Best wood to use for workbench top?

[skinnyman9000]

Morning fella, yesterday I built myself a new workbench:

Now, I just need to sort the material for the top. The shelf underneath will just be MDF, as it's only going to be storing spare wood, paint cans etc. A friend of mine built a similar bench and used hardwood ply for the top from B&Q, but that rocks in at £60+, which is more than the rest of the wood cost!

So, what wood do people recommend for the top? Would chipboard be sufficient?

 

[foxhole]

I would use a sheet of 18mm or thicker mdf, nice smooth top to work on, if it gets too worn you just drop a 6mm sheet on top to give a new surface.
I fit my workbench with lockable castors and a power supply, makes it a little more versatile, especially with cramped work area.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'd go for two layers of 18mm chipboard with a skin of 6mm MDF on top and some hardwood lipping.

A single skin of MDF or chipboard will flex too much IMHO, a double skin will be a lot more rigid (especially if a few screws are used to make up the sandwich) and should support a full-size woodworkers vice. The extra mass should make for a better bench which will take a bit more of a pounding without bouncing around too much. Lipping such as beech (or any of the 44 to 50mm wide hardwood lipping sold for door re-lipping) will protect the edges and hold the MDF in place. 6mm MDF, as suggested above gives you a smooth flip-over top for extra durability. Make sure you seal everything with a bit of polyurethane lacquer or the like, too, to prevent warping

 

[crank39]

What I've done in the past with stuff like this is gone to my local magnets and asked if they have any damaged worktops, mine always had some they couldn't sell, £20 and bobs your uncle

 

[JohnD]

Some triangulation of the frame will make it more rigid.

Flooring chipboard makes a cheap top, turn it over when too gouged.

An upstand at the back will stop stuff falling off.

 

[skinnyman9000]

The depth of the unit is 75cm, so chipboard flooring and kitchen worktop are unfortunately not wide enough.

I've found hardwood ply that is the required size for £35, which is an option. Would untreated 18mm chipboard be sufficient? This is around £16 for the required size.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I've found hardwood ply that is the required size for £35, which is an option. Would untreated 18mm chipboard be sufficient? This is around £16 for the required size.

Yes, but a thin skin of 18mm of anything will make for a "bouncy" top. With any sheet material, especially chipboard or MDF you'll need to protect the edge (and yourself from the edge as well) by adding a lipping. Plywood less so, but still advisable IMHO.

 

[Pigeon85]

I used an old door for mine

 

[pinenot]

An old solid core door blank, is about as good as it gets...pinenot

 

[foxhole]

If you want to add a vice avoid chipboard as it will break up under the strain of the vice fixings. You have cross member which take out any bounce, though you don't get any bounce on 18mmm mdf and needs no edging.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

If you want to add a vice avoid chipboard as it will break up under the strain of the vice fixings. You have cross member which take out any bounce, though you don't get any bounce on 18mmm mdf and needs no edging.

Sorry to say this but you're wrong there. I used just such a bench with a double thickness chipboard top for about 10 years without any issues. The height of the jaws on a woodworkers vice means that any vice on a thin top (i.e. less than 3in thick for a Record No. 52 for example) will need to be packed off the underside of the worktop using a piece of hardwood, plywood. MDF or similar. The packing piece is around 6 x 4inches (or bigger) by about 1-1/2 to 2in thick and it's that which takes any strain as well as spreading any stresses and not the mounting bolts. I agree that MDF may not require lipping, however, the edges of worktops get a fair amount of abuse and a hardwood lipping makes a lot of sense in terms of wear and tear. I reckon the suggestions about using soldi core door blanls (which are also chipboard cored) are also good - done that on site quite a few times