Good idea or not? - Bench top surface

[Hudson Carpentry]

I have loads of High Pressure laminate as ID'ed here can-anyone-tell-me-what-this-is-please-t53447.html

After a year since first building my bench the top is not longer flat, its been spoilt with paint/stains/varnishes, drilled into, its dinted, has chisel marks, glue stuck to it and even chunks missing. I could do with making the top thicker to accommodate the record 52 1/2 vices I keep meaning to fit. Also I could do with the surface being flat.

I was simply going to sand it flat but thought with this laminate stuff being 12mm thick, very hard and wipe clean I wondered if its a good idea to sand flat then put this stuff on top? It also gives me a chance to make the top a bit longer.

Any thoughts or cons?

 

[xy mosian]

Hi Hudson, From my recollection of using it in industry you may well find it too slippery. My only other thoughts are along the lines of, is it too hard ( dinging chisels etc.), is it too dark?

xy

 

[baldpate]

If you go that route, Hudson, you might want consider puting a thin sacrificial surface on top, made of a less slippery, softer (tool-friendly) material (3mm mdf? hardboard?), with a view to easy replacement every year or so when it becomes too battered.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Important points guys and thank you.

Ill drop some 22mm MDF on top of the bench after sanding flat. The plastic stuff will not go to waste I have an idea for a moving target rig when we are shooting air rifles. After testing this plastic stuff it barely marks the surface even with rifle that will hammer its way through metal.

 

[woodbloke]

If you go that route, Hudson, you might want consider puting a thin sacrificial surface on top, made of a less slippery, softer (tool-friendly) material (3mm mdf? hardboard?), with a view to easy replacement every year or so when it becomes too battered.

I'd use oil tempered hardboard, far superior to the stuff 'ordinaire' - Rob