Work Bench Surface

[Jonno L]

Gday,

I've just knocked up a new work bench frame, and was doing a bit of reading as to what everyone uses for the surface of the bench. I've got a few sheets of formwork ply here (19mm I think), but I noticed a lot of people have various materials underneath their final sheet. What's the point of having, say, a sheet of MDF or chipboard underneath the final sheet? I have some 9mm CD ply here, is it worth sandwiching it between the frame and the formwork ply, and if so what will it achieve? A more stable, stronger work area?

Cheers

Jonno

[echnidna]

If you want it a bit stiffer just use 2 layers of formply.

[Dan]

I think most of the benches with an MDF or Ply top have a thin sacrificial layer on top so that when it gets damaged it can be replaced.

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Jonno,

Ideally a bench top should be perfectly flat and not flex. Mine is made from MDF and is about 7ft x 2ft. I glued together 3 sheets of 18mm MDF (I lipped them first with solid wood). After several years of hard use the top has remained perfectly flat. Having the top fairly thick is also better for fitting vices and bench dogs.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

[lockwood116]

I think most of the benches with an MDF or Ply top have a thin sacrificial layer on top so that when it gets damaged it can be replaced.

Did the same but coated with 2 pack for toughness and cleaning. I work with metal sometimes.

[SilentButDeadly]

My work bench top is an ex-office desk top 900x1800 that is finished in melamine - $40 for a 2nd hand office furniture place - and perfectly flat to boot. For little gouges I just use a bit of builders bog once in a while to fix them up. Once it gets too chopped up I'll just turn it over, fix the screw holes with bog and go again.........after that chop it up for jigs and get another top.