Woodworking

Anyone recommend an online source for a pre-made tabletop? It's actually going to be a hinged table in the laundry room for folding clothes on that can fold down against the wall. My laundry room is very small. Looking at 18" x 48" and preferably an inch thick although 1.5" butcher block counter top would work too. Solid hardwood, preferably maple, and unfinished. I had thought about making it myself but I don't have a jointer or a planer so I don't think it's really practical right now. I do have a decent table saw so I could rip a piece of 24" counter top down to 18 if I have to but I would prefer to find something 18" wide already. I don't even have Home Depot or Lowes nearby, let alone a real woodworking store.

BrutulTM said:

Anyone recommend an online source for a pre-made tabletop? It's actually going to be a hinged table in the laundry room for folding clothes on that can fold down against the wall. My laundry room is very small. Looking at 18" x 48" and preferably an inch thick although 1.5" butcher block counter top would work too. Solid hardwood, preferably maple. I had thought about making it myself but I don't have a jointer or a planer so I don't think it's really practical right now. I do have a decent table saw so I could rip a piece of 24" counter top down to 18 if I have to but I would prefer to find something 18" wide already. I don't even have Home Depot or Lowes nearby, let alone a real woodworking store.

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Look for premade workbench tops. You might try rockler.com, lee-valley.com, but there are others, im sure. I think harbor freight sells a workbench kit that might have an appropriate top out of beech or maple.

If you strike out online, a local millwork company can make you one easily, especially if you are willing to apply finish yourself.

BrutulTM said:

Anyone recommend an online source for a pre-made tabletop? It's actually going to be a hinged table in the laundry room for folding clothes on that can fold down against the wall. My laundry room is very small. Looking at 18" x 48" and preferably an inch thick although 1.5" butcher block counter top would work too. Solid hardwood, preferably maple, and unfinished. I had thought about making it myself but I don't have a jointer or a planer so I don't think it's really practical right now. I do have a decent table saw so I could rip a piece of 24" counter top down to 18 if I have to but I would prefer to find something 18" wide already. I don't even have Home Depot or Lowes nearby, let alone a real woodworking store.

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Here's the harbor freight one. $159. I think it's beech, but it's not specified in the ad. If you have a HF near you, it may be the cheapest way to get a complete top: 60 in., 4 Drawer Hardwood Workbench

whoo said:

Here's the harbor freight one. $159. I think it's beech, but it's not specified in the ad. If you have a HF near you, it may be the cheapest way to get a complete top: 60 in., 4 Drawer Hardwood Workbench

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That is an insane price for that thing. A whole workbench with drawers for half of what most places want for just the top. Almost makes me want to buy it just because it's so cheap.

I came across this thing on Amazon of all places and I think it might be my best bet. Will have to cut 6" off of it but that's not a big deal. It says they have already put mineral oil on it. Will that keep me from being able to stain it? I don't mind sanding it down first but my plan is to stain it dark to match my trim and put a few coats of polyurethane on it to make it fairly bulletproof.

I keep tearing my shop apart every few months and reorganizing, ever since I moved in. I was just about to get it all put back together (other thelan the pile of dump/donate), and now I'm thinking that I want to do a 18in workbench along the entire north wall, under the TV.

Any input before I start planning that out? Anyone regret putting in a permanent bench like that? Any other input?

That's a lot of workbench. Do you think you will actually utilize that much space or will it just wind up being a place to pile shit? There's something to be said for your workbench being on wheels so you can move it out to the middle of the garage for some things as well although maybe not so much for you with that big bench there already. One nice thing about a long bench like that is you can integrate your chopsaw into it.

BrutulTM said:

That's a lot of workbench. Do you think you will actually utilize that much space or will it just wind up being a place to pile shit? There's something to be said for your workbench being on wheels so you can move it out to the middle of the garage for some things as well although maybe not so much for you with that big bench there already. One nice thing about a long bench like that is you can integrate your chopsaw into it.

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Benchtop tools is the main reason I've been wanting to do it, along with storage underneath.
It couldn't definitely end up being a pile of random shit I put on it though

My brother was making a bar/counter with concrete counter tops and he was thinking he would just make one pour and have the whole thing at 42" bar height which would have worked fine for him since he's 6' 3". Luckily he mocked it up with plywood first and realized that it hit his wife right above the tits and she would literally have to have a stool to stand on to use it lol.

Bandwagon said:

I keep tearing my shop apart every few months and reorganizing, ever since I moved in. I was just about to get it all put back together (other thelan the pile of dump/donate), and now I'm thinking that I want to do a 18in workbench along the entire north wall, under the TV.

Any input before I start planning that out? Anyone regret putting in a permanent bench like that? Any other input?
View attachment 399475

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What do you plan on making, mostly?

If it's for general tinkering, having a "bench" that you set tools on like a drill press or small lathe, etc, and also gives you space to tinker is sufficient.

If you plan on making furniture, cabinetry, or anything bigger than jewelry boxes on a regular basis, youre going to want something you can work on from all sides and also fix your work to via a vise and /or bench dogs, or clamps. It should be/remain flat as it's a refefence surface, and it should be heavy so it doesn't move or rattle if you're hammering on it.

Looks like you have room for both. Maybe a mobile workbench 5' long that you can push uo against the wall, and some stationary cabinets with a nice heavy (replaceable) top along the rest for permanent tool mounting and storage?

whoo said:

What do you plan on making, mostly?

If it's for general tinkering, having a "bench" that you set tools on like a drill press or small lathe, etc, and also gives you space to tinker is sufficient.

If you plan on making furniture, cabinetry, or anything bigger than jewelry boxes on a regular basis, youre going to want something you can work on from all sides and also fix your work to via a vise and /or bench dogs, or clamps. It should be/remain flat as it's a refefence surface, and it should be heavy so it doesn't move or rattle if you're hammering on it.

Looks like you have room for both. Maybe a mobile workbench 5' long that you can push uo against the wall, and some stationary cabinets with a nice heavy (replaceable) top along the rest for permanent tool mounting and storage?

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Damn, you nailed my other thought. I love the big 4ft x 8ft melamine top table i made. Its sturdy af and the whole back side is lumber storage so its extra weighty....but I fucked up and made the support 2x4s flush with the edge of the table. Can't get any of my clamps on there so I was also thinking of making a new one of those.

I remember one of my dad's friends had a big table with wheels that bolted onto the side. It would drop down on its legs really simply when it needed to. The mechanism to raise it was a lot like the ladders at home depot. Ring any bells?