Workbench tops

[Awlknottedup]

I am about to build a workbench for the shop. This bench will be used primarily for mechanical. The big roll away will be off one end nearest the door and a vise will be mounted on a corner. The grinder and drill press will be in the corner of the shop off the other end of the bench.

What is a good surface for the bench top? The under surface will either be of 2 by 10s or 3/4 MDF which I have used for benches before.

 

[Jack345]

I use Vinyl flooring cut to size,easy to clean and takes a beating , stands up to carb cleaner, gas, oil etc. staple in place for easy replacement when needed.Light colors helps to find small parts.

 

[DBAF]

1/4 sheet of steal

 

[old]

I have both wood topped ones and steel topped ones. You can also use a piece of rubber mat like used in trailers but me I'll stay with my wood and cover with rags etc when I need to

 

[Owen Aaland]

Mine is 1/4" steel with a 1/4 - 2X2 angle iron welded under the front edge.

 

[Gun guru]

How about Maple butcher block for a top.
Real nice and solid, but not cheap.

 

[Gun guru]

How about Maple butcher block for a top.
Real nice and solid, but not cheap.

 

[Anonymous-0]

In my shop the bench is used for everything and the vise another set of hands, clamp, ect. So I am always welding, brazing there so I would make it a steel top.

 

[Anonymous-0]

If you are trying to keep parts clean then go with at least a sheet steel top layer. Wood tops collect and generate contaminats that get into the parts you're trying to keep clean for assembly.

 

[Mister Ike]

I have used 3/4" Advantech floor sheathing over 2 x 12's with great success. Relatively hard with good solvent resistance. I don't like steel for wood working.

 

[Anonymous-0]

tuff and easy to clean. Use your imagination. One of them rubber runners used in high traffic hallways should be tuff enough to use and still be cheap enough to throw away.

Dave

 

[Sean Feeney]

Solid core fire rated door, usually cheap or better free.

 

[Bill-KCKs]

If you can find a chunk of used bowling alley, they make dandy work bench/counter top material.

 

[rustyfarmall]

Steel is the only way to go. It is easy to clean, very durable, and it will not burn or scorch if you lay a hot piece of iron on it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

When I built my 8' work bench i built it out of 2" yellow pine with 4x4" legs and a shelf below the top to set jack stands on. the top was 2x6" yellow pine with a 6" overhang. I then went to a tin shop and had them bend a pc.of 10 Ga. galvanized flat sheet with a 5" lip on the back side to cover the back board and a 2" lip on the front to cover the front. I had the yellow pine from a pole bldg. project which was left over. 30 years later it still is strong and has been used much.I hauled it from ILL to AZ. in 2000.It is out in the shop and will probably have some involvement in my day before the day is over.

 

[circus]

Do some dumpster diving at the local body shop for a large piece of card board. Body panels come wrapped in the stuff.

 

[guido]

Hello awlknottedup,
The material is a choice you make so it will serve your needs.
I chose 1" square tubing, and made drawers out of 1.1/2" angle.
My top is 3/4 exsterior grade plywood. A metal plate with front and back lips i use for hot stuff and welding. I have 18 drawers to put stuff in. It is secured to the 2x4's and has served me well.
Guido.

 

[Anonymous-0]

That's how some folks get their materials...they use sheets of [what they can] steal.

 

[Loren MN]

I built mine out of 2x10's, added 1/2
playwood on top, then covered the top with .047" thick stainless steel sheet. Drilled holes in the sheet and attached it with sheet rock screws. Very easy to keep clean, and weld spatter doesn't stick.

 

[Dick L]

I did a couple of table tops for a tool shop with 1'X 3" set on edge, glued and clamped. Belt sanded smooth and flat then oiled. Mounted a vice on each one with copper vice jaw covers.

Sad to say but 30 years ago when I set up my tool shop here bought the metal legs and used 2"X 10" pine for the tops which I thought at the time it would be temporary. Belt sanded them but you still have cracks between the boards. They have worked for 30 years so they will most likely never get changed.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Nice!

 

[guido]

Hello buzzman72,
My old bench was a solid oak door that came from an hospital upgrade. Its now at the old house, and i'm sure that the new owner is enjoying!
Guido.

