Stainless Steel Work Table Tops

[David Paule]

Yeah, this is overkill, but dang, they are nice. They are so easy to clean and they don't mar quickly. Of course you can't readily drill into the top and cleco to it, but you can always drop some plywood or better, that white melamine-faced cabinet sheet and drill into that.

Anyway, if you are going to use stainless, here's the thing: It should not be thinner than 18 gauge or .050" (edited; previously it was "could be").

The white melamine-faced cabinet sheet I mentioned above? That's my first choice, with stainless being my second. But stainless is better for kitchen counters, grill carts, etc.

Dave

 

[Bill Boyd]

This pic is worthless without threads

 

[Ralph Inkster]

My work tables were all built so the work surface could be replaced. Each time I started a new aircraft project, the tables got new melamie tops.

 

[[email protected]]

My work tables were all built so the work surface could be replaced. Each time I started a new aircraft project, the tables got new melamie tops.

NO stainless steel for me.
I built my RV building table out of wood. It is 10 feet x 4 feet with a 3/4" plywood top that overhangs the base for clamping.
Stainless is way to cold if you put our elbow down.
My plywood deck has a billion holes from drilling things and is warm to the touch and guess what???? you can screw something down to it if you want to.
Works great.
No Formica/melamine either, It fractures way to much.
I have worked on metal tables before and did not like them.
But I'm only 72 so maybe it better for you
My luck varies Fixit

 

[Dr_Dave_MT]

Yeah, this is overkill, but dang, they are nice. They are so easy to clean and they don't mar quickly. Of course you can't readily drill into the top and cleco to it, but you can always drop some plywood or better, that white melamine-faced cabinet sheet and drill into that.

Anyway, if you are going to use stainless, here's the thing: It can be thinner than 18 gauge or .050". I don't know how much thinner. You're buying it by the pound, basically, so thinner is cheaper.

The white melamine-faced cabinet sheet I mentioned above? That's my second choice.

Dave

Might not be preferred for building an airplane, but sure as heck great for my beer brewing!

 

[Ralph Inkster]

NO stainless steel for me.
I built my RV building table out of wood. It is 10 feet x 4 feet with a 3/4" plywood top that overhangs the base for clamping.
Stainless is way to cold if you put our elbow down.
My plywood deck has a billion holes from drilling things and is warm to the touch and guess what???? you can screw something down to it if you want to.
Works great.
No Formica/melamine either, It fractures way to much.
I have worked on metal tables before and did not like them.
But I'm only 72 so maybe it better for you
My luck varies Fixit

My tables are topped with 3/4 plywood, than covered again with 3/4 melamine. Very solid - you could beat anything into submission on them!

 

[Auburntsts]

Might not be preferred for building an airplane, but sure as heck great for my beer brewing!

For me too! I have my Spike 10gal single vessel eBIAB system on a rolling SS table with a shelf for my pump, and counter-flow chiller.

 

[hgerhardt]

My favorite work bench top is butcher block. You want something heavy and impact absorbing if you're going to use a C-frame riveting tool. You can get butcher block stock for reasonable $$ and like stainless, should last forever. I built mine with this work bench kit. Another benefit is wood is softer than aluminum so won't mar your parts as easily as stainless will.

 

[David Paule]

My tables are topped with 3/4 plywood, than covered again with 3/4 melamine. Very solid - you could beat anything into submission on them!

MIne are just the 3/4 melamine, which I've set up to be reversible. That stuff is excellent, and frankly, preferable to stainless.

Dave

 

[wcalvert]

Best table for my needs is a flat multi ply top covered with 45 mil EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) pond liner from the pond shop. Not slippery, absorbs impact and you can shoot a screw thru it to hold something down and it self heals.

 

[David Paule]

Bill wanted photos. This may seem a bit off-topic but in the context of work benches, and work bench tops, it's entirely on-topic. Well, somewhat on-topic anyway.

This is one of the eight work benches I've made to the general design in the underlined link. Four are out at the hangar and three are serving my RV-3B right now.

Last November this cart with a Big Green Egg grill blew over. The BGE was destroyed but the rugged cart was fine, except for having an 18" hole. I slapped a coat of varnish on the top, since it was rougher than it appears here.



But the hole needed filling. Some 3/4" plywood, varnished on the bottom, was screwed down. The 1" gap was from using scrap wood.



I left the top bare so I could epoxy the stainless steel to it. I used Jeffco epoxy since it was handy. Before bonding it, I lightly abraded the surface and cleaned it with lacquer thinner followed by an IPA (the alcohol kind of IPA) wipe. The surface you see here was protected with a tougher vinyl than Van's uses. I prefer Van's.



The shop was unheated during this time and it took a couple of days to be cured enough that I was comfortable deburring the edges of the stainless. That didn't take long with a large mill file.

Finally, I put my Mini BGE and the pizza cart on the cart.



Dave

 

[Scott Hersha]

Might not be preferred for building an airplane, but sure as heck great for my beer brewing!

Yep, me too. Basement workshop/brew kitchen.:

 

[Dr_Dave_MT]

Yep, me too. Basement workshop/brew kitchen.:

 

[MacCool]

Bill wanted photos. This may seem a bit off-topic but in the context of work benches, and work bench tops, it's entirely on-topic. Well, somewhat on-topic anyway.

This is one of the eight work benches I've made to the general design in the underlined link. Four are out at the hangar and three are serving my RV-3B right now.

Last November this cart with a Big Green Egg grill blew over. The BGE was destroyed but the rugged cart was fine, except for having an 18" hole. I slapped a coat of varnish on the top, since it was rougher than it appears here.



But the hole needed filling. Some 3/4" plywood, varnished on the bottom, was screwed down. The 1" gap was from using scrap wood.

View attachment 57113

I left the top bare so I could epoxy the stainless steel to it. I used Jeffco epoxy since it was handy. Before bonding it, I lightly abraded the surface and cleaned it with lacquer thinner followed by an IPA (the alcohol kind of IPA) wipe. The surface you see here was protected with a tougher vinyl than Van's uses. I prefer Van's.



The shop was unheated during this time and it took a couple of days to be cured enough that I was comfortable deburring the edges of the stainless. That didn't take long with a large mill file.

Finally, I put my Mini BGE and the pizza cart on the cart.

View attachment 57115

Dave

I did similar. Got a nice sheet of stainless steel from my fabricator, had him cut the hole for the BGE, roll all the edges and weld the seams. Great food prep surface,

 

[DanH]

I keep a sheet of ordinary coated steel on one of my work benches, about 3x3. Anything involving oil, grease, or liquid gets worked there. Easy to clean.

A really clean area is also desirable when doing any sort of engine assembly.

 

[shamer]

Another option. Hot rolled 14 gauge steel with a patina finish. $154 for a 2’ x 12’ piece.
I just did it so can’t say how I’ll like it but I do like the idea and the price.