Hollow core door for assembly table top?

[Jay Yoder]

I need to build an assembly table that is approximately 27 x 72 – 32 x 80 to set in the middle of my “dust” room. I will be using it to assemble projects, and at one end house my sharpeners and equipment. I was strolling through the blue borg the other day and saw how inexpensive the hollow core doors were. I didn’t see any solid core door slabs at the time but it got me to thinking… What if picked up a couple and glued them together face to face, wrap the edges with hardwood and then top off the assembly with formica? I would think I would have a fairly sturdy, inexpensive top. I could put them on some lower cabinets to utilize the storage underneath. Anyone ever done this? Is it a bad idea? I don’t relish the thought of dealing with the MDF to build my own top assembly like I did with my miter station. I won’t put a vise on it, so…any thoughts/experiences with this?

[David Weaver]

No clue if they're strong enough for furniture, but when I was a kid, they were the work surface of choice bar none for making radio controlled airplanes. That's a lightweight endeavor, though.

If not suitable, I'd wait for a solid core door before dealing with moisture absorbing, random swelling MDF.

[Rich Riddle]

Jay,

I would not recommend a hollow-core door for your application. You can find countless solid doors on craigslist or at your local rehab store though. They are just as cheap if not cheaper. I had many for free.

Here is the link to the restore there, actually two of them:

http://www.charlotterestore.org/

[Tom M King]

I've used solid core doors a number of times. A number of times because they don't stay flat horizontally. You can get them cheap at Habitat stores.

I just bought a torn out section of bowling alley flooring for an assembly table. I haven't gotten around to doing anything with it yet, but it's nice and flat. It has laminated (not so prettily) Maple, bolted to angle irons underneath, with the synthetic (solid phenolic) bowling lane top. I feel like it should be a long term, good assembly table. Community Forklift in Hyattsville, MD has a big stack of them.

[Peter Quinn]

I've used them for job site tables, for heavier work in the shop I made a tortion box from birch ply which can take anything I throw at it. Not sure about laminating two, I'd be inclined to order a solid core slab or make a tortion box table if it's something you will beat or knock together furniture with dead blow.

[Art Mann]

I think you would be disappointed with the durability of the structure you propose. Hollow core doors are truly flimsy. If you have the tools and skills, I suggest you build a "torsion box" type bench top instead. These structures are incredibly strong for their weight and can be built cheaply out of 1/2" MDF with plywood skins. Do a search or send me a message if you want to pursue that idea.

[Jim Matthews]

What if two were used as the skins of a torsion box design?
They're plenty flat, just not all that sturdy.

If you're storing it, a torsion box should be light enough to move around.
Most of the ones I've seen aren't going anywhere until the next Tsunami.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I use hollow core doors all the time as job site work surfaces laid out on a pair of plastic horses.

The only real problem with a hollow core door is that it only uses 1/4 or 1/8" thick material as a skin.
You can easily poke through it.
If you were to laminate a layer of 1/2" plywood on top, that would go a long way towards making the skin more suitable for heavy pounding.

[Bill McNiel]

Don't use hollow core (you will regret it). Solid core absolutely (available at any of the recycle stores for max $50). Cover it with 1/2" MDF or masonite, seal the MDF and you have a great work surface. I built a workbench with this top and it has remained flat and true for 20+ years. I replace the top every year or three.

[Roy Harding]

A hollow core door IS a torsion box - albeit usually with cardboard "guts".

I'd echo a previous poster who mentioned how flimsy the skin is on these - you'd poke through it fairly easily by accident. Build your own torsion box bench top.

[Lee Schierer]

My daughter recently purchased two hollow core doors to make sliding doors for a closet. Part of the process involved drilling a 3/4" hole in one face near the edge for the brass finger hole. As I drilled the hole, I was amazed that the wood border was only 3/4" wide and the skin was essentially 1/8" cardboard. To call it hard board would have been a disservice. While the door is likely to be flat, I would think that it would break if you put any amount of weight on it if you used it as a work bench.

[Jay Yoder]

Thanks for all the excellent responses. I was looking at the doors as a cheap kind of torsion box but sounds like they won't be strong enough for long enough. I will check out if I can find some solid core doors While I have the skills and tools, what I lack is time. I am 4 projects behind at the moment and seems that there are more looming. I had purchased a solid core door in Ohio for this very purpose, but it didn't make the move. Maybe I should just pull the trigger on the workbench that Sam's club sells (http://www.samsclub.com/sams/ultra-heavy-duty-workbench/prod1490086.ip?navAction=). Any one have one of these? They seem pretty heavily built and get good scores. Thanks for your excellent responses as always!

[johnny means]

I keep multiple hollow core doors around the shop to use for temporary benchtops. They are plenty stiff for assembly and general shop work. As stated earlier, the main drawback is the thin skin. I'll often through an MDF surface on top of a hollow core door for a tougher surface. Also, unlike a solid for hollow core doors stay flat.

[Matthew Hills]

I use a hollow core door as a temporary work surface in my garage/shop.
I've been putting it up on a pair of sawhorses.

It hasn't stayed flat.
It might do better with a more complete support structure.
But the others' notes about the thin skin and low-grade materials for the interior webbing are true.

The Wood Whisperer did a nice show on his assembly top:
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/episode-18-assembly-table-torsion-box/


Matt