# best material for workbench top



## brucet999 (Feb 23, 2019)

I need to replace the splintery top of my workbench; 81" x 30". What is the best material to use?

Is there any reason not to use plywood with formica laminate?


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

My work bench is a sheet of plywood. When it gets cruddy, I flip it over, then new sheet. This is more of an assembly table. If you plan on doing more hand work, something more substantial would be better.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

It depends on what you are using it for. Formica is Too slippery for hand tool work, but does a good job releasing glue if this is more of an assembly bench.


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## bigJohninvegas (May 25, 2014)

My work bench top is two sheets of 5'X5' baltic birch. 
Just as CW says, when it gets to messed up I can just flip it, or buy a sheet. 
I have a friend who makes his living as a woodworker. has a nice roubio style bench, and he keeps a sheet of 3/4" mdf screwed to it top. $30 sheet of mdf, replaces it as needed.

Tungoil is right. The laminate tops are to slick, and they chip easy. You will get more millage out of regular ply or mdf.


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## Snipes (Apr 3, 2012)

Shipright has a blog on making plywood workbench.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

The top of my work bench is made of 4 layers of 3/4" MDF, 4" thick, glued and screwed together. It is 42" wide x 102" long, and 42" high.

...It's mounted on a base made of SYP, and the legs, runners, and stretchers are 4" thick….It don't

rack or move when working on it…..I put 2 coats of BLO on first, then 6 coats of polyurethane over that. That was

about 10 years ago, and it still looks pretty good….If you get glue on it, the glue just wipes off…..You can make

the top out of any material you want to…I've got 2 more benches in my shop that has solid core doors for the tops.

As long as you've got a solid heavy base and a solid top, you'll have no trouble with it….Here's a picture of mine.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

Rick that is an awesome bench! That landscape must be nice to have. I bet it weighs a ton too.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks Bill….I appreciate the nice comment on the bench….Yes sir…..it's heavy, especially after I built the cabinet underneath. I can't move it. It must weigh about 500 pounds…. It has plenty of storage and drawers…..I have plenty of room in my shop for doing projects…..It's a 40×50 shop.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Mine is similar to Bill's but I used 1 1/8" subfloor plywood topped with 3/4" MDF which I seal with varathane. The MDF is fastened down with recessed screws. As mentioned above when the top looks ugly I flip it over and when both sides are shot I just get a new sheet of MDF.


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## Sylvain (Jul 23, 2011)

"best" 
depends of your needs/ the way you work, the money you want to spend, how long it must last, if you want a posh workbench, etc.
My bench-top is made of recycled laminated construction grade 47 X 75 mm rough saw boards planed with a hand plane.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

My workbench/assembly bench is brown hardboard. It's the stuff they use for pegboard but without the holes. Shiny on one side. It's 1/4" thick but i hard stuff. I put it down with pin nails and pry it off if it needs replacing. You can sand the glue/paint off it too and it's still flat and hard. You need to good base for it though.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

I used 1/8" hardboard to renew by workbench surface. Sprayed glued and screwed. It works great, was cheap, easy, and can last for years.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Ditto on the hardboard. Cheap, smooth, hard face, and can be flipped over to use the other side if the shape is right. If you want an all white surface for any reason, use white melamene coated hardboard. It is often used for a cheap washable bathroom wall covering. Also is resistant to most paints and thinners.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

For a general purpose/assembly table, I also use a hardboard top. but I wax it with paste wax. Keep it waxed and wood glue doesn't stick much at all or is easily scrapped off.


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## brucet999 (Feb 23, 2019)

Thanks, everyone.

From the several replies, it appears that the cheapest and easiest route for me will be to belt sand the high spots of the old 2×10 boards and attach a sheet of tempered hardboard (Masonite?) which when waxed will resist glue and paint sticking but still not be so slick that work pieces slide around too easily.

Would it matter whether 1/4" or 1/8" hardboard?


