So I thought that I had my benches set up the way I wanted. 2 of the 4 foot mastercraft benches together, one with the metal top and the other with the mdf. I’ve since picked up a second 650 and am at a loss of where to put it. I would like to make the 2 benches the same height and lay a one piece top over the whole works. I was hoping to find a stainless prep table (just rip off the top and mount it) or something similar but can’t seem to find anything. Any suggestions of where to find such a thing cheap or an alternative to look into? Thanks.
What or where to find bench top material
- Thread starter sookie_69
- Start date
I second a wood top of some sort. A stainless table top is going to make noise every time you set something down.
I've used those jointed pine "project boards" from Home Despot for table and cabinet tops. They are soft wood but the top surface holds up pretty well when finished with polyurethane. Put a hardwood edge around the perimeter to protect the edges and corners.
For extra weight, laminate the pine project board to an underlay of MDF. You won't see the MDF if you edge the thing with hardwood.
A totally ready-to-go-without-any-woodworking solution might be a table top or counter top from Ikea. Their AS-IS clearance area can have some decent deals.
Of course, if you go the Ikea route for a reloading bench top, you'll only be able to load 6.5×55 Swedish on it -- nothing else will work properly with an Ikea top.
I've used those jointed pine "project boards" from Home Despot for table and cabinet tops. They are soft wood but the top surface holds up pretty well when finished with polyurethane. Put a hardwood edge around the perimeter to protect the edges and corners.
For extra weight, laminate the pine project board to an underlay of MDF. You won't see the MDF if you edge the thing with hardwood.
A totally ready-to-go-without-any-woodworking solution might be a table top or counter top from Ikea. Their AS-IS clearance area can have some decent deals.
Of course, if you go the Ikea route for a reloading bench top, you'll only be able to load 6.5×55 Swedish on it -- nothing else will work properly with an Ikea top.
I've seen glued-up bamboo tops/shelf slabs in some of the building supply places. If the size is right, that might work. I've never tried cutting or drilling bamboo, so no comment there - I have heard it is quite hard.
I would definitely go with wood, painted if desired to make it easier to clean.
I would definitely go with wood, painted if desired to make it easier to clean.
I found someone doing kitchen renovations, and throwing out their old countertop. Works great for one bench. For the other bench, when Canadian Tire opened a new big store in Ottawa, they had a massive sale - among those was a Martha Stewart kitchen table. A fairly simple thing, but sturdy, so I bought it. I think it was, $40 or so, so I had no qualms about drilling permanent mounting bolts for my presses.
You local Gov't surplus may have one of the old brown and beige desks. Super heavy duty (I still have the top off one that I lay across sawhorses to make a workbench when working in the garage!)
You local Gov't surplus may have one of the old brown and beige desks. Super heavy duty (I still have the top off one that I lay across sawhorses to make a workbench when working in the garage!)
- Location
- West Quebec
How about non conducting matt material to cover the wood after you level them
- Location
- On a sand bar in the Atlantic Ocean.
I used Scandinavian Birch Plywood for mine. I got it from Home Depot and it was not all that pricey. It's 5/8 thick and has about 15 layers with no air gaps. Great stuff and very tough.
shackleford
CGN Regular
- Location
- S. Ontario
Good idea.
The Re-Store has lots of half boxes of hardwood flooring.
I've used recycled bamboo kitchen cutting blocks for small projects.
Lamintated bamboo sheet stock is hard and dense.
It leaves a nice crisp edge from the table saw and router. Drilled holes are crisp and neat.
It's really interesing material to work with.
Rayleigh_Scattering
Regular
- Location
- Under the arch
2 layers of 3/4" plywood glue and screw together makes a very stiff/solid/flat top that won't warp or split.
I then cut a sheet of 1/8" MDF for the top and secure it with 4 little nails at the corners. It's reasonably tough and very smooth.
When it gets too scored up I yoink out the nails and flip it over for a refresh, and then replace it altogether with a fresh one once both sides are mashed up. 1/8" MDF is dirt cheap.
I then cut a sheet of 1/8" MDF for the top and secure it with 4 little nails at the corners. It's reasonably tough and very smooth.
When it gets too scored up I yoink out the nails and flip it over for a refresh, and then replace it altogether with a fresh one once both sides are mashed up. 1/8" MDF is dirt cheap.
nomad 68
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I ran it through a planer to flatten the bottom side. I then glued it and nailed it.
Trouble with IKEA and Can tire benches is most of them are too wobbly for re loading. I used 4X4 legs, 2x4 frame and two layers of 3/4" plywood. Top that with arborite using the real contact cement and not the low odour stuff. Put a shelf near the bottom for more stability and a foot rest. And screw the bench to the wall. I now have zero movement in the bench which will also save you a world of issues. No primers bouncing around or powder spilling out etc.
