Workbench Top Material???

[tarbellb]

Either heavy steel top or any wood in butcher block format

Plus a sacrificial sheet of MDF cut to size for beating/cutting/liquids

I really like a Formica type veneer but only for non abusive work

 

[tarmy]

Nice set up you have there.
It looks like a Craftsman 5191 vise you have there. Those are amazing vises but quite rare on the old vise market. Is there a story about how you got it?

That one was my father’s. I also have an even older one that was my grandpa’s mounted in a different shop I have. They serve as great reminders of what those men taught me about working on things yourself…and what good tools are all about.

Thanks for asking…and the compliment.

 

[CJM8515]

I made my bench out of 2x4 i doubled up for legs, supports and then single for the center supports. i then cut 2 sheet of 5/8" ply and screwed them together, finally I took 1/4" mdf and screwed that down. 5 years later the mdf is kinda a bit beat but no real issue. If I had to do it all over I think I would have used 2x10 or 2x12 as a base for the top, then ply just for some more weight and dampness when hitting it.

 

[fishwatcher]

I like butcher blocks. I just finished this one today, so it’s still shiny and clean, but it won’t stay that way for long.

You can usually find decent sized slabs online from the big box stores, or from a woodcraft if your lucky to have one local like me.

I use Arm-R-seal on it and it holds up decent to automotive chemical use.

That top looks awesome!

I have a “butcher” block top from Home Depot. I believe it’s Husky. It looks really good, esp compared to the stock thin mdf top my bench came with. Since it was wider than my workbench, I used the cutoff remains to make a grinder stand with iron pipes.

There is a hard plastic seal on top.. which dents and cracks. Not sure how I could fix it.. but it’s been fine.

 

[TheClaw]

Timely subject as I am about finish a new shop. I have a menagerie of benches in the existing garage. None of them the same height. I'm thinking to consolidate two of them into one 12ft bench. Only problem is finding 12ft of material in one piece.

Suggestions?

This is what I'm looking to consolidate. Likely do a STEEVO style setup and get rid of the old black and red dresser.

 

[Caa311]

I use 3/4 Radiata plywood. Replace as needed. Won’t mare things, can be sanded, can screw stuff down to work on it, easy to keep in good shape.

I like the roll down window shades. Looks nice and secure.

 

[Caa311]

1" steel with outdoor carpet on top.

 

[starlight_tools]

1/4" Q&T Quench & Tempered Hardboard was my go to for bench tops for years. It was tough, water resistant and overall a good wearing surface. Over time though the "water resistance" fads and it breaks down. Last time I re-did the bench top, I got some "reject" Corian. It was ordered in wrong and the customer rejected it as they did not like the colour. It has been durable and waterproof, but will chip if hit wrong. These benches are good in that they are non conductive and doing electrical repairs on them keeps from having short circuits from happening.

This is the 1/4" Q&T Benchtop.

My other benches are 3/4" steel sheet and the other a 1" thick steel dozer blade, that is really hard, will not drill for anything, lol These are great for welding and beating on.

 

[gimpyrobb]

The last bench I built is still in use at my old house. Its probably 20yrs old by now. I lag bolted a 2x8 to the stud walls, then glued and nailed 2x4s to that, with a stainless sheet top on it. That gave me a tad over 3.5 inch thick bench to wail on if needed but still cleaned up pretty easy. I used 6x6 for the legs as I had a buddy that just put up a pole barn and had some parts laying around.

 

[RTM]

I'm thinking to consolidate two of them into one 12ft bench. Only problem is finding 12ft of material in one piece.

Suggestions

Butcher block, tho you may not like the price.

This is 42” wide walnut, poke around for skinnier.

https://butcherblockco.com/product/jo-okt-bl-blended-top-42wide

Here is 25” wide maple

https://butcherblockco.com/product/maple-1-5thick-25wide

 

[BlackJack10]

What do you recommend for workbench top material? I do some of everything on the bench (except welding). Assembly, parts overhaul and cleaning. Sawing. Wrenching. Painting. Soldering. Drilling. Beating with hammers. Etc. The one thing i do that is horrible is cutting materials on my workbench using razor knives. i am moving and need new workbenches.

My current workbench(s) top, purchased 30 years ago, is about 2 inches thick. The center is wood and the top and bottom surfaces are a phenolic resin that contains wood particles, about 1/4” thick on each side. Have a large Wilton vise mounted on it. They have held up incredibly well. But i can’t find these tops anymore.

Not too concerned about cost. Don’t want disposable particle board tops. What material do you suggest?

