Workbench Top??? Recommendations?

[John Timmins]

After you install your top, I'd suggest you cover some of it with aluminum or stainless sheet metal.

My top is polyurathaned hardboard over 3/4 particle board that is also 3 coats of poly both sides. I have a piece of about 24" wide by 12" deep x 1/8 inch stainless that I lay on the bench. The front edge is bent down in a 90 about 1 inch.

You can move or remove the metal you want to. You can go to a sheet metal place and buy small pieces.

Today I was rebuilding a carburator and it was a nice clean place to work on

 

[rcleaver]

I have been looking at a high density MDF that s about 1.5" thick. My cabinetmaker uses this material for his work tables. It is smooth to the touch, extremely wear resistant and if you need to, it is much cheaper than plywood or other materials of equal thickness.

Since it is solid you can router and ease the edges or one of my ideas is to make small indented areas for screws/pieces/parts as I work on something. Imagine 4 4x4" squares about 1/2" deep.

Deacon

I used MDF. Very inexpensive. I painted it and then put 3 coats of polyurethane on it. When it starts looking bad, I rub it with steel wool, vacuum the residue and it looks like new.

 

[JOHNMAN]

Look,

It's my old shop. Well I kept the counter tops. Now I just need a shop to put them back in........

 

[Dave88LX]

I used hand picked 2x4s which I jointed and planed, then face glued them together so my bench is about 3 1/4" thick. Then screwed 1/4" double tempered hardboard down to that. Edged it with 3/4" oak. Have another that is doubled 3/4" industrial part. board, with the same top surface. I intend to edge it with 1/8" x 2" angle iron.

Well damn, that's got to be pretty solid.

My bench has 4x4s in the corners and middle, framed with 2x4s, and the top is one sheet of 3/4" BC plywood, topped with a sheet of AC plywood. Has been plenty sturdy for me so far.

 

[Frank Elson]

After you install your top, I'd suggest you cover some of it with aluminum or stainless sheet metal.

My top is polyurathaned hardboard over 3/4 particle board that is also 3 coats of poly both sides. I have a piece of about 24" wide by 12" deep x 1/8 inch stainless that I lay on the bench. The front edge is bent down in a 90 about 1 inch.

You can move or remove the metal you want to. You can go to a sheet metal place and buy small pieces.

Today I was rebuilding a carburator and it was a nice clean place to work on

That's the best idea yet.
I had a piece of steel plate hanging around, not much more than a metre square and I upped it onto my bench for some reason I now forget. It's stayed on there for ten years and is so useful...