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

> Thanks, everyone.
> 
> From the several replies, it appears that the cheapest and easiest route for me will be to belt sand the high spots of the old 2×10 boards and attach a sheet of tempered hardboard (Masonite?) which when waxed will resist glue and paint sticking but still not be so slick that work pieces slide around too easily.
> 
> ...


I'd go with 1/4" as long as it is good and flat. The heavier it is, the flatter it will lay under it's own weight.

While I recommend waxing if you're going to use it for assembly and gluing, the slicker surface will work against you for holding stuff down. Though if clamping down, I don't see a problem.

I find the wax does wear off pretty quick if you scrap off a lot of glue. So if you stop waxing, it will take care of itself over time anyway.

FYI, another good thing about waxing is if you spill water or something you have a chance to clean it up. Thinking about it now, I'm pretty sure I also put a coat or two of poly on mine before waxing.

But the whole point of the hardboard is to be removable and cheaply replaced. So I wouldn't sweat it either way.


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## Remodlz (Dec 6, 2020)

Some great advice here. I'm leaning toward a 2×4 flat or stacked on end, glued and screwed or dowels. Then bringing it to my friend who sands floors and having him sand it smooth. The 42" is far too wide for a planer and Way to much work hand sanding the edges.

Ideas welcome.


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## bigJohninvegas (May 25, 2014)

> Some great advice here. I'm leaning toward a 2×4 flat or stacked on end, glued and screwed or dowels. Then bringing it to my friend who sands floors and having him sand it smooth. The 42" is far too wide for a planer and Way to much work hand sanding the edges.
> 
> Ideas welcome.
> 
> - Remodlz


So how big of a planer do you have access too?
I'm lucky enough to have access to a 24". 
So 2 glue ups, and plane the 2 halves and dowel or domino them together. 
Even a 13" planer and 4 glue ups. You can get very close. 
Once its all glued up you can build a router sled to get it dead flat. 
Also the wider the 2X, like a 2X8. the clean the boards tend to be. Less knots.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I've been in Rick's workshop and seen his workbenches. The man damn sure knows what he's talking about. He's got his shop so darn organized any of us should be in awe of him.


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## Sylvain (Jul 23, 2011)

original post dated 
03-09-2019


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## voodverker62 (Mar 24, 2017)

brucet999 said:


> I need to replace the splintery top of my workbench; 81" x 30". What is the best material to use?
> 
> Is there any reason not to use plywood with formica laminate? formica chips , can catch , plywood splinters , , MDF or Melamine ,and repace as needed , U usually cover a sturdy bench top with 3/8" or 1/2" replaceable material. Its nice to have mdf so you can screw into when needed , but nice to have Melamine for glue cleanup . both have advantages , and both chap to replace.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

Bob is making a pretty decent bench too. FWIW - there is a workbench smackdown thread somewhere on here. I'm still trying to get used to navigating the new site.


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## OzarkJim (8 mo ago)

They make Melamine with MDF core. Also using conformat screws will improve grip in both MDF or particle board.

We are using white Melamine for all our countertops and table tops. It's cheap and easy to replace when damaged. But we rarely use hand tools and don't beat our table tops with hammers. I particularly like that Melamine is easy to keep clean. Also easy to add T track. It can be an advantage or disadvantage that it is also slick. That is good when your outfeeding stock off of a saw but not so good when you are pushing against a cabinet while driving screws. We use clamped down 2x4s to hold cabs as necessary.


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## OzarkJim (8 mo ago)

brucet999 said:


> I need to replace the splintery top of my workbench; 81" x 30". What is the best material to use?
> 
> Is there any reason not to use plywood with formica laminate?


Try MDF core Melamine. That is what we use.


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## RonPaul (4 mo ago)

I have a smaller table for glue ups and outfeed, its plywood skinned with formica. Easy to do and it cleans up quick. It is quite slippery though


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