How to cover a wooden bench top with a steel sheet

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

I can honestly say that i never even considered linolium as a bench surface !

I can see its merits though – reasonably cheap , hard wearing and noise dampening . The only downside i see is i doesn't like heat and you will have to glue it down to stop it curling up but it could be glued to some thin ply or masonite which has been pinned to the bench top with a few small screws or some brads.

I have also considered formica sheet but it seems hard to find , i can't go to my local hardware store and buy it here in Sydney Australia and what there is on ebay seems expensive . I also have another issue and that is i tend to plonk heavy odd shaped items up on my bech to work on them  i find that while working on them i have to slide , roll , tip them over and it damages the bench surface and i'm a little worried it will gouge or chip the formica .

I can pick up some lino tiles for a few bucks so i may glue some to a piece of thin ply and sit it up on the bench as a  test piece to see how it goes , i could also do the same for the formica as the drill press bench has a slab of particle board covered with formica that is being replaced with a new bench so i can cut a piece off the top and try that .

I already have a steel top moblie bench i use for welding  so i know what it can handle and what its pros and cons are : pros – Hard wearing heat resistent  easy to repair.

         Cons – Goes rusty if not oiled , noisy to work on ,scratches softer surfaces like alloy  and sucks the heat out of a cup of tea  real quick ! 

My main workbench is only 6ft x 3ft so there is the optoin of having an  interchangeable slide  on bench surface / cover that could be quickly changed over as needed .

Much to think about ! 

Ian .

Edited By XD 351 on 24/08/2017 22:27:02

[NJHParticipant @njh]

I guess I like to hedge my bets! I have three work benches – one is a length of laminated kitchen worktop with two double cupboards beneath with a gap between – and a swivel chair for those assembly / electronics jobs. I then have another long bench and this has thermoplastic floor tiles stuck to the top and a length of aluminium angle on the front edge – for general use. My main vice is mounted on a sturdy dexion framed workbench with a steel plate top and a similar plate shelf below ( it weighs a "ton"!) A couple of storage racks also have kitchen worktops and are used for general assembly / ( or , to be honest, places to dump stuff for a while!) I can't understand a need for a large metal topped bench – and I would find it a bit " dodgy" particularly if any electrical projects were to be carried out! Why not leave it as wood or, maybe, try the kitchen worktop solution?

Norman

Edited By NJH on 24/08/2017 23:41:30

[AJWParticipant @ajw]

My bench tops are two layers of 19mm ply screwed/stuck together with a 3mm steel top with a bend at the back which is against the wall to stop spillages/things going down the gap.
This was screwed and contact glued to the ply the screw heads filled with araldite.
Works great although it would be nicer in stainless!

Alan

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

I live in the former Kent coalfield, the bench and floor covering of choice round here is old conveyor belting.
I once worked in a coal board house where the guy had used new belt on the kitchen floor, polished up it looked good and would never wear out.
It is self healing when cut but won't take a lot of local heat.
We used it in the glass shop as it is quite forgiving when things are dropped.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I can't see my bench top! Maybe time for a tidy up.

Mike

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

So that's what underneath all the stuff in the shop! In truth, mine are all steel, ex industry; brick mausoleums and all that.

For workbench tops, my vote would be for metal, preferably steel, on at least 18mm ply. If any machine is to be mounted on a bench, then kitchen worktop, or two layers of 18mm ply, covered in 2 or better 3mm steel would be my choice. Belt and braces perhaps, but in my book, any machine needs a rigid support.

Howard

[David TaylorParticipant @davidtaylor63402]

I used masonite as a sacrificial top on mine, just screwed on. Seems to work well and was pretty cheap.

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

I got my bench topper from a skip at work. 6ft x 3 ft x 6mm. Weighs about 70kg, and was a bit of a struggle to get out of the skip. The bench is made from pallets, 2off, made from 4×4" cross members, the pallet top timbers are 6" x 2" timbers, cross planked with 22mm planks from Euro pallets, then the steel is screwed to that. Final finish was hammerite brown anti-rust paint. The bench legs are diagonally braced 4×2 timbers salvaged from pallets and held on by M10 studding. Cost about £5 and could support a car. I've mounted my small anvil on it and have been unable to disturb it however hard I hit the work.

Regards

Richard.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

If lino be your choice, look under classic boat deck coverings. My old Norfolk Broads sailing cruiser used it. But for me, my bench top is 1.5" solid oak planks biscuit jointed and glued together. When I have a woodwork job that needs a clean bench, I just get the sander out and give it a good clean up. Every now and again I fill the holes up with body filler. I abuse it regularly and have even let in a patch where I had a bad burn due to a brazing "accident'. A solid wooden bench doesn't jump around when you are using a punch, knocking pins and bearings out etc etc.
BobH

[BramParticipant @bram]

Covered mine (2" mdf) around 15 yrs ago and still good used galv sheet, went to local agricultural roofing place who does box profile sheets for roofing as they have the galv sheet on a massive roll, chop it to customers length and then put it in a big press to stamp in the roofing profile. Just got them to cut me a piece to bench length and then they also folded a two inch 90 bend for front edge, pretty much holds its self down just put some counter sunk screws around the edge to stop it flapping about. Vice also bolts through.

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

I have had a 18mm ply top on my bench for 37 years with no problems,just fit mor bearers before fitting.I find that being able to screw things to the top is a bonus,I fit a screw to below washer height and file to thickness also nicks on the edge hold pieces steady whilst filing.I determined to use steel I would only fit it where the work is mostly done,

Frank

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