The case for a Masonite Top

[jteneyck]

Here's one reason I like a Masonite top on the bench that gets the most use in my shop.



All those areas that are filled with Bondo is where I had made a few boo-boos.  The top was flat otherwise.  In truth a couple of the holes were done intentionally because I needed to hold something down and couldn't figure out a better alternative than just screwing the piece to the benchtop.  Anyway, after I filled the holes and leveled the repairs I added a new piece of Masonite - new bench.



I have a Euro style bench, too, but it only gets hand tool use; this bench is where I do everything else which means most everything.  It gets beat up pretty badly over a year of use.  Replacing the top with a new piece of Masonite takes 15 minutes and makes it as good as new.  This bench is over 25 years old, and is still as flat as when I first leveled it. 

John

[Stanley McMahan]

I second that motion to skin your bench with Masonite. Mine has been that way since 2003 and taken a beating but the bench underneath is still as it was when I made it.

[Stwood_]

My bench is 4x8. 3 sheets of 3/4 for the top. I've just flipped a sheet a couple of times in about 15-16 years. I still have 2-3 new surfaces to use up.

[Herb G]

I have 4 different workbenches. The one I use for leatherwork has a Masonite top on it. It's probably 40 years old. It's banged up some, but still serviceable.

I like your shop, BTW.

[Cooler]

I agree.  But I always look for tempered masonite as it is a much harder surface.  Painters like it too.

https://harborsales.net/Portals/0/docs/h..._is_it.pdf

The table included in this article shows it to be 40% to 100% harder than other grades of hardboard.  

The table is on page 9.

[daddo]

Lately I've had a lot of spare laminate flooring panels I've been using. Easy to clean and wipe up.

[jteneyck]

Cooler, I actually use double tempered Masonite - hard on both sides.  When one side gets beaten up I can flip it over and have a new surface w/o having to replace it yet.  I normally get several years out of each piece.  

John

[Robert Adams]

Lately I've had a lot of spare laminate flooring panels I've been using. Easy to clean and wipe up.

Yup cheap smooth laminate flooring works great for work tops. I also have some of the white faced Masonite on my miter saw tables. Smooth and bright and you can write your dimensions and make drawings on it.

[joespehar]

Masonite is relatively cheap and flat. It's a good work surface also because it doesn't make you crazy worrying about damaging an expensive wood top.

[Steve N]

I'm of the 3 to 5 different benches in the shop school of thought. After more than 50 years of chasing this stuff, I still am not sure what the one perfect bench is. If you have a TS, you need a bench, some people call them outfeed tables. If you have hand tools you need a bench, those need a vice or 3 to hold work, they also need some dog holes. If you have ever assembled anything, not just woodworking projects, you need an assembly table. If you plan to finish on top of it, or get other gooey stuff John's thought about a hardboard top is a great one, rip off, or repair, and replace, or recover, when it is too messy to go on. Special tables for smaller tools, Maybe a sanding table with downdraft. I don't think you can have too many tables, if you still have floor space. Ohhh yeah, a flat table with wheels, because you always need some horizontal space to put stuff on while you are working on a project, because who wants to keep walking over to get something if it can be right there