 

[guido]

Hello Jerry/MT,
Thanks, i do have a vise on it. Its a 3 in. jaw.
At this point, anything so big that won't fit the vise will get farmed out!
Guido.

 

[El Toro]

I built my work bench with 4 X 4's for the legs, 2 X 8"s and 1/2" plywood. It has a shelf and 2 drawers that one of my co-worker's gave me. I have a large vise on one end and a smaller vise on the other end. I should've covered it with a sheet of stainless steel like someone else did on here. Hal

 

[52 M37]

My bench top is made with two layers of ¾" plywood. Then I bent a U shaped lip on the front edge of a piece of 1/8" steel to cover it. I also bent a 6" lip up on the back of the bench sorta like a backsplash to keep stuff from going off the back of the bench.

 

[RodinNS]

1" plate is hard to beat... I saw one built like that a couple years ago just sitting in the scrap yard. Wish I bought it. I have one with 1/4" plate. It's not bad but leaves a lot to be desired. Biggest problem is that it moves too easily when you really get reefing on something in the vise...
1/2" plate would be a fair compromise.

Rod

 

[brian(MN)]

Go with a steel sheet, for ateast part of it. I had a local metal repair shop bend a sheet for me, they bent a lip down on the front edge an bent up the back side. Didn't cost that much either for 8 feet, maybe 140 bucks 4 years ago. This sheet was laid on 3/4 plywood, which is what the rest of the bench is.
Brian(MN)

 

[Anonymous-0]

One workbench in my garage has a top made of a hollow-core door [NOT the one with the cardboard innards] topped with a sheet of 1/2" plywood cut to fit.

 

[Dick2]

If you are layering wood, be sure and glue the sheets together with wood glue; that will add strength and rigidity to the top or shelf.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 03:11:11 09/02/10) 1" plate is hard to beat... I saw one built like that a couple years ago just sitting in the scrap yard. Wish I bought it. I have one with 1/4" plate. It's not bad but leaves a lot to be desired. Biggest problem is that it moves too easily when you really get reefing on something in the vise...
1/2" plate would be a fair compromise.

Rod

Did not pass this one up,,, $125.00,, takes on all comers :lol: est weight 1200 lbs...

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[JMS/.MN]

Back in "82, when I built the shop, I found some kind of packaging machine in a salvage yard, for $15. Came with many shafts and about two dozen bearings. Main structure was 2x2 angle with quarter inch steel top, whole thing was 10 feet long, two feet deep. Definitely a bargain. Industrial salvage yards may have similar that can be made into a sturdy bench.

 

[RodinNS]

THAT is a work bench. At least it won't bounce back at you when you hit something on it.

Rod

 

[Anonymous-0]

I'd say it's more than 1200 Lbs. I built a 4x8 1/2" thick table that weighed 1000 lbs. Dave

 

[markct]

all depends what you want to do on it, and your floor too. i have a bench that i made from a 4 ft square shipping stand for truck rear ends, says return to meritor corporation on the side haha, is a framework of 2 1/2 inch square tubing and i just cut off the not needed brackets and welded a 1 1/8 thick steel plate to the top of it. it works well and doesnt bounce, or more when wrenching on even large hyd cylinders and such. now if i was putting such a bench in my basement it would not be happening, as if took the backhoe to move it in place! so it does depend some on your capabilities and needs but a heavy bench is very handy

 

[bc]

I've been happy with mine made with a double layer of 3/4" high density mdf plywood sheets. It soaks up a little oil. If I was going to put any steel on it, I'd probably cover one end to one-half. It isn't good to mess up my wood chisels working on steel. Wood isn't as slick. Depending upon what you do, one size doesn't fit all. Besides, my bench is so cluttered with little parts and stuff, if I did any serious pounding, it would all be on the floor. A steel area would be handy for the times I'm spraying carb cleaner and wd40 on things although I keep a bucket to spray some stuff over.

 

[John - OH]

I used 5/16" plate steel with the under structure of 2x2" tube steel. I built it so I don't have to worry about breakin' it.