Workbench top opinions - solid vs mdf/laminate?

[Ken Platt]

Folks -

I am planning a workbench, but am stuck on the type of top.

I've been working for years on a large table, 72"x30" top, made of particle board with laminate on one face and the edges, hardboard on the other face. I got it used and cheaply, and have made do with it, but it's time for better. I'm not necessarily looking for the ultimate, forever bench, but something better enough to last me a decade or so.

My initial plan for a top was to use the table top I have, by flipping the hardboard side up, and glueing on a sheet of 3/4" mdf, then attach hardwood aprons. However, I'm looking at the vises I plan to install, and they seem, well, heavy, for this sort of top. I've got the Rockler Quick-release for an end vise, and a Jorgensen bench vise for a face vise.

So, I'm reconsidering a solid wood top. It'd be nice....but is it necessary for strength for the vises? Or for longevity of dogholes? Or is there some other reason to reject the manmade material?

Holding me back from a solid wood top is that it'd either be a good amount of work time, or a chunk of $$ to buy pre-made. I do have some 2" thick red oak that I could use (although I'm not wild about using a somewhat dark wood). Or, seems like it's hard to beat the price for a top from Grizzly, 72" x30" x 1 1/4" $250 delivered.

So, I'm looking for opinions and experience on using a bench with mdf-type tops vs solid. I appreciate all thoughts and ideas.

Ken

Granby, CT.

[Chris Friesen]

A solid bench top allows you to flatten it with handplanes. It will also improve the longevity of the dog holes, and will be stronger. If you use hand tools, this may be a factor.

Depending on your needs, you may also want to consider a narrower and longer bench. There are good reasons to make a bench 24" wide or so...much longer than that and it becomes hard to reach the other side. Also, a longer bench allows you to work longer pieces with full support.

My own bench is maple (salvaged from a bowling alley), 84x24x2 5/8". I would have like to go thicker, but that's how wide the strips were. I was limited in length by the available material and the space it was destined for.

[glenn bradley]

I currently have 3" of laminated MDF. Flattening is not a problem as it stays flat if you support it properly. Dog holes have survived without issue. BLO and paste wax results in a surface that glue does not stick to but, if you use it like a mechanics bench, you will gouge it. I have a couple pock marks that I filled with epoxy while I had some mixed for some other job. Asnd flat, no problems. I refer to it as my "next" bench as I would like to have a nice SYP, beech or maple bench somewhere down the line but, like a Warrington hammer, it seems to be something I want for no particular reason ;-)

[Brian Tymchak]

Ken,

I am also on the verge of starting to build my own workbench. Something I have always wanted to do since being a kid. Like you I will have a fairly heavy bench vise (just ordered it in fact). I decided that the top should be at least 3" thick ( although I'm shooting for 4") to adequately support the vise as I want about 1 1/2" of the lag screws threaded into the top. No real science involved in figuring that out. Just feels about right to me so that if I do tighten down on something in the vice, I won't tork the connection between the vice and benchtop all that much. 3" will also leave plenty of room to flatten the top several times in the future. My bench top will be white ash as it is hard, light colored, and very plentiful (iow cheap) here in Ohio.

If you do go with MDF or plywoods to build up a top, in my opinion, lag screws won't have quite the holding power of lag screws in hardwood. Maybe you go even thicker in the top to get additional holding power by using longer lag screws. Or maybe you can just go thicker in the mounting area of the vise by adding a spacer under the top.

Good luck!

Brian

[Todd Burch]

Anything wood or wood product will gouge or dent when used as a mechanics bench. My vote would be to go cheap as you can, and replace when needed. I drive screws into mine, over drill into it, route into it, jigsaw into the edges of it, spill stain, glue, use it as a scratchpad for calculations, and anything and everything else. All it all, it's livelihood, appearance and enjoyment in life is not a concern of mine.

[Thom Sturgill]

Check out lumber liquidators. They carry maple butcher block counter tops 1 1/2" x 25" by 8' for about $200, and you may be able to go pick it up rather than have it shipped freight!

I built my bench by laminating SYP boards to make a 3+ inch thick top. Even with occasional resurfacing I expect one of my grandkids will inherit it. It did take a while to build, but then the satisfaction was worth it.

[Bill Jensen]

Another idea that I saw and thought about recently was couter tops from Ikea. They have Beech tops that are 1-1/2" thick at VERY good prices
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60057852 .
These are solid wood.

[Jeff Dege]

These are solid wood.

Mostly solid.

I'm just finishing up a bench using one of their oak countertops, described here (And yes, I'd probably have done better to use the beech, because of its tighter grain. Their third option is birch, which I'd expect to be too soft.)

Having cut into one:

1. Only the side and end strips are made from 1-1/2"x1-1/2" stock. The interior is made of strips that are half that height. 1-1/2" wide, and 3/4" deep. Still tightly fitted and well-glued, so this is only a cosmetic issue.

2. On my countertop, at least, there was one knot with a pretty significant void hidden in the interior. This I filled with black epoxy. Whether my countertop was unusual in having this flaw, or unusual in having only this flaw, I can't say.

[Jerome Hanby]

I recently bought their beech counter top. I'm planning on cutting it in half length wise and flipping it over to make a core about 20" x 6', 3" thick. Planning on a tool tray in the back and shoulder vise on the front, and Nyquist tail vise on the right, so after all the aprons and such are added, I think it'll be about the right width. Got a good price on some pretty 6/4 European beech for the aprons and vises. Wish I had found the beech before I bought Ambrosia maple for the base. Not my first choice, but the price was right.

Another idea that I saw and thought about recently was couter tops from Ikea. They have Beech tops that are 1-1/2" thick at VERY good prices
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60057852 .
These are solid wood.

[Guy Belleman]

After years of dealing with lower quality bench tops, I made a solid top last summer and it is working out great.

I got some 4"x7"x7' (actual size) oak beams, left over from a construction project that were advertised in the local nickel ads pamphlet. They had been sitting out in the weather for a year, but were in great shape beneath the surface. Since I didn't have a jointer (yet), I took 'em to a local woodshop and they edged, planed to 3.7", glued them together, and then face sanded through their 48" sander to 3.5". Total cost when all said and done, about $100. Money well spent for a thick top, done in a few days, that would have taken me two weeks and a lot more tools to do. Like the previous posters, I did fill in a couple of knots with epoxy.

My bench is an adaptation of Christopher Schwartz's bench. In his workbench book, I liked the recommendation to not add any aprons or skirts to it. I like being to clamp straight to the top.

I would suggest getting Schwartz's Workbench book. Lots of good ideas that may help in selecting your wood and considerations for design. Several sources, if you get it here, it also signed by the author. http://www.lostartpress.com/product/...17f296377.aspx

It is a joy to work on my bench and window it sits in front of. I enjoy going out the shop and getting to work. I would say that when I finished my bench, my workshop changed from a dusty and cluttered workplace, to an organized, clean, thinking place, where my wife and family now visit.

Good luck