scribble Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I am wondering if a section of laminated 3/4 partical board for a top secured to a s2x4 reinforced kitchen cabinet frame would hold up to the pulling of the handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Should if you bolt through it and not screw into it. Use bolts through with washers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scribble Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 I just took apart all my nice solid 8' and 6' benches to make room for other things in the back room so I had to compromise on space and materials. I bolted all my other ones but they were through the 1.5" top and through the 2x4 frame., Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman33_99 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Will most likely work, but I suggest either doubling up for 1-1/2 inches or see if Home Depot/Lowes, or someone else has a scratch & dent solid core door. They make fantasic bench tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I found that for me the best top is 1inch or thicker MDF with countertop material glued to the top surface. You can find that in your local home superstore next to the countertops. It is slick, dent resistent, easy to clean, and looks better then plain MDF or particle board. I have a large bench in the garage which I built for loading and now abandoned in favor of me second loading bench built for the inside of my house. This is built from with MDF/Coutertop as the top surface which is attached to a folding work table which itself has a 1" of MDF as it top working surface and nice stable steel legs, That makes for over 2" of top surface thickness and rigidity. As I store my spare bullets in top of the table, against the wall, this thing neverr moves unless I want it too, and then it move with ease. Raz-0 gave me the idea when he built something like that himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Vlad, What's MDF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Round_Gun_Shooter Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 (edited) Vlad, What's MDF? AKA Sign Board ETA-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mdf.htm Edited July 18, 2007 by Round_Gun_Shooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 medium density fiberboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Moore Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 whether you use mdf or particle board, do what i did and lay on 5-7 coats of polyurethane and sand in between coatings for a smooth finish. with the polyurethane you'll be able to wipe up any oil or grease with ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 My bench top is a kitchen counter blank from Home Depot. It cleans up real nice. I put a large 1/8" Al plate under the press on the bottom side of the counter blank as the "washers" and a stiffener. The bench is 2x4 frame and it is tied to my garage wall for stability. Later, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Mine is framed out with 1/4" steel tube and topped with 2 thicknesses of 3/4" plywood & a piece of 1/2" laminated particle board to make it "pretty". On top of that are 14/16 GA steel shelves holding 30k rounds of loaded ammo plus my bullet supply. Heavy is always better. When you think it's heavy enough....add some more weight. Progressive presses really like a stable platform and work much better when they have one. Having a welder and a supply of free steel doesn't hurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milanuk Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Old bench top - double thickness of 3/4" particleboard, oil finish, oak trim w/ a bullnose profile. Previous home owner had a small machine shop in the basement; he had a row of arbor presses for forming parts sitting on this top, on top of an old set of kitchen cabinets (built from 3/4" plywood) - never even attached the top to the base, or the base to the wall. Even my Redding Boss press didn't like this set up... threaded inserts were always in danger of pulling out if I leaned on the press handle a little too hard. Bench top before that... slab of 1-1/4" MDF (pre-fab bench top) on a Craftsman sheetmetal work bench base. Worked, but rattled and couldn't really bolt it to any thing like the wall. Current bench top... took the old cabinets, located the studs (okay, furring strips) in the basement wall, lag screwed the base to the wall, then got some figure 8 fasteners (specialty woodworking thin, looks like two flat washers welded together edge to edge) and countersunk them just a hair using a Forstner bit, and screwed them to the top edges of the cabinets. Then on top of the cabinet... I put a triple thickness of 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed together, and screwed up into it thru the figure 8 fasteners to hold it in place. ITS... NOT... GOING... ANYWHERE... !!!! Down the road (like this fall, when my match schedule drops off and I'm not loading all the flippin' time!) I'm planning on putting a plastic laminate top on it, trimming it w/ red oak (not a bullnose profile, dang presses wanted to use it for a pivot point) and putting an oak backsplash trim against the wall. Figure once I locate the holes for the press mounting (this is where having a set of transfer punches makes life oh-so-much easier), I'll use either thru bolts w/ fender washers, or T-nuts, on the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scribble Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 I decided to put a 3/4 sheet of MDF i had laying around the shop on for a top instead of the white partical board as I am being frugal. I normally use 2 sheets of mdf for the top but which using standard height kitchen cabinets and them being so low to the ground I made a 2x4 frame for the cabinets so that raised it up to a workable height. I think adding another 3/4 of material will be a little high for my liking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkabit Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I decided to put a 3/4 sheet of MDF i had laying around the shop on for a top instead of the white partical board as I am being frugal. I normally use 2 sheets of mdf for the top but which using standard height kitchen cabinets and them being so low to the ground I made a 2x4 frame for the cabinets so that raised it up to a workable height. I think adding another 3/4 of material will be a little high for my liking. I'm far from being a carpenter, but I would add any extra thickness that you think you could stand, (1/4 or 1/2 inch), then glue a piece of laminate on top of it. Laminate is actually pretty rigid (or so it seems to me), and should help stiffen up a thick piece of wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cking Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I like the laminated oak workbench tops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 2X3 steel tubing left over from the shop construction, You know those carport doodads all over the place, topped with 6" by 1" pressure treated porch deck boards, when I got tired of little parts falling through the cracks I topped that with "COLD HARD DETROIT STEEL" ARG ARG ARG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomadera Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Plywood would be better, and (2) pcs. screwed together are much better than (1). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 2 sheets of Maple plywood glued and screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1911jerry Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 2 sheets of Maple plywood glued and screwed. I built these benches and they are rock solid. They are bolted to the wall, 3/4 inch birch plywood tops, nice shelf on the bottom to hold 1000's of bullets. Here are the plans if anyone is interested. http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/worksho...ch/below20.html JS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scribble Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 Here is my new consolidated bench, I sill miss my 2 8' long benches. I had one for cleaning and smithing and another for reloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronson7 Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Will most likely work, but I suggest either doubling up for 1-1/2 inches or see if Home Depot/Lowes, or someone else has a scratch & dent solid core door. They make fantasic bench tops. That's for sure! I bolted a surplus solid core industrial door to my metal desk and it doesn't get much more solid that that. Bronson7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 The other thing that I am doing at my dads new house is the solid wood countertop that is about 1.5" thick from ikea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RePete Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 My bench top is made of 2 x 8's with 1/2" plywood on top, and that's painted white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gino_aki Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Years ago I found an office use table/desk at the local Office supply place that was unusual in that it was nearly square at 40"X37" with a deep cantilever frame construction. The masonite top was nearly an inch thick, I think it was made to hold a fairly bulky and heavy copier or some such piece of equipment. Anyway, I drilled the necessary mounting holes and mounted my Hornady Projector on it and it served me well while I was reloading in the house. Later, I mounted my presses to the built in work bench (4X4 posts, 2X6 bracing and top) in the workshop of the place I was renting. The desk-bench got stored outside and the top deteriorated due to moisture and weathering. When we moved to the current home I brought the old desk with me and refurbished the top with a "butcher block" laminated pine 1" thick with a 1/4" dense fibreboard cap and about four coats of urethane. Made the top a little longer and with a bit less depth 48"X32" but it's still rock steady, especially with all the .355 zero's stacked along the back edge next to the wall. The big plus for me is getting to sit while I'm reloading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Whatever you use for base material, just make sure you don't use melamine on the top. Found out the hard way that it's not nearly durable enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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