A Top for My Ultimate Workbench

[Andrew Joiner]

I've always made my workbenches from low cost material, even crates. I've had tops I could drill into and not pamper. I don't do hand planing or mortise chopping on my benches so I don't need the mass of a hardwood top.
Now I've got time and money to build my dream workbench. I've read all the bench books. I have most of my needs sketched up.
My concern is a laminated hardwood top will need to be re-flattened. Even Lie-Nielsen says " We recommend that the bench be re-flattened as needed, every year or two."

My current MDF top stayed flat enough and its 5 years old. I've even managed to avoid drilling into it. I may use MDF again because of it's stability. The look of MDF is acceptable,but a laminated maple top looks so cool.

Are there any other workbench tops that don't need re-flattening?

[Stephen Cherry]

I bought several commercial fire rated doors that are super flat- and I think I paid 5 dollars each. They would make nice bench tops. The key would be to find a commercial place that is being demoed, and ask.

I also have a couple of benches from craigslist- usually the price of then bench wouldn't even buy a good vice.

If I were to build a bench though, I would use all recycled lumber. 100 year wood has probably reached something close to equilibrium, as far as dryness goes.

[Mike Konobeck]

Sam built this quite some time ago out of BB. I debated doing something similar out of strips of BB but on edge (butcher block style) instead of being attached to a flat sheet. I came across some hard maple cheap and ended up going that route. Can't beat the traditional look of a laminated up hardwood top. Not to mention the weight and density. You said you don't use hand tools so that shouldn't matter much but if you ever decided to then you would regret a lightweight top.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?22081-A-new-workbench.-(a-bit-long)&p=197798 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?22081-A-new-workbench.-(a-bit-long)&p=197798)


Current project on the bench. Now assembled and finished but it was a pleasure to work on a nice bench versus the marginal "benches" I have been working on.

209877

[David Kumm]

Andrew, I have a hard maple top and a southern yellow pine top and haven't flattened either in years. They get some dings- mainly the soft one but they have to be used really hard to need flattening every year or two. I do keep a piece of MDF near by and cover the top when I'm doing stupid stuff like painting, grinding, metal work, etc. I would go the traditional route. Dave

[Larry Edgerton]

Andrew, first I am not easy on my bench, but I do need it to be flat.

I built my main bench up with a lower frame of 1/4" wall 2" square stock with heavy wheels. It is wide, 49 inches, with drawers on both sides. In between the drawers is a sheet of 1/4" plate standing vertically welded to the lower frame. The two layer top rests directly on this steel plate, so there is absolutely no sag. Great for making doors. I do have to check for twist with winding sticks before glueing up a door and roll the wheel up on a shim if needed, but that is part of the deal. The first layer of the top is MDF treated with West System on both sides, the top layer is a sheet of plain sliced oak ply with a Ash band that covers the MDF. This layer can be unscrewed and replaced, but I have come to love all the scars that I fix with epoxy, they are kind of my story, so I have never replace the top in twenty years. In a few spots where I hit it with a router I have dropped coins in the epoxy and leveled it out with a scraper just for fun.

I don't get too caught up in what some one would have done 200 years ago. If they had the resources we have today they would have done things differently. This is just my spin.

Larry

[Carl Beckett]

Hi Andrew,

MDF is a perfectly viable workbench top. The first bench I built (before I started working with hand tools as much), was a set of plans from one of the popular woodworking publications - it had 2 layers of plywood as the top (the legs were bolted together/removable for breakdown, and three drawers across the front). In many ways - this bench could not be beat.

It definitely got used, and as the top took on layers of wax, varnish, poly, glue, etc etc - I would just use a paint scraper to smooth it all off and good to go for the next round.

I have MDF as a router table surface as well as outfeed on my table saw (I got a bunch of MDF for essentially free so used it). A layer of shellac soaks into the surface and then you can build the shellac film thickness a bit and you have a very decent work surface. Cheap, dimensionally stable - very practical. I do recommend doubling up on the thickness to 1.5". And maybe the first layer should be a good cabinet grade plywood (to give a little more stiffness/structure) and then laminate the second layer with MDF

Butcher block looks cool. There are some posts on here suggesting IKEA has some premade counter tops that are reasonably priced.

If you go the full solid route - Im a big fan of using whatever wood is available (meaning - if you can find a pile of rough lumber in someones barn at a cheap price - use it - it likely doesnt matter what species)

[Matt Kestenbaum]

+1 for a hard maple top. Also the design you choose will help in this area...there are several ways to help keep it flat. Make sure you mill the stock slowly and evenly -- assuming you've you sticker the rough boards and let them acclimate to the shop for a while, resticker them after an even (equal removal from both sides) milling. Check them after a day or two and remill prior to glue-up. Also, most good designs incorporate some sort of side cap or bread-board elements that allow for expansion and contraction while holding the top flat. Glue-up and clamping strategies also go a long way towards a flat, stable top.

