Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm getting ready to wrap up my basement shop renovation and am in need of some ideas. I have a section of my shop where I plan to install some cabinets, workbenches, etc. The area is 8' x 12' and has three walls (two which are 8' andone that is 12'). I will have at least one cabinet that will be 2'x2'x7' high for storage of tools (drills, saws. equipment parts, etc.) First off, what design features would you design into this area based on your shop or things you wish you would have done? Secondly, What would you use for the counter/bech tops? I plan on making/buying a workbench at some point and putting it in this area as well, sometime. Probably on the from of this area parallel to the back wall. (The area is raised up from the shop floor by about six inches so you have to step up into the area.) Previously my counter/workbench tops were 1-1/4" mdf, but I think I want something warmer. I am curious to hear what you all have for suggestions. I includede a few pictures of the area that I am working with. Please excuse the disarray, for I am still working on situating things, etc.

Scott

I just picked up a copy of The Complete Woodshop Guide from Lee-Valley and one suggestion that they had was to put a covering of quarter or thinner MDF on top of your benchtop so when it gets hacked up it can be discarded. use screws to fasten it down.

Melamine lasts longer than paint and stains less. If it is waxed with car-wax it tends to resist titebond.

Just some random thoughts.

Bob

I have a large work table - 48" X 84" with a particle board top with a sheet of white formica on top. Glue, stain and finishes clean easily. I have it on locking casters, and two shelves underneath for storage. I made it just under table saw height so it can be used for an outfeed table, as well.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I prefer an unfinished surface. Less slippery for me, but I do have to spend some time picking glue off it occasionally.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I found some old oak pallet wood for next to nothing. Didn't care about the old nail holes and nicks and just laminated them together. Wears quite well.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Hi, Scott,
I think counter tops in the shop should be sturdy, expendable and easy to replace. This is due to my method of work, because I will glue, chop, saw, scrape and clamp to any surface that best suits my needs at the moment. I do have shop-made melamine laminated wings on my table saw, and yes I DO occasionally use these wings as work benches for gluing, clamping, etc. (Never chopping or hammering). When I'm using something that might spill or drip, I just lay down a piece of newspaper or wax paper first. On those occasions, the slippery surface is an asset, because any spillage that happens is easy to clean up. The slippery surface can be a very bad deal on other surfaces and I would NOT build a slippery bench top. Beyond those considerations, I think the sky is the limit for you. Do what pleases your artistic sensibility.

Patrick

I have a solid torsion box designed bench top and use 1/2 or 3/8 (when available) mdf as a replaceable top. When both sides are disgusting, I start over. A problem with mdf though is any liquid spill is absorbed and causes bumbs. A side benefit to discarding the mdf is that some can be salvaged for jigs and patterns and it is such a positive attitude adjustment when starting a project with a new top!

Danny R. Little

I don't understand the need for replaceable tops if all you do is build guitars. What do build them with, mallets and axes? I much prefer a thick, solid hardwood top, finished with Danish oil or something similar. The inevitable dents and holes can be filled with a little epoxy when you have a little left over, and then after some years, you can plane it nice and smooth again, if you like. I do have one bench with a high pressure laminate top, which is handy for sharpening, coloring etc., anything involving water. If I need a very true reference surface, I use my table saw or jointer bed. My planing bench (Scandinavian type woodworking bench) is probably about 100 years old, and still going strong. It has seen some heavy use, and could use some tlc, but certainly not a new top.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Have to agree with Arnt.. recently set up a basement shop... and searched the web for kitchen worktops - found some 4m x 0.8m x 0.035m solid beech for not much more than teh same $$$ in MDF if doubled up... sure it gets a bit dirty, but a light sand and its like new...

I just resurfaced my main bench whit 3/4 MDF. I like the MDF. I finish it off with a couple coats of water base finish just in case I spill beer on it.

Bench top is 3/4in plywood capped with 3/4in MDF.

I bought some granite from a fabricator. They all seen to have remnants that they let go pretty cheap.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

No one can argue with Arnt or Frank on the essential point of easily repairing a solid wood bench top or counter top. No one can argue with Arnt's instruments, either! But, on the other hand, an expendable bench top could be easily filled and repaired, too. If it ever really needed replacement, it could be done at much less cost than a solid maple top. Of course, the solid maple top would probably survive for many generations before it needed replacement. I was just describing what makes me comfortable for my particular work, which often includes work that is much rougher than instrument building.

Cheers to all!
Pat