Workbench countertop opinions?

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alex e

alex e

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Welding up some 3" rectangular tube for the frame, most likely. 96"X24" work surface needed. This should be a heavy duty table too. I was thinking maybe 2" of MDF or plywood would be tough enough to pound on and all that jazz. Any other materials or ideas? Going to roll my tool chests underneath and add a nice vise on one end.
 
See if you can find a solid core 8' door somewhere. Or steel. 1/2" plate makes a nice welding surface, although 2' deep is kinda restrictive.

-Spike
 
1/2" steel if you going to do alot of pounding on it, but when you find out what it will cost, you will want to buy something else.

I would do the 1/2" steel top and use it as a welding/work table.
 
I have a sears workbench (it's OK but not great). Whatever kind of press-board the table top is made out of, it does have sheet metal cover. The sheet metal is good for automechanics type work. It cleans up nicely with a little solvent and you don't have to worry about oil and such soaking into the wood top.
 
.........yeah maybe a stainless over MDF top? I did price the steel top, ASTRONOMICAL!
 
Don't expect to be able to weld over sheet metal, but it will work well for a workbench. An alternative is a laminate, like a countertop. In fact, you could probably buy a countertop at your local hardware conglomerate. I used a 4x8 foot sheet of Formica black laminate on a half-inch sheet of particle board, which was backed by another sheet of 3/4 inch plywood. Easy to clean and chemical resistant. I have since built a 4x8 foot welding table with the 1/2 inch plate, and I put the laminated board on top of that for woodworking.

-Spike
 
I use a 1/2" sheet of MDF ontop of a 3/4" sheet of plywood, that way I can keep replacing the top. I get about 18 months of solid use out of one top before the MDF needs replacing.

I like the idea of a slice of MDF with a sheet metal top... You could design to flip over for greasy stuff and back for woodworking?

Just my .02
 
Take a look at workbench tops from industrial suppliers like http://www.mcmaster.com/ (page 1600). I've got a couple of the 1 3/4" maple butcher block tops and they are tough. They've also got other tough but less expensive options.

Also check any salvage stores that might be in your area. Solid commecial grade doors can often be found at such places with a little bit of damage that won't matter for a bench top or will be cut off to get the size you need.
 
half my bench is half inch steel ( i love it) the other half is 2" laminated benchtop,

best of both worlds.

JEs
 
butcher block or 3/4" plywood with .25" steel or (2) 3/4 plywood with .040" stainless. Kind of depends on what you're going to use it for.

My tool box has a 72x24x2 butcher block top that works well for most beatings. One of my smaller benches has 3/4" ply with steel for those occasions when you need to get medieval on parts.
 
For my welding table, I used 3/8's thick steel. Plenty thick for what I do.

However, for my workbench, I used the cheap butcher block kitchen counters from Ikea. For the price, it can't be beat. Not the best butcher block out there, but who would want to use the best you could get for a bench that's going to get worked?

IIRC it was like $70 bucks for a six foot long counter depth sheet.

Has to be oiled, the oil is only about $3.00.

I build this because I don't like to work on the steel table as a work bench. Beats up stuff and gets it dirty and oily. Stuff slides around too much on metal when you try to work on it. If you have something that needs to look nice, better to use wood work area as welding bench will trash nice stuff when it gets dragged around it.

I also have a stainless steel top on my tool box. That's nice as well as it's very easy to clean. It's a good place to put something dirty down with out having to worry about making a mess.


-Stumbaugh
 
i also use MDF,,, not only do i replace it when needed but i use a router to cut reliefs in it for different things i make, like the doornob box on a security screen door, that way the project can lay flat on the table.
 
Used 3/4 plywood with industrial grade peel & stick floor tiles. Easy to clean, takes a beating and was cheap. I would not use it to weld though. Have another table made of 3/8 steel.
 
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