVC flooring tiles for a workbench top layer protective surface.

It's easy to clean, tough, non slippery, fairly cheap, good looking and the individual 18" tiles can be replaced if needed.

 

[Joshua_Russo]

+1 for tempered hardboard and a lip on your front edge to make it "drop in" replaceable. 1/8 would do fine, but I find 1/4 to be a bit more stable and easier to work with.

I like hardboard's surface quality (durable but won't hurt soft metal parts, not slippery, very flat, cleans easy especially if you throw a little wood wax or boiled linseed oil on it), it's cheap, and I have all the tools to size/fit it.

I'm a bit of a neat freak, so if I'm pulling apart something that's really dirty or I know will drip, I'll also unfold a small/med cardboard box or two for exterior cleaning and tear down, then roll up and throw the boxes out (with all the gunk) before I get to the delicate stuff.

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[tarmy]

My bench is all 2X6 framing and decked with 2X12 planks covered with stainless sheet. Bench has been used hard for over 20 years.
Cleans up quick.

Like the refer right next to the bench...even opens toward it...

That shop remind me of my dad's...built alot on engines on a bench just like it...

 

[REPO]

I've built a few over the years. If doing transfer cases, etc, I prefer a HEAVY table. Not something that is sliding around, rocking, etc. I make mine sing 4x4 light gauge steel tubing for legs, then weld angle iron to make the framework. I then put 3/4" plywood for the first layer. Then add 3/16 steel plate. I have the steel shop put 2 bends in the plate. Roughly 2" down the front, and another bend up, approximately 4-6" This stops stuff from being pushed off the back.
Easy to wipe down, etc. The plywood under the steel gives it sort of a dead blow effect when hammering. Magnetic lights can be used for task lighting, etc. Also works well for those magnetic base bowls for holding screws, bolts, etc

 

[kbs2244]

You are heading in the right direction.
But I like white.
Go over to the section where they have the tempered hardboard with a mostly white surface.
"Bathroom paneling."
In my experience it will stand up to anything but acetone.

If you like to haggle, ask about panels with bent corners,
You will be trimming the width for depth anyway so you don't need the full 48 inch width.
I have gotten 60 percent off since it is scrap to them as damaged goods.

 

[foolio]

I have two workbench’s. One is a Craftsman with a stainless top wrapped around some very heavy particle board type wood. Great for heavy work on transmissions and transfer cases. I also have the previously mentioned hardboard solution for lighter work which turns out to be the one I use most for projects.

 

[PCMusicGuy]

I use a white phenolic resin top on my workbench. Very durable for everything I've thrown at it so far. If you can find a good deal it may be a decent choice for your application.

 

[Fueler]

2" maple tops here, sometimes called butcher block.
Sealed. Looks good, wipes easily.

About every 3 or 4 years I take them outside, give them a good belt sanding and re-seal them. Look like new all over again.

Too pricey you say. Nah. These are passing their 30th birthday.

I drain everything possible before it goes on the bench.
I pressure wash anything possible before it goes on the bench.
Try not to make it messier than it is.

 

[Cazador23]

My vote is metal. Quick detach vise, bench grinder set up using receiver tube and 1/4" wall 2" square tubing.

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