The Story of C.R.E.A.T.E.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Making Sacrifices

Sacrificial workbench tops

Wear and tear is one of the things built into our workbenches. Students will cut without mats, scraping-up hot glue damages the work surfaces. In other words: School happens. So the tops of our workbenches are sacrificial. Every year or two, we rip them off (they're attached with a minimum of silicone glue) and replace them with new tops.

Old bench top about to be replaced. New surface is visible in the rear.
Our original tabletops were a thin white plastic designed to be attached to a wall. But it was so thin, that when the temperature in the room changed, the material warped and made for an uneven work surface. The second version was whiteboard paneling, but the white surface was too thin to withstand day-to-day punishment (see photo above.)

Our current version is fused laminate board, designed for custom cabinets. It's actually donated scrap from a local company, which they generously cut to the exact size for us. As of this writing, it's been in use for five months and is standing up very well.

Links

Workbench Plans

Original surface (bad)

Donated sheets of thermal fused laminate board


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4 comments:

  1. paulshircliffFebruary 1, 2019 at 6:49 AM

    Thanks for the plans. I have made similar benches for my garage/workshop (& 1 for a classroom)...with a few differences : usually 60" not 98", I dont use 2x6, board 11 for me gets replaced by 3 boards at 90 degrees spaced evenly ; no overhang ; no trim ; single 3/4" for top & shelf.. I am thinking about the overhang now. I did see an interesting plan that uses 1 sheet of plywood to make a bench approx 2'x4'

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    Replies
    1. Mark LoundyFebruary 1, 2019 at 7:26 AM

      I built four of ours and made a mistake on the measurements for the first one. It's the only one with no overhang on the long sides, which means that we can only use clamps on the ends.

      --Mark

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  2. paulshircliffFebruary 1, 2019 at 7:04 AM

    thinking and reading more about the white surface... i have used the "original" for student white boards. Once thought about putting them on tables, but realized they wouldnt last long. wondering if this would be good or similar to board you found https://www.homedepot.com/p/Melamine-White-Panel-Common-3-4-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-750-in-x-49-in-x-97-in-461877/100070209 . never tried it with kids b/c of weight & cost, but to put up on a wall or table top...thoughts or more reflections on the board you have (@shirky17)

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  3. Mark LoundyFebruary 1, 2019 at 7:29 AM

    Weight is not a factor in the top surface material. The benches are already so heavy that it takes two people to invert them. I think that large mass is important in workbenches.

    --Mark

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