reloading bench top finish type

[JO JO]

well I am rebuilding my old reloading bench, it will have a sanded plywood top , it is in the garage nothing real special just 2 benches in an L pattern in a corner, each bench is 6ft long, so what do you guys think ?
deck paint ?
regular paint ?
just seal it with sealer ?
its not birch or mahogany just sanded plywood

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I put a couple of coats of polyurethane on mine.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

My press is currently mounted to a 2x8 and clamped to my workbench. It's a plywood top. Since this obviously isn't a permenant setup it is what it is.

If I was building a bench just for reloading I'd have it in some sort of smooth counter top material so it would be easy to clean and get powder up. IMHO plywood sucks for a reloading bench working surface. At the minimum I'd use a sheet of Formica on top of the plywood.

 

[Catpop]

I just stained mine and then put on old English oil. I like to stay away from finishes that show scratches.

 

[RMH]

I use Husky tool box drawer liner from Home Depot. It comes in a roll 18" wide 100" long for $9.98. Round things don't roll around as much on it. Saves picking things off the floor as much When it gets dirty, take it outside and shake or rinse it off with the hose. And no dings on the bench.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Plywood dents too easily for me. And those dents are there forever. Like Hokie, I would recommend formica. Or Masonite hardboard. If you want to use plywood, I would recommend a couple of coats of a clear, hardening gloss finish.

 

[rocirish]

I have mine covered with a piece of left over linoleum. When I'm reloading I roll out some rubberized drawer liner like RMH noted above.

 

[reddog81]

Anything within reason will work. I used regular white paint on the plywood I built mine with. I figured paint will be easier to touch up if it starts to look bad.

The plywood might dent, but I guess it can be replaced or covered at any time with minimal effort.

 

[FROGO207]

I am a bit different than most it seems. I had a regular painted surface on a repurposed bench and I covered it with a sheet of fir plywood. I did not do anything to it. I did take a thin strip of 2X4 and make a 1/16 inch high lip around the front and sides to keep things from rolling off. If it gets dirty I will just sand it a bit.

 

[bersaguy]

I cut a piece of hardboard to use as my top. It sits on top of the plywood top. Cheap smooth surface to work on, and when it gets dinged up, or stained, I just swap it out with a new piece

 

[boom boom]

I cut a piece of hardboard to use as my top. It sits on top of the plywood top. Cheap smooth surface to work on, and when it gets dinged up, or stained, I just swap it out with a new piece

Did the same except mine has a finished smooth white surface on the top of the thin hardboard sheet. Easier to catch powder and crud that way and easy to sweep.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Go down to Lowe's and purchase a bundle of the cheapest imitation flooring they have. Pre measure and cut it to fit the table, then glue it down. It's hard, looks pretty good, and if you spill something you can wipe it up.

 

[GBExpat]

I cut a piece of hardboard to use as my top. It sits on top of the plywood top. Cheap smooth surface to work on, and when it gets dinged up, or stained, I just swap it out with a new piece

Something like this is what I am seriously considering for when I renovate my bench.

Currently my benchtop (~96"x33") is made of two pieces of ¾" plywood (gorilla glue laminated) with 2 coats of clear polyurethane.

If it were a reloading bench exclusively I would probably install a white Melamine top, but my bench is multi-duty, so ...

 

[Rule3]

As mentioned, hardboard,

 

[Axis II]

mdf. its pricy but i like the smoothness of it and the sturdiness of it as well.

 

[Blue68f100]

Plywood dents too easily for me. And those dents are there forever. Like Hokie, I would recommend formica. Or Masonite hardboard. If you want to use plywood, I would recommend a couple of coats of a clear, hardening gloss finish.

This is what I have done for decades with all my work benches. When ever the masonite gets bad I just replace it. I use screws to attach mine so it can be replaced easily. You do need to use some kind of sealer on it for water will damage it very quickly.

 

[stoky]

I recently re-did a couple bench tops with smooth white wall board. It's scratching more easily than I'd envisaged, especially the one where I work on guns.
If (when) I was doing it again, I'd try floor sheeting.

 

[thomas15]

Jo Jo are you going to rip up the old bench top and replace with new or just wanting a new look for the old?

FWIW my bench top is plywood, actually it's 3/4 Birch ply (furniture grade) glued and screwed to 3/4 utility grade. Painted with several coats of grey rustolium paint. I had the wood and paint left over from other projects so I have no investment in it. There are no issues with dents and it's level. More than satisfactory. I'm planning to make some changes in a few weeks and will add another coat of paint (to clean it up) then maybe several coats of clear polyurethane.

Of course low grade plywood or sheathing will not be smooth and may have soft spots but unless you are pounding on it with a hammer I don't understand all of the concern about dents.

 

[Mauser lover]

If I ever get around to it....
I want a white finish, so I can see what is going on.

I'm thinking a high falutin' something-or-other like plywood and white latex paint.

Currently... I have an unfinished plywood top, with my press clamped (big C clamps). Hopefully temporary.

 

[Doublehelix]

I used a 1/4" sheet of white Melamine on top of my bench. It is really durable, and easy to see any spilled powder or other junk. It cleans easily, and I am really happy with it. If it needs to be replaced, It won't be too hard to take it off and replace it. I glued it down, and then added a few screws to the edges, but basically just weighted it down while it was gluing. I added some white trim pieces to the edges of the top.

 

[cfullgraf]

Something to consider, determine what all is going to be done on your bench. It will determine what kind of surface that you want.

My current bench has multiple uses from reloading to gun smithing and cleaning. Some of the solvents used including the alcohol in spray on case lubes attacks the surface of the bench.

(My current reloading bench is a small metal frame/wood top work table used by one of my wife's relative at a railroad repair facility from the time of live steam.)

 

[hdwhit]

My original reloading bench had a 5/8 inch plywood top. It was finished with Helmsman Spar Varnish which is still in good condition nearly 40 years later.

My second reloading bench uses a cantilevered 2x8 as the structural member supporting the press so the top is merely something to keep stuff from falling onto the floor. It is a piece of nominal 1/2 inch waferboard left over from the construction of the house that was finished with some