Ideas for work bench top?

So I picked up a work bench and cabinets from CostCo.com and I've been pretty happy with them. With the exception that I'd like a larger top for the workbench, it's currently 20"x65". Looks like 1" plywood with a slightly finished top.

I'd like to make it wider, to 30" or so, preferably with a metal top so it's easy to clean up and I can hit things with a hammer on it. The extra width will also give me room to mount a vice.

So what ideas can you guys give me? I was thinking about getting a 0.75" of plywood, cut/trim to shape and then drill/glue a metal surface to it, then drill/glue it to the current workbench top.

Where could I find the metal for the top?

I've got a 2x4' "fabrication table" from JMR Manufacturing. Cost about $300, but has slots for t-slots clamps etc so you can clamp anything down, and weld directly on it. Fits on top of my HF "aviation style" tool chest perfectly. I love it. Worth every penny, and heavy as hell. 3/8" thick.

Scored a 5/16" X 30" X 60" steel plate among other stuff in a scrap metal lot at an auction super cheap. Just kinda lucked into it but couldn't pass it up. Made a fine welding/ fab table w/ 1x2 and 1" square tubing frame w/ steel casters.

Try scrap metal yards, they're likely to keep plate or sheet steel around for stuff like this... well the ones that resell anyway.

My main bench has a double layer of 3/4 plywood and then I covered it with a length of conveyor belting cut to size. It cleans up easily. I can beat on it all I want. The conveyor belting is at least 20 years old now and will be for sale at the estate sale after my demise.

A sheet metal shop can supply some for you. If you want to spend the extra cash have them make a "pan" out of it. They can pre-bend the edges and weld them.

near you? http://www.arrowsheetmetal.com/

I looked at IKEA's as-is section and found some nice countertop material. Basically the same plastic that cutting boards are made of.

Should be easy to cut and very durable for the type of work I'm doing in my garage.

I think I'll pick some up this week.

I have an old professional kitchen prep table in the garage.

All Stainless!!!

http://hartford.craigslist.org/for/5208690083.html

NGTD wrote: I have an old professional kitchen prep table in the garage. All Stainless!!!

I like this idea...

I bought a workbench from Menard's. It came with a ~1/2" top. I bought a 5/8" piece of finished particleboard to replace the thin top and used the old top on the bottom shelf to replace the even thinner piece.

I have three work benches the oldest of which is close to 40 years old (that kind of dates me)and constructed of 4x4 legs, 2x6 bracing close to the bottom and 2x6 bracing around the top all bolted together with 5/16 carrage bolts. The top is a laminated solid oak slab door (almost 2 inches thick) that came off a church which was being replace because the bottom edge was rotting. I cut the bottom and one edge on a table saw and bolted it to the frame. Very solid and very heavy.

I have another bench with a solid core wood door for a top. The door was scratched and I bought it at Home Depot for maybe 35 dollars but you can buy them new for maybe twice that. I use the hole for the lock set as a place for electrical cord to run through. This bench has mostly large electical tools mounted on like a disk sander, seperate belt sander and bench grinder.

The third bench is small 4 foot by 3 foot with casters that I can move outside when needed. It has a vice mounted on it. The top was made from a sheet of 1/2 plywood cut in half. I used a couple tubes of Liquid Nails to laminate the two pieces together and before the Liquid Nails set up run a number of drywall screws into what would become the bottom side of the top. That insured a very tight bond with the two halfs becoming pretty much a solid piece of 1 inch plywood. Trimmed it up on a table saw to the size I needed and mounted it on a frame with 4x4 legs and 2x4 bracing. All of my work benches are painted black.

I'd look around on Craigslist. It's a shame you are on the other side of the country. I have a stainless steel section i'm trying to get rid of.

Thanks for the ideas, there's an Ikea close by. I'll check them and Home Depot out...

Sears has some too: http://www.sears.com/search=workbench%20top

Coulda sworn I saw some cheaper ones when I visited the store.

If you want metal look to local salvage yards for rems. They may even cut to size for you. If you would like wood Lumber Liquidators sells butcher block countertops in 1-1/2"x25"x8' or 1-1/2x36"x6' for under $200.

I like having part of my workbench covered with masonite. It's smooth so you can do very delicate work on it and relatively hard. It does swell with mositure though, so I like to have other parts of top set up for wet or heavy work.

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

I also like to use the all rubber front door mats on top of my work benches. The kind with no pattern just with the little rubber posts or nubs sticking up. When disassembling things they keep small screws, washers, bolts nut from falling on the floor. They will contain some fluids, protect the bench top from getting all scratched up moving parts around or hammering, etc. I wash them with soap and water and a brush or broom and if they get too nasty just throw them away.

pirate wrote: In reply to Fueled by Caffeine: I also like to use the all rubber front door mats on top of my work benches. The kind with no pattern just with the little rubber posts or nubs sticking up. When disassembling things they keep small screws, washers, bolts nut from falling on the floor. They will contain some fluids, protect the bench top from getting all scratched up moving parts around or hammering, etc. I wash them with soap and water and a brush or broom and if they get too nasty just throw them away.

Now that's a tech tip for the magazine.

Do you have an Ikea close? Near the checkout there is always an "as-is" room. The one corner always has a few dozen countertops of some sort. Sometimes you can snag real bargains. I got a butcher block table top for $13.

They also sometimes (rarely) have a stainless top or two, or sometimes a stainless-faced particle board piece.

EDIT: oops. Someone beat me to it

Bruce wrote: I looked at IKEA's as-is section and found some nice countertop material. Basically the same plastic that cutting boards are made of. Should be easy to cut and very durable for the type of work I'm doing in my garage. I think I'll pick some up this week.

bluej wrote:

NGTD wrote: I have an old professional kitchen prep table in the garage. All Stainless!!!

I like this idea...

I'm a tall guy, so I raised it using exhaust extensions and muffler clamps. I should take a picture.

Teh E36 M3 wrote: I've got a 2x4' "fabrication table" from JMR Manufacturing. Cost about $300, but has slots for t-slots clamps etc so you can clamp anything down, and weld directly on it. Fits on top of my HF "aviation style" tool chest perfectly. I love it. Worth every penny, and heavy as hell. 3/8" thick.

You get just the top separate? or was it 300 for the kit with legs?

Sad to say, but I'm seeing a lot of nice SS kitchen prep tables on CL, 30" wide and 6 or 7 foot lengths, for less than $150.