Building surface

[shawdaddy]

After a few years of tring I finally got my shed for a work shop. What do most of you use for a building surface. I went to Lowes and checked on some of there counter tops and WOW that stuff aint cheap. Give as many opinons as possible. Thanks for any help. Ryon Shaw

 

[68Bud]

After a few years of tring I finally got my shed for a work shop. What do most of you use for a building surface. I went to Lowes and checked on some of there counter tops and WOW that stuff aint cheap. Give as many opinons as possible. Thanks for any help. Ryon Shaw

Hey Ryon,

When I need a flat true surface to build on I lay down a piece of MDF board. It is sold in 4X8 sheets at any home improvement center. It is dense and very heavy, but it is flat. If you check in with Lowes from time to time you should be able to get a damaged countertop for cheap, they usually have marked down scratch and dent at my Lowes you just have to catch them as they put them out, they don't last long. Take care,

Scott

 

[Buddy Beaird]

After a few years of tring I finally got my shed for a work shop. What do most of you use for a building surface. I went to Lowes and checked on some of there counter tops and WOW that stuff aint cheap. Give as many opinons as possible. Thanks for any help. Ryon Shaw

Hollow core doors from HD or Lowe's work well. Not too expensive and you can pick nice straight ones. 5/8 sheetrock on an existing table also works well. Draw or write on it, cut patterns or whatever. Get's worn, replace it. Pretty cheap.

 

[moparbarn]

pre finished or formica covered shelf boards for me. flat, can be bought in virtually any size. under $20 for a for most sizes we use. no big loss, if you glue your jig to it, either.

 

[Joe_Knesek]

I use corian mounted to MDF to make the Jig but I also use a cast aluminum drafting table topped with 4x12 slate.

 

[Grimracer]

Shaw...

A good old solid core door with sheet rock on it is about as good as it gets. You can shim the rock, paint it with semi gloss latex paint if you want, and after you cut on it, draw on it, write down your buds phone numbers and the like.. you toss it out and get another piece for little to nothing.

Straight, solid and replaceable..

ROCK ON

Grim

 

[dannyual767]

Like Buddy and Grim, I use sheetrock as well. It works great.

I like to build wood models and I can use T pins to pin the wood to the sheetrock ensuring that everything goes together flat and true!

 

[shawdaddy]

Well it looks like I need to invest in some sheetrock. That seems to be the cheapest solution to my problem. I have priced MDF and it can get pricey. Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. Ryon

 

[DON MAHER]

Solid core door, Sheetrock, AND a piece of 1/2 glass & you have a very flat and versital work top!!!!!

Don

 

[Rich Jones]

All of the above would be good. I choose to build my benches using 2x4's held together by Strong Ties and MDF for the tops. The strong ties are available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.... Dont' have to cut angles in the frame. Just straight cuts. See my post in the Scale section under Workshop. There's a glimpse or two of the benches.

 

[Chris Wood]

my benches are OVER kill but stout.. 4 x 4 legs. and frame. the top is 1/2 mdf.

chris

 

[knbaudio]

hey ryon if you just to put a serface on your work bench the cheapest is hard board home depot for like $5.00 or $6.00 bucks 4x8 sheet of 1/8 in you can seal it if you need to and when it get to cut up or messed up take it up and toss it then put a new one down. i use it for all my work tables. my sign shop table has so many cuts on it you think it would start falling apart but all i've ever had to do is sand it down alittle and clear coat to keep the water from soaking in now that is been scuffed up. my big work bench in the garage is over 12 year old it has oil stains from rebuilding a 1967 390ci motor on it and that is the stongest bench made from a marine engine metal crate some scrap 2x6 on top with a sheet of hard board and two side panel from an old gas pump they marina was tussing out so that gave me a stainless steel work surface on each side of the bench to solder on or use the torches. it cost me the 6.00 buck for the hard board some screws and some black paint for the metal engine crate. so for 15.00 bucks i got a 4x8 work bench that has had 1200 lbs worth of motor and trany on it and didn't wiggle plus i found a set of wheels that kick up so if i have to move it not a problem. hope that give you some ideas. kyle