If you want one surface that does everything well, go with laminated hardwood plywood or solid maple butcher block around two inches thick. It takes pounding, holds a vise, and you can resurface it when it gets ugly. For knife work, add a sacrificial hardboard or UHMW sheet screwed down on one section so you can replace it without touching the main top.

Phenolic tops still exist, but they are industrial lab grade and expensive. A wood core with replaceable wear layers gives you the same longevity with more flexibility day to day.

 

[fishwatcher]

Timely subject as I am about finish a new shop. I have a menagerie of benches in the existing garage. None of them the same height. I'm thinking to consolidate two of them into one 12ft bench. Only problem is finding 12ft of material in one piece.

Suggestions?

This is what I'm looking to consolidate. Likely do a STEEVO style setup and get rid of the old black and red dresser.

I may have missed it if this has been mentioned, but have you considered finding old bowling alley lane material? Search on that in this forum and you’ll find some examples. I don’t have personal experience with it.. except for when I’ve thrown 12 lbs balls on them.

 

[BigSteve63]

I built a Steevo style bench that is about 13 1/2 feet long. Had access to a lot of good 1/2” plywood at the time, so I made a laminated top from 4 layers of this - then had a piece of 1/8” steel bent to fit over the top. I have beat the **** out of that thing for years and it still looks great!

 

[seber]

If your original surface was 1/4" thick, it was probably not phenolic but tempered masonite. Canvas phenolic is available but expensive. Still, 1/8" canvas phenolic would be a super durable surface. It is available from dozens of sources.

 

[Dig Doug]

I use 3/4 Radiata plywood. Replace as needed. Won’t mare things, can be sanded, can screw stuff down to work on it, easy to keep in good shape.

I like your adjustable feet on the 4x4 posts

any idea where you got those bad boys ?

 

[Chefjpd]

Yeah! Eventually the exact name will come to me.

Bakelite?

 

[Jcrock]

I've repeated this recipe several times now. 2x4's biscuit jointed together, topped with 3/4" plywood glued & screwed down to the 2x4s. Topped with fiber board counter sunk screws. I replaced my previous top twice but have swiped some conveyor belt scraps and parts room table topper that extend life.
On this one I added a 1/4" angle iron on the front edge to get a good service to clamp to.

 

[TheClaw]

I may have missed it if this has been mentioned, but have you considered finding old bowling alley lane material? Search on that in this forum and you’ll find some examples. I don’t have personal experience with it.. except for when I’ve thrown 12 lbs balls on them.

Yes, it's pretty expensive but there is a supplier in my area. Great stuff.

 

[designer485]

I like Kleen-Rite Rubber Mats for the top of a workbench. Oil resistant, cleans up easy and is the same material Snap-On uses as their toolbox rubber mat.

https://www.americanfloormats.com/t...fZHPQ72hZvc6l5h75t1dTsmnnmpv-_F4aAkCuEALw_wcB

 

[drokihazan]

I have one bench that's 1/2" steel plate bolted to a frame made of .25 wall 2x2 tubing, and another bench that's 11ga 2x2 tubing with a 1.5" maple butcher block.
Both are great. 1/2" is probably overkill but it has no support on the front edge - just sides and back - so I wanted something that wouldn't flex.

 

[gtae07]

Bump as the question is now relevant to me...


I'm getting ready to put a workbench in the garage at the new house. Thinking 8ft wide, maybe 30in deep or so. Aesthetics do not matter; I need cost effectiveness.

The plan for the new bench is to frame the legs and upper "beams" with 2x6, bracing and shelf support with 2x4. Need to decide on a top though.


At my old house I had two work surfaces. One was a workbench about as I described along the wall, with a top deck of 2x6s and a sheet of 3/4 plywood screwed down on top. This thing was built like a tank and took a ton of abuse.

The other was a rolling 4x8 table with a deck of 1in MDF and a sacrificial sheet of marker board on top (I really liked this feature).

Both had a bottom shelf of leftover OSB.

I'm thinking I'll repeat the 2x6 deck because it's strong and fairly cheap; the question is whether to put another layer (OSB, MDF, or ???) between the 2x6s and the marker board to flatten things out. I'm leaning towards 23/32 subfloor because it's cheap, unless there's a good reason to use something else.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Other than my welding table, my other workbenches are 3/4" plywood with wood trim raised slightly around the edges, so a sheet of hardboard drops right in as the finished top. A couple pin nails tacks it in place. Easy to remove and replace when it gets too dirty or banged up.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I buy used butcher block tops from industrial, Restraunt and private parties. I sometimes need to fill or drill and dowel holes. Restraunt table tops can be really cheap but are often painted. One advantage of used is it is usually made from harder wood than new tops.