[ian maybury]

I'm just starting into a laminated top hardwood bench in beech - basically along the lines of a Schwarz Roubo. Having got by for over ten years with a less than flat softwood bench I originally installed for mechanical work I can say I'm really looking forward to having a flat top bench that can properly be used to hold stuff down.

One perspective is that re-flattening a laminated bench top doesn't seem to be that big a job - maybe a couple of hours.

On bench top materials. I suspect that the biggest disadvantage of man made boards like MDF or ply is that they may present some peculiarities (probably not insurmountable) if you are drilling holes for dogs and stops.

It'd seem a great pity to me even if you are not using hand tools to not set a bench up to maximise its work holding capability...

ian

[Paul Cahill]

It'd seem a great pity to me even if you are not using hand tools to not set a bench up to maximise its work holding capability...



I agree on the work holding. I have a couple of Gramercy holdfasts and I love being able to grab onto anything whether I am using hand tools or powered. I went the laminated SYP route. I had originally intended to use MDF to avoid the cost of hardwood, but once I ran the numbers and realized the cost was a toss up, I changed directions. The laminated top involved a lot of woodwork, but that is the whole point......:D

Paul

[Jeff Monson]

Hard maple or ash would make a nice top also.

[Neil Brooks]

One perspective is that re-flattening a laminated bench top doesn't seem to be that big a job - maybe a couple of hours.


Amen.

I like to "hope for the best, but plan for the worst."

If you make your top in two pieces, so that each piece will fit through your planer/drum sander .... you'll be covered, either way.

Good luck !

[Bill White]

I was able to get a hunk of bowling lane for use on my bench top. It was free. How 'bout that price?
If I were to use an mdf product, I would use the exterior grade (I believe it is call Extera). It much more dense and water proof. Also heavier and darker. If you're gonna add dog holes, you might want to double or triple the top thickness so the dogs or holdfasts will work better. Hey, if ya gotta buy a whole sheet, use it all.
Bill

[Andrew Joiner]

Andrew, I have a hard maple top and a southern yellow pine top and haven't flattened either in years. They get some dings- mainly the soft one but they have to be used really hard to need flattening every year or two. I do keep a piece of MDF near by and cover the top when I'm doing stupid stuff like painting, grinding, metal work, etc. I would go the traditional route. Dave

David, It's not the dings I'd worry about. It's the normal seasonal movement. I like a real flat bench. Even my current MDF top had to be adjusted to flatten it after a few years.

Thanks for all the responses.

I have a scrap of Advantech I'm testing. It's like super dense OSB with lots of phenolic resin. It may be better than MDF.

[Steven Wayne]

I have a good bit of 5.5" x 5.5" x 9' oak that is old and dried. I have considered using it to build the BenchCrafted split top bench. Is the oak I already own a good candidate for this build?

[phil harold]

+1 on solid core door slabs
check out a builder supply and ask if they have any in in their bull pen

[David Kumm]

David, It's not the dings I'd worry about. It's the normal seasonal movement. I like a real flat bench. Even my current MDF top had to be adjusted to flatten it after a few years.

Thanks for all the responses.

I have a scrap of Advantech I'm testing. It's like super dense OSB with lots of phenolic resin. It may be better than MDF.

Andrew, I had not thought about that. My shop is climate controlled so the movement issue is a non event. How much does yours typically move? Dave

[Carl Beckett]

I have a good bit of 5.5" x 5.5" x 9' oak that is old and dried. I have considered using it to build the BenchCrafted split top bench. Is the oak I already own a good candidate for this build?

Steven,

There is a thread recently about 'show us your workbench' - or something like this. Here it is:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?124750-Show-us-your-Bench
(http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?124750-Show-us-your-Bench)
In it there is a Roubo type bench built from QS Oak - you might look for that. I think the builder wasnt fully happy with QSWO as a chop.

But personally - I am a big fan of using what you have (or can get your hands on), as its still highly functional and is easier on the budget.

[Andrew Joiner]

Andrew, I had not thought about that. My shop is climate controlled so the movement issue is a non event. How much does yours typically move? Dave

My shop is heated with heat lamps. I only heat the area around the benches when I'm gluing. This would be like leaving a benchtop in a sunporch on a hot sunny day. It's a great low cost way to heat. I think I'd be putting a thick laminated top under a lot of stress. When the heat lamps are on the bench top area gets to about 85 degrees F. The underside is 45 to 50 degrees.

My current 3'x6' MDF top is one layer with Doug Fir ribs under it. After 2 years It bowed up about 1/8". I flattened it by flipping 2 of the ribs.

Thanks David

[Andrew Joiner]

Amen.

I like to "hope for the best, but plan for the worst."

If you make your top in two pieces, so that each piece will fit through your planer/drum sander .... you'll be covered, either way.

Good luck !

I'm making a 40" wide by 8" long top.The 2 or 3 piece top would help. I could even make just the front 12" wide section of laminated hardwood and the back 28" section of MDF.
Then I'd need to remove 2 vises to run it thru the planer. About as much work as hand planing or router jig done in place.

Thanks Neil