Posted: 7/21/2024 3:43:14 PM EDT
| Trying to get a clean top- wanting to affix top from bottom -but am using 4x4 posts for legs- so I was thinking to frame it somewhat laying 2x6 flat-just underneath the bench top- to screw from bottom. But there will be nothing at corners- would a pocket hole jig/screw method work or are there any other ideas. Basically I don’t want any screws on top- and overhang only in front. I was thinking of t tracks as well and can maybe put screws in front under the 3/4” dado groove before t track but the back part still needs to be secured. Thanks |
| Unless your going very deep, 2x6 is way overkill. He'll, even 24" 2x4's on edge are near indestructible. Screwing from the top is easiest. Hiding inside t-slot channel is great. For the rear, are plugs ok? What's your top material? Unless you're going for smooth melamine, I use solid wood door cores. Again, indestructible! |
| Haven’t started bench yet- am I overthinking it? I do want it solid- and would like the top to be smooth. I have seen the double plywood-and the solid core doors- and even 2x6 or 2x8 butted up next to each other. There is also some 1-3/8 solid boards for top. Was gonna make a 4’x25” smaller bench- and a 6’x25” bench both with same style- was just thinking the top like a sheet of ice and clean top. |
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Resin Or YouTube concrete countertops I plan a 12 ft concrete one soon.  Easy Concrete Countertops | Concrete Countertops How To |
-History will remember Snark as the language of ignorance.
-All the fiction novels I once loved I now fear. FJB
Our tax $$$ payed for a Pandemic and I didn’t even get swag.
-All the fiction novels I once loved I now fear. FJB
Our tax $$$ payed for a Pandemic and I didn’t even get swag.
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What I use depends on bench function. For reloading and working on guns, that bench is MDF which I prefer. Wife's sewing bench/table I made her = melamine My basic bang-on-shit bench=plywood. Only the wife's sewing tables are screwed from underneath, as they need to be smooth and snag free for the fabric. On everything else screws from the top have never been an issue and make for a quicker build with less wood needed under the top. ETA: 1.5 inch top is waaaaay overkill. Mine are all 3/4" and plenty solid. ETA2: Smoothness is why I like MDF tops on mine, smooth yet screws and shit don't roll away as easy as they do on melamine. Easy to stain, but also easy to prevent staining if you're just a tiny bit careful. Laminated butcher block is cool, but it's a lot of money to spend and the first time you stain it permanently you'll be pissed. A few stains on my benchtop don't bother me, it's character, and since I screw from the top, if it ever gets too wonky, it takes me less than 5 minutes to unscrew the top and flip it over and presto, instant new clean benchtop. But overkill does rock, don't let me or anyone else dissuade you if you have your heart set on building something epic. |
Smaug:"I laid low the warriors of old and their like is not in the world today". 1 dedicated marksman who held his ground and kept shooting:"Haha bow go twang!"
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Originally Posted By onesht1kl: Wouldn’t the plywood or mdf get chewed up trying to route the dado for t track? The first will be at the very front edge 3/8 deep. Plywood yeah, but MDF takes routering VERY well, I have built literally several thousand speaker enclosures with it, and always used a roundover bit for edges. After I use the router I always hand sand for that nth degree of smoothness, but it's not really necessary, just a pride in workmanship thing. |
Smaug:"I laid low the warriors of old and their like is not in the world today". 1 dedicated marksman who held his ground and kept shooting:"Haha bow go twang!"
| I'll stand behind solid core doors, for several reasons. They come in widths close to or exactly what you'll use for bench depth, negating the need to rip. You will never beat the strength to cost ratio. They're thick enough to route tracks into. The outer veneer is smooth because it's a surface ready for finish. You can spill almost anything on it w/o worry. |
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| That'll work...but if you don't need that look |
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I made a top from 3/4” maple plywood, double layers for 1-1/2” total thickness. I screwed the bottom layer to the bench (2x4 frame) then glued+screwed the top layer from the underside for a smooth top. Finished with an epoxy paint. That bench was SOLID. Downside, it was a PITA to dismantle when we moved, and I couldn’t re-purpose the it in our new house. At the time (2000) a 4’x8” sheet was like $50. |
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Originally Posted By User55645: That'll work...but if you don't need that look But still screw in from top? And solid meaning wood or particle board? Have to still put t tracks in and route- |
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Originally Posted By onesht1kl: But still screw in from top? And solid meaning wood or particle board? Have to still put t tracks in and route- You can screw from the top (hidden in the slot like you suggested and/or filled with plugs), or jig from underside (many many ways to do it) A solid door core should be solid wood (some may state composite which is still very dense, but I'd go hardwood) Yes, t-slot routed in I'll try to remember to take a pic of my bench, later tonight. Other than being screwed from the top, it's exactly this. |
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Originally Posted By User55645: I'll stand behind solid core doors, for several reasons. They come in widths close to or exactly what you'll use for bench depth, negating the need to rip. You will never beat the strength to cost ratio. They're thick enough to route tracks into. The outer veneer is smooth because it's a surface ready for finish. You can spill almost anything on it w/o worry. |
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I have tried a few different reloading benches. Every time I wish I had made the bench heavier. I'm currently using a sold core door for my woodworking bench, and wish I had heavier bench with more woodworking features. I found several good videos about building benches, which may help you decide on your top too. 4 bench mistakes Best woodworking bench Don't make 2x4 bench |
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Originally Posted By Dragynn: ETA: 1.5 inch top is waaaaay overkill. Mine are all 3/4" and plenty solid.  I've built and worked on plenty of benches with 3/4" tops and yeah, if they are just something to put stuff on or for light assembly work they are fine I guess but when you really start pounding on them or really torquing on them, they show their weakness (no matter how beefy the base is). They can get the job done but are far from ideal. If you plan on doing any heavy banging on it (like removing the taper pins holding on the FSB on for example) or plan to mount a press/vice or anything that may see heavy torque, go at least 1.5" of something solid. Also keep in mind that the base is just as important as the top so build a solid heavy base too. If it's for a reloading bench, secure it to the wall if possible. I have a number of benches ranging from 1.5" Butcher block to 1.75" SCD and a 3.25" Maple bowling alley lane. All of them are on fairly solid bases and get the job done but there is a noticeable difference when you start pounding on them or running a press on them. With the bowling alley top, there is just a thud and absolutely zero bounce or deflection no matter how hard you swing of how heavy the hammer is but it is a heavy SOB and its not easy to find them cheap anymore. The butcher block stuff is decent but generally pricey. Mine is setup like a desk with cabinets on either end and ~4' unsupported span so yes, I do get some deflection/bounce on it if I get after it in that middle section but that's more of a shortcoming of the base then the top. I have a vice mounted on it over one of the bases and that area is solid. I used a SCD for the top on a mobile workbench/assembly table for my WW'ing shop and agree, that's probably the sweet spot for heft/thickness vs cost vs build time but again, the base really matters of you need/want it to be solid. Two sheets (or better yet 3) of MDF laminated together can make for a solid top but again that stuff is heavy, the dust from cutting it is awful and it doesn't hold screws well but it's fine if you are going to through bolt something like a press or vice on it. |
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Here is a picture of my current bench with a 24 inch receiver hitch bolted underneath to accept hitches converted to press mounts.Attached File That being said, if I were to build another bench, it would be this one. Inexpensive No-Flex Bench |
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