In the process of setting up a shop and am fabricating a 12 ft long bench.
1. What would be the best bench top surface and color? Solid surface, laminate?
2. Somewhere I read that a pale green color is best and elsewhere that a white top is best esp when working with micro guides. Suggestions?
3. Would a rolled "drip edge" be useful to help prevent things from rolling off?

Many thanks.

Jeff

Columbia, SC

laminate would be the best , since it's easily celaned up after spills.
mine is hardboard and i'm getting ready to install laminate on top of it.
if you want some free laminate contact me thru email and come to cherryville and pick it up.
this goes for anyone close enough to come pickit up.
i have a rather large amount to dispose of from a closed cabinet shop.
theres many colors and 2 thicknesses to choose from.
there are also many sizes so you can get some fror small jobs as well.

Pale green won't create glare as white is apt to. I would opt for a hard surface top - formica or similar so spills can be easily wiped up.

There was a complete series of articles in RodMaker a couple years back on how to create a complete, all-in-one, mobile rod wrapping bench. It's a pretty neat contraption. I brought it to the Expo one year and it was quite a hit.

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I built mine with 3/4" birch plywood and finished it with three coats of wipe-on satin polyurethane, leaving it the natural color. My reasoning was simple. Easy to keep clean, attractive and non-glaring ... and best of all, easily stripped, sanded and refinished. At this point, it still looks new after 4 years.

I used Laminated flooring (pergo) stared at the back to the front .tacked ends and edge with small brads . Easy to change It is a light color

Jeff - I'm over in Aiken. If you are ever this way, you're more than welcome to stop by and see my shop set up.

I chose a premade formica top for my bench. It was long enough. low glare, easy, and I can scrape it clean once I have finish, epoxy, etc built up on it.

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AD

I used to own a countertop shop that fabricated and installed both laminate and solid surface countertops.

I put a laminate top in my build area. It is a light color (Wilsonart Mystic Dawn) It is 30" deep and 10 feet long I used some heavy duty L brackets to support it so that it is open the clear span.

I would not use solid surface as it will cost a fortune compared to laminate. The laminate holds up quite well.

If you want some info on the brackets or how to install, send me an email. We used these brackets on an all our doctors offices.It took awhile to find them, but they are great.

Bert Nagy

Laminate!! The best for rod building.

All my surfaces are done with laminate (flooring material). Light color "wood" without any grain. Easy to pop off finish, wipe down with alcohol to remove any stains (from marbling exercises) or inks / paints. Highly resistant to scratches

Bert
Sent you an email.

Bert; Thanks for the Link! they look right

It has to be light colored so that micros that you drop will easily be found. And mosquitos cannot hide, either.