I need wood for a workbench.

[techs]

I want to replace my shop workbench with a custom cut piece of wood.
I work on computers, so it needs to have a surface that is reasonably resilient, but won't scratch computer cases if I lie them on their side and move them.

What type of wood do I need? Is it a veneered wood? Would a plywood with veneer work? If so, how thick should it be?
Thanks

 

[vi edit]

A couple 2x12's is cheap and easy. You don't need a veneered wood. That's for something you'll end up staining and using for furniture. No reason to do that unless you want it to look fancy.

Got a pick of the space to see what materials would work best?

 

[Kirby]

build 2 sawhorses with 2x4s, and lay a piece of plywood on top.

 

[HannibalX]

Maybe ask this guy?

 

[meltdown75]

i used 2' x 6's for the top of mine, and 2' x 4's for the frame. it's a sturdy son of a bitch. first damn thing i built when i bought my house.

 

[vi edit]

i used 2' x 6's for the top of mine, and 2' x 4's for the frame. it's a sturdy son of a bitch. first damn thing i built when i bought my house.

Yup. A couple joist hangers for the 2x4. A 4x4 post anchored in each corner and bolted to the floor. And then run a couple 2x6 or wider planks across the top for the surface.

$100 in material and about 100x sturdier than anything you'll buy commercially.

 

[gorobei]

try unfinished solid doors from home depot/lowes/etc. nice sturdy hunk of wood with smooth finish. attach some 4 or 2" steel pipe with some screw-in mounts. Some guys i used to work for made a bunch of computer desks for their office out of these.

 

[vi edit]

try unfinished solid doors from home depot/lowes/etc. nice sturdy hunk of wood with smooth finish. attach some 4 or 2" steel pipe with some screw-in mounts. Some guys i used to work for made a bunch of computer desks for their office out of these.

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/09/knock-on-this-door-if-you-need-computer.html

 

[Blackjack200]

I want to replace my shop workbench with a custom cut piece of wood.
I work on computers, so it needs to have a surface that is reasonably resilient, but won't scratch computer cases if I lie them on their side and move them.

What type of wood do I need? Is it a veneered wood? Would a plywood with veneer work? If so, how thick should it be?
Thanks

I would just get a piece of 3/4" Lauan, Edge it with a 1" piece of Maple (or any hardwood) round it over with a router and stain/varnish. Cut a hole in the back for wires (use a holesaw) and plop it down on a couple of file cabinets.

 

[Sea Moose]

 

[wwswimming]

A couple 2x12's is cheap and easy. You don't need a veneered wood. That's for something you'll end up staining and using for furniture. No reason to do that unless you want it to look fancy.

Got a pick of the space to see what materials would work best?

yeah, 2 x 12's are good. it sort of depends on what the workbench is going to be doing. if you need something that you can put a vise on and hammer on, then you need something thicker than 3/4" plywood.

if it's an electronics workbench, you can buy 5x5's of Baltic birch. cut those in half & you get a 2 1/2 foot by 5 foot desktop/ workbench. Baltic Birch 3/4" plywood is pretty nice but it's not heavy duty enough for major hammering.

 

[TwiceOver]

Menards sells lengths of white plastic veneered particle board. Worked fine for my last computer bench.

 

[Blackjack200]

yeah, 2 x 12's are good. it sort of depends on what the workbench is going to be doing. if you need something that you can put a vise on and hammer on, then you need something thicker than 3/4" plywood.

? My dad's a contractor and uses a 3/4" piece of CDX as the top of his work bench, which he pretty much uses for everything. 3/4" plywood should be plenty strong as long as it's well supported.

2x12s would be terribly heavy, and it's pretty hard to find large pieces of lumber that are not twisted, wany, and full of knots. They will probably also have quite a bit of water in them, and will shrink in a dry basement. Not saying he can't use them, some people like the asthetic of lumber, but he should just be aware of these things.

 

[Blackjack200]

Menards sells lengths of white plastic veneered particle board. Worked fine for my last computer bench.

This is probably a good option. Easy, smooth, cheap. You can't beat on it, but for a computer bench it's probably perfect.

 

[boomerang]

I'd cover it with something although I'm not sure what. Although wood should in theory not scratch up a computer case, I think it might mar it permanently under the right circumstances.

Additionally, wood can be quite slippery. If I'm working on a tower case laying on it's side, I'd rather it not be sliding around.

My thoughts for whatever they're worth.

 

[drnickriviera]

If you don't want to use melamine like suggest above. What about just using a formica counter top? about as durable as you are going to get

 

[stinkynathan]

I want to replace my shop workbench with a custom cut piece of wood.
I work on computers, so it needs to have a surface that is reasonably resilient, but won't scratch computer cases if I lie them on their side and move them.

What type of wood do I need? Is it a veneered wood? Would a plywood with veneer work? If so, how thick should it be?
Thanks

Are you attaching this new piece of wood to an existing frame/cabinet or are you building new?

There are a couple things you could do here for the top.
1. A standard laminate counter top. Check a local countertop manufacturer. Just think how durable your kitchen counters are. The one we work with the most often sells factory seconds on Fridays for a tiny fraction of the cost of a new top. They'd probably cut it down for you for a small fee.

2. Plywood with veneer. This would be a little more work, but could look better if that matters to you. If it were me I'd go with 11-ply. Oak veneer should be the cheapest. You could either edge-band it or nail and glue a piece of 3/4" trim around the edges. You'd also need to sand, stain, and varnish everything.

3. A piece of melamine cut to size would probably be a good trade off between durability, looks, and cost. You wouldn't need to finish it, except to add stained 3/4" trim around the face of it. This shouldn't scratch any components but it's not the most durable stuff.

Anything 3/4" thick should work just fine. That's how thick your laminate countertops are. If you need more strength bond a sheet of 7-ply plywood to the bottom with either wood glue or PL400. It will be very sturdy but also very heavy.

 

[iGas]

You want a heavy work bench so it doesn't move. 2~3 layers of 3/4 ply wood or MDF.

 

[Nik]

I got yer wood right here

 

[bctbct]

Visit construction remodels of commercial buildings and ask if they are throwing out doors. Best top ever...and free

 

[TruePaige]

I got some you can have. I was using it to pitch my tent...but what can I say? I'm a giver, not a taker.

 

[Modelworks]

Use whatever wood you want to use but use a ESD rubber mat that you can place on top of it for pc work. It won't scratch the cases and helps keep the static charges low around things like memory.

I like the ones by 3M that have the snap connectors

 

[deadlyapp]

My desk at home is an 8 foot long contraption that is primarily formed by a large piece of countertop from home depot. It's smooth and durable and is perfect for computers, which is what I used to use it for the most. They cost about 40 bucks I think if I remember right. Plus there's a lip on the back of it that keeps everything on the desk.

 

[paperfist]

A couple 2x12's is cheap and easy. You don't need a veneered wood. That's for something you'll end up staining and using for furniture. No reason to do that unless you want it to look fancy.

Got a pick of the space to see what materials would work best?

Holly cow 2x12's? He'll be able to park his smart car on it and do oil changes when not fixing computers

If you have a HomeDepot or Lowes you can get a formica counter top for $50 or so depending on the size that's ready to go. It won't scratch unless of course you get dirt under it.

 

[vi edit]

Eh. Only reason I say 2x12 is because you can buy a single 8' one for like $10, cut it half, and stack them so that you are an inch or two off of a traditional counter depth. Plus they are wide enough you can sink enough screws in them to prevent cupping. It's just a dirt cheap, sturdy way to build a work bench.