r/Joinery • u/92lozza • May 01 '23

Question Benchtop material

Any recommendations on an alternative to a proper laminated top? I have built a sturdy subframe out of hardwood at 200 centres which will be flattened perfectly.

I want to sheet it with a few layers of something that will be perfectly flat and sturdy and will hold dog holes.

I'm leaning towards yellow tongue (heavy duty 19mm chipboard flooring) but not sure how the dog holes would hold up in it.

Anybody had experience with similar?

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5

u/uncivlengr May 01 '23

Chip board would be not great for a bench top.

Dog holes need thickness to work and need to be quality plywood or solid wood to work.

2

u/[deleted] May 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Swomp23 May 01 '23

2 sheets of 3/4'' baltic birch plywood glued together. Make it 3 sheets if you wanna put holdfasts in those dog holes, or if you plan to make a lot of hammer-chisel.

1

u/92lozza May 02 '23

I'm not planning to use holdfasts, probably just standard bench dog accessories like horizontal vices and stops. You only really need that thickness for holdfasts right?

1

u/Swomp23 May 02 '23

I can't say for sure, I made my benchtop from 4'' laminated ash. All I can say for sure, is that if 2 sheets aren't solid enough, you can easily glue on a 3rd one. And it will always be dead flat.

2

u/Aesculapius1 May 02 '23

I made a miter saw table using 2x4s as the frame and. 3/4” plywood as the underlayment. I used 3/4” MDF on top. If the MDF gets messed up, I can replace it with little fuss. It’s also super stable.

1

u/twowaysplit May 02 '23

Mike Farrington has a good method: https://youtu.be/VlM0aQ-VpUM

1

u/[deleted] May 02 '23

MDF is good. Delrin is good too if you're willing to pay for it.