With my house closing drawing near I am throwing around ideas of projects to tackle (read: I am bored out of my mind since I finished the motor swap). One of the first things I’d like to do is set up a proper work bench in the new garage, since I’ll be starting from scratch in there. I already have a table structure in mind (Bosch aluminum strut which I source through my job), but haven’t settled on an actual bench top surface yet. Keep in mind that I do a lot of “heavy” work on the bench, with lots of greasy, oily, heavy parts banging around all the time, and lots of cutting, grinding, welding. The wood desk I’m using now is pretty severely scarred after just 1 year of use. Here is my thought process:
Wood:
Pros:
Cheap
Readily available
Easy to replace
Easy to paint/coat to my liking
Don’t feel bad about beating it up
Warmer to the touch in cold winter months
Cons:
Doesn’t look that great
Not that durable
Pain in the ass to weld on since I have to clamp to the part rather than the table
Not that durable
Oil, grease, solvents, etc will soak in and smell/look like shit
Not that durable
All that is probably true for most woods, from MDF to something like a butcherblock surface, with varying levels of toughness.
Steel:
Pros:
Very durable
Easy to weld on
More “utilitarian” look in the garage. (Somewhat important since I plan on painting a low-key theme in the garage).
Will outlast me
Cons:
Cost
Cold during winter months
May eventually have surface rust unless I clearcoat/paint it? All the mild steel I’ve worked with has flash rusted within a day or two of being exposed to the elements. Painting it defeats the purpose of the raw metal look, which I like.
I am looking for roughly a 2’x4’ flat surface that will be mounted to the table structure with bolts. Actual dimensions will depend on the space I have to work with, so I could possibly go up to 30"x72". Thickness approximately 0.25" depending on material of course. What I like about the steel is that a sheet metal shop could bend up a backsplash and a front lip (about 4" tall each) to complete the look and keep things clean.
What are you guys using?
What are your thoughts and real life experiences?
What would be a good local source for wood or metal tops?
I’d build it out of a hard wood then skin it with stainless steel. Just glue the sheets right to the wood with a good construction adhesive rated for metal and wood bonding. Find a someone with a brake and you could even wrap the front edge of the bench with a nice 90 degree bend.
spend the cash (~$200) on some 1/2" steel plate. Then you can mount a vice to it or whatever and not have to worry about anything. Paint 5/6 sides and wipe the bare side with wd40 and a scuff pad once in a while.
My biggest issue over the winter while swapping my car was comfort. I’m trying to improve on that while I have a clean slate.
In reality I don’t want my tampons to get cold and gross sitting there.
It’s going to get greasy and dirty no matter what, but the difference is being able to clean it up. I like Jay’s idea of sheeting metal over hardwood or even MDF.
Where could I source this locally?
I could get a 10GA, 2’x4’ sheet of hot rolled mild steel for $85 shipped from MetalsDepot, and use a wood base underneath.
Even better, a 1/4" thick steel plate with no wood needed for $130 or so.
Norb text me your dimensions and I’ll get you any size you want 1/8", 1/4" , 3/8" or 1/2" thick by 48" x 96" or 36" x 48" in any grade: A36 or Grade 50. I can even put a 2" (or whatever you require) 90degree bend for a back splash. Of -course no charge.
My benches are made of laminate counter tops, not the best for welding, but great for everything else, and they clean up nice, the bench goes from covered in grease to clean easily. It has been pretty durable, and they were free…
Dave, that sounds perfect. Once I have my final dimensions I will let you know. Steel was my first choice and cost was the only reason I was iffy, but that takes care of it. Thanks!
Yea I looked on metal depot too, $100 for shipping of a half inch 2x4’ plate though. Sounds like Shifty has a good deal. I’d do steel legs too, 2" square tubing, then you can really do what you want to it.
How about a wood or laminate top. Then keep a metal sheet the same size handy that you could fasten with some sort of removable fasteners if you need the durability from time to time. Hard mount your VISE to the bench and make a cutout in the plate. Wouldn’t have to be thick to make it easier to move as it’s just protecting the laminate. Could paint both sides and flip it when one side gets damaged, if you center the VISE in the middle.
dons welding on transit has a brake and all that equipment if you want to just put a sheet of steel over the top of the wood bench, they could bend it so you slide it right onto the wood then attach your table legs and what not. just stop by there with some measurements or bring them the table top and tell them what you want on it
You can goto klein steel in buffalo and get plate steel and material for table legs cheap… its around a dollar a pound and the more you buy the cheaper it gets
As another note, there are always restaurant auctions occurring and you can often get a nice stainless work table for around $100-$300 depending on the size.
Just use 1/8" or 3/16" with the proper length and bend a 90 down in the front and a 90 up in the back like a back splash. Unless your literally throwing anvils on it from across the garage it should hold up just fine. With this thickness it will be plenty heavy but still manageable. If you go any thicker it will be tough to support and will require quite a few people to install.
