Door or Laminated Maple Top?

[Tom Kelley]

In issue 163 June/July 2005 Wood magazine there are plans for an easy to build work bench. To save money they suggest a 30" x 80" x 1 3/4" solid core door instead of a laminated maple top. Has anyone ever used a door as a workbench top and if so any regrets? I had planned on using a door but will bite the bullet and buy a maple top if necessary. Grizzly has them. I don't have a planer or jointer yet, so making my own would probably be a disaster. I would appreciate your ideas. Up to now I've been using a sheet of plywood on saw horses. Not good! So do I go with the door or maple top?
Thanks,
Tom

[Rod Torgeson]

Tom.....My work bench is a solid core door that I got for free and it has held up very well. Actually I got two doors and used part of the other one for the top of my router cabinet. Both are doing very well and the price was right. I have used both for over 10 years. The router cabinet is at the top left in the picture. Hope this helps.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA

[Thomas Williams]

I have used doors in the past and they work well. I even use hollow core doors for low abuse counter tops. If you have a building salvage dealer in your area or a Habitat for Humanity Build it Again center you should be able to pick up a used solid core door for cheap.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Another satisfied solid-core door user here. Got mine at HD in the damaged section. Never found where it was damaged. I trimmed it with ash and attached a Lee Valley twin screw vise to it with no issues. I drilled dog holes and they're working fine but I could see where over time they might start to wear.

I'd post a pic but you wouldn't see the bench anyway right now with all the crap on it.

[Jeff Hallam]

I too used a solid core door for my first workbench, but I found that it was not very flat so it has been demoted to my outfeed table for the TS. Unless you are doing handplaning or using it as your true glue up surface it is well suited otherwise. I even drilled dog holes in it, though they might wear out eventually they did the job.

[michael osadchuk]

......I believe that virtually nothing beats a laminated benchtop made of 'solid' wood like maple for dialing in and maintaining a totally flat surface - via touchup handplaning - that you can use for quick reference on the flatness of pieces of wood as you are trying to bring them into flatness......
...... but I would wait til I got the jointer and planer to buy roughsawn wood cheaper for that "more ultimate" workbench....
..... check out a Habitat for Humanity recycling store for the flattest solid core door or 1.25" or 1.5" tabletop surface laminated on both sides with Arborite and use that as a base for a workbench right now with the thought that it would be recycled into an assembly table in a few years if you build an workbench with a laminated surface or other "ultimate" workbench

just my opinion; others have different experiences

good luck

[Tim Sproul]

Go with a solid core door before a commercial laminated solid wood surface.

Why?

How are you going to flatten that laminated surface? I guarantee using a hand plane will drive you nuts because the grain will run in both directions and you'll get tear-out like crazy when you go to flatten the top. And you will need to flatten the top. Once a year if lucky and more often if not so lucky. You can use a sander or such but that is a PITA because you have to constantly constantly constantly check for flatness while abrading the surface.

Get the solid core door. Build and work on your bench. Pay attention to what you like about your bench and what you don't. Then go and make your own laminated solid wood top for your next bench that is improved to your working style.

[Lance Norris]

I also am using a solid core door and it works fine. As a matter of fact, the base of my workbench is my next door neighbors old kitchen base cabinets. I couldnt mount a bench vise to this, so its mounted to my assembly table. Works well enough.

[tyler jones wa]

If you use a door as your bench top, you can use copper pipe inserts for your round dog holes if you are worried about wear.

[Brian Lindenlaub]

In fact, I delayed building a bench for over a year because I could not decide whether to use a solid core door (cheaper, easier) or laminated maple (more traditional, more durable, prettier in my opinion) for the top. Then I stumbled onto 2 free solid core doors from a remodeling project and decided, what the heck, if I don't like the door, I'll replace it with maple later. That was about 9 months ago. So far the door has held up fine. but sometimes I still dream of that beautiful maple top . . .

By the way, another source for laminated maple tops that I found through SMC is perfectplank.com. They had good prices too last time I looked.

Brian

[Paul Girouard]

The door will work IF you add stretchers . Most solid core doors that are sold today are a particle board core with a perimeter of wood , generally about 1 3/8" x 1 1/2" or so depending on the veneer thickness, quality , or lack there of the manufacturer, etc other things may drive the wood perimeter size .

So not knowing what other factors , IE , leg size , quanity , design of the lower part of your bench , etc those factors would drive the success of your bench top. A PB core door WILL sag if not supported well just under it's own weight / design / const.

I have my lathe set up on a old 30 year or so "wood " solid core door and I have a old wood solid core door I use for a TS table extension which gets stored standing up right when not being used.

I've never understood the reasoning behind a pretty work table , never in any of the commercial shops I've worked in was pretty a factor. Must be a hobbyist WW thing. :rolleyes:


My bench's are work horse's , not show pieces, maybe if I had a pretty bench I could charge more :confused:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/assytable.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/longrippingsled1.jpg


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/feb51.jpg

[Jeff Booth]

I have built numerous benches from veneer covered solid wood doors. The variety found in offices (I am a dumpster diver whenever they retrofit offices at my officepark).

I can say that I recommend skipping that option unless price is an issue, the veneer slowly disintegrates from the various insults the bench takes, my next bench will be laminated with something hard (beech or maple).

[Tom Kelley]

Thanks for all the input into my workbench top. I think I will go ahead with the door idea. The bottom is all done with plenty of support so I don't think there will be a problem with the door sagging. If I could make a top like Alex Shanku's I would. But not having the tools or skill to do it with right now it is not possible.
Thanks Again!
Tom