bench tops

[MT Gianni]

I see some of the pictures of loading benchs have chip board for the top. How did you finish this? Sealer? Sanded? I'm working on a usuable shop bench top. Gianni.

[45nut]

Gianni,
My ideal bench top cover is a 1/8th or 1/4" tempered hardboard , if you build the bench top with a appropriate edge to keep the hardboard in place you can simply lift off and replace as it becomes damaged.
My own benches are not so equipped or I would post a pic. :( Barring that a melamine or formica cover will hold up very well and resist stains and offer a nice sweep clean or wiping surface to cover the chipboard. Powder spills are not a issue then and boolit lube is also easy to clean up.

[arkypete]

I used 5/8th plywood on both sides of 3/4 inch particle board. I spred Carpender's glue to stick the plywood to the particle board then used 1 inch screws to hold the plywood to the particle board, next day fliped it over and repeated.
Bolted it to the supports, put a 1 1/2 inch finishing molding along the front. Sanded it, put a coat of red concret paint on it, sanded it again and repeated.
The intire bench is two feet wide by 16 feet long.
Jim

[Trapshooter]

I used two sheets of 3/4" plywood glued & screwed together for the top. I put a couple coats of polyurethane, and covered the top with a vinyl floor remnant. When the vinyl gets too ratty, I take it off, and put on a new chunk. It cleans up pretty well, stands up to most gun solvents pretty well, doesn't scratch gun bluing, and doesn't cost a lot. Not too good for casting though. My casting bench top is made from 2x4's with a good sized chunk of sheet metal to work on.

Trapshooter

[BruceB]

My present bench-top is three layers of 5/8" good-one-side fir plywood, with (used-to-be) white marine epoxy enamel for a finish. In the casting area of the bench, I recently added a full-width layer of 3/16" aluminum plate over four feet of bench length, and any splatters or spills simply do not attach themselves to anything on that aluminum.

As the rest of the bench-top is getting pretty ratty, I'm going to check with a sheet-metal shop soon and see about getting a formed "counter-top" of galvanized ducting-sheet steel with a rolled-over edge down over the front of the bench, and a "backsplash" at the rear of the bench, extending a couple inches up the wall. This will prevent escaping small parts etc from dropping off the face of the earth. The color of the galvanized duct-work steel is pretty decent for a good work environment, and clean-up will be extremely easy.

[alamogunr]

The top of my bench is made from a material we called Lebonite at work. It is a extremely dense particle board used for structural supports inside large power transformers. I was able to get the material I used because it had started to show signs of delamination. You had to look hard to see it. The stuff I used was 8 ft long by 16 in wide. One piece weighed 187 lbs. I used a full piece and ripped one piece to 12 in wide so the bench wouldn't be overly deep and collect junk. Needless to say, the bench doesn't move. Anywhere! Since it was intended to be submerged in transformer oil, a little gun oil or solvent doesn't seem to affect it.

Someday I'm going to cover a portion of the top with aluminum sheet or galvanized sheet as described by BruceB. It will cover the little (or not so little) burned spots on one end.

John

[HotGuns]

Are you talking about what is known here as "Blandex" as shown here in this pic"

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/HotGuns/ReloadingPictures008.jpg



If you are, I just hit it lightly with a sander and coated it with Polyurethane. It works well and is very durable.

[alamogunr]

Are you talking about what is known here as "Blandex" as shown here in this pic"




If you are, I just hit it lightly with a sander and coated it with Polyurethane. It works well and is very durable.

No, the material I used is more like MDF only more dense and apparently uses a different binder to resist degradation under oil.

[MT Gianni]

Are you talking about what is known here as "Blandex" as shown here in this pic"

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/HotGuns/ReloadingPictures008.jpg



If you are, I just hit it lightly with a sander and coated it with Polyurethane. It works well and is very durable.

Yes I was. thanks. gianni

[clintsfolly]

birch solid core doors make good tops too! clint

[PatMarlin]

I have a sawmill, and use my own 3" thick planks. If anyone wants solid dougfir or pine I can mill it to any spec.. :drinks:

[McLintock]

My cousin's in the construction business (concrete) and he got me some forms used in pouring concrete. They're 8 foot by 24", made of 1" plywood with what looks like formica on both sides, so are about 1 1/8" thick. I cut them into 5 foot sections for one 10 foot bench and used the other ends to make a 6 foot bench out in the garage. The other benches have the standard Sear's particle board tops, but I haven't done anything to them yet; probably won't.
McLintock

[EMC45]

Got a fire proof mineral filled door for my reloading benchtop. It was sanded down and given a coat of polyurethane. It weighs about 100 pounds. My smithing and cleaning table is 2X6 covered with Luan sheeting and coated with marine grade Spar Varnish.

[mazo kid]

Several years ago I was driving home after work and spotted some cabinets on the curb...a small restaurant was remodeling. As soon as I had dropped off my riders I drove right back into town, asked about the cabinets and promptly loaded up as much as would fit. The top is 1" plywood covered with Formica. Great for clean-up but not the best for cast lead spills. The cabinet to the right is another curb find, a bath room remodel. Emery

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/mazokid/Reloading%20area/Reloadingarea004.jpg

[targetshootr]

I used 3/4" plywood on top of 2x6s.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/Im002825.jpg

[JesterGrin_1]

Targetshootr that bench looks a wee bit weak for a crane to sit on lol. Looks good. :)

[Herb in Pa]

I used 1/2" plywood topped with !/4" plywood that has a micarta finish (came from an old Civil Defense bunker and was part of a mobile XRay machine) I also scrounged 3/4" angle iron from the same setup and used it to frame the top of the bench. It's anchored to the floor and screwed to the wall. It doesn't move much!

[targetshootr]

Targetshootr that bench looks a wee bit weak for a crane to sit on lol. :)

:drinks:

[Typecaster]

I took the easy way out--it's a steel-clad solid-core fire door. Butt-ugly and I have to plug the hole for the knob someday, but it's solid...not to mention the fact that it was left in the garage when I bought the place. That means it was either free or I've been paying for it for about 30 years, depending on your point of view.

[1hole]

Particle board is smooth, dense and a nice color when covered with a MARINE grade clear polyurethane, which is highly resistant to the oils and other chemicals gunners use. My 40 year old loading bench has that top and I couldn't have asked for better service. Well, I do wish I had made it with a double layer top and glued it together but I did put plenty of 2x4 cross supports for one 5/8" layer to do me good enough so far.

A tip: bench legs need not be huge, 2x4s in compression have plenty of strength. In fact, 1X4s have plenty of vertical compression strength, even under a press, but 2x4 cross braces to prevent warping under pressure is good..

[rugerdude]

I took the easy way out--it's a steel-clad solid-core fire door. Butt-ugly and I have to plug the hole for the knob someday....

Don't plug it up! Screw the lid from a peanut butter or mayonaise jar to the underside of the bench and then use a hole saw to cut the lid to match the hole in the benchtop. Screw the jar on and you have a great primer catcher! You can toss junk brass in, too. Then you can sell it for scrap later. :mrgreen:

[USARO4]

I used 1/8" plexi-glass to cover mine. Very smooth work surface.

[happy7]

Hot Guns,

What did you use to attach the primer tubes to the wall. That looks very nice.

[HotGuns]

happy7

Those are plexiglass pieces that I screwed together. I drilled them for clearance on the primer tubes.

When I am rockin and rollin, I'll load up all the primer tubes I've got and stick em in the rack. It keeps them out of the way and they are easy to grab. When they are empty, I just store them in it along with some extra primer rod feed tips.