Bench Surface

Charles,

My bench has 16 gauge steel sheet on it with a firm wooden base underneath, I would suggest that you fold it over the front of the bench top as well to protect the edges.

Martin P

I just use hardboard, which gets replaced every so often, but mdf sheet should be quite good. The good thing about wood is that it is a little more forgiving if something is dropped onto it, or fingers are trapped under something...

Regards,

Chris

I agree with Chris; I put a sheet of top quality 5/8" ply on the top of my bench in about 1984, and gave it a couple of coats of polyurethane varnish. I imagined that I would replace it when it got to badly chewed up. It's still almost as new. This may say more about my lack of "heavy engineering" than anything, but I also stick a few layers of newspaper over the most actively used bits and replace them when they get too disgusting.

David

Yes David, it's your lack of wacking things with something hefty! Wood is not the way to go for me.

Thanks

Charles

Mine is 1 1/2" thick but I am a bit heavy handed

One advantage is that it doesn't move even though it's not fastened down and you can bolt things to it without it tipping over.

John S.

There's always one...... And invariably it's JS!!

Charles

I have 3mm steel sheet covering my workbenches, plenty thick enough for any normal type of use, you would have to hit it with a sledgehammer to deform it.

I know Charles will have seen this but maybe some of the rest of you will be unaware of this site.

Nah. The truth is that JS's bench is covered in an archaeological layer of assorted tools & equipment - every now & then he gives it the once-over with the welding torch to re-consolidate the work surface. Rumour has it that somewhere towards the bottom there is a Drummond round-bed lathe, complete with operator, that he lost in '76.

Regards, Tony

It all depends on what work you do and how much you want to spend.

I've used kitchen worktop for my bench top. It's easy to clean and has a fairly tough surface. It sits on the top of some cut down dexion shelves which are screwed to the wall for stability. I don't do much hot or heavy work on it though. When it gets old, I can replace it cheaply. So far it's lasted 3 years with only a few dings.

The best I saw was in the steelworks where I worked. The welding shop had a bench about 20ft x 6ft. The top was 2" thich steel plate and the legs were solid. A little OTT for home use but lovely to work on. It laughed at a 14lb sledge hammer.

My engine build bench has thin galvanised sheet (maybe 24 gauge) bonded with contact adhesive to 1.5" of spruce ply (two sheets of

3/4") Ends dressed over and corners fixed with a large headed nail used for fixing roofing felt.

I've had it 20 years and its still in very good condition.

Other benches in the workshop are formica covered or just bare wood a couple of inches thick.

Charles p explained :

I use kitchen work-top, plus some spare loose bits of kitchen work-top place on top of the bench where I going to start any really rough work. It all wipes down easily and comes up clean.