Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Would 1 1/2" plywood make a good workbench top?
Barry Irby
There is an auction tomorrow with 3 sheets of 1 1/2" Applyply that appears to have maple or birch faces and many many thin plys like baltic birch. It's at least 4' by 8'.
Would it make a good top for a workbench? Any other good uses leap to mind?
I looked it up on the State industries site and it appears they sell a 4' x 4' piece for about $150.
Anyone interested? At what price?
Nah
Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey
The stock might be substantial but the veneer will still be fragile for a work surface.
Sounds like table top stock that would do well with some edge banding
Re: Would 1 1/2" plywood make a good workbench top
Jim DeLaney, Austintown, Ohio
It's what I've been using for about thirty years. I used birch ply - three layers of ¾ inch. I've surface scraped is several times over the years, and haven't yet cone thru the surface veneer. It ain't as pretty as it used to be, but it's still quite functional.
Re: Would 1 1/2" plywood make a good workbench top
David Yoho
Would it make a good top for a workbench?
Depends. When I first set up my workshop I wanted a workbench attached to two walls of my shop as a general bench work surface. I used standard 2 by 4 framing with 4 by 4 legs to support the front, and covered it with 3/4" birch ply faced off with a solid 5" band of birch to cover the plywood edge and the front framing. It works just fine.
However, I also have a free-standing bench with a thick solid maple top and heavy frame that I use to do all my pounding and construction work. I think if this is the type of bench your are referring to you might want a little thicker top or at least add something like some 1/4" tempered hardboard on top of the plywood.
I'd say so...
John in NM
The trick would be gluing it up to make maximum thickness.
Baltic birch & similar products are really useful. I even once made a gunstock out of laminated baltic.
Re: Would 1 1/2" plywood make a good workbench top
JL
I would say yes - if you have a solid wood skirting for vises and bench dog holes.
I agree
Bruce, a MN Galoot
The stuff is solid birch or maple plies throughout. I just finished a gunstock for a Weirauch HW55 from BB.
I wouldn't glue down ...
Mike Farinella
the tempered hardboard if you go this route - make it replaceable.
Did not get the plywood
Barry Irby
I tried to look up the plywood and on the ApplePly site it sold for about $150 for half a sheet. So I figured a whole sheet would sell for $300. There were three sheets there. I was fascinated with it, for no real reason.
I was undecided about what to pay but was good to about $200 for the whole lot. It sold for about $350. I let it go. The guy who bought it was really excited because the packaging said it was "bullet proof". I'm not sure, but I think it is no more bullet proof than an 1 1/2" of any other plywood. I think the words bullet proof were advertising hyperbole.
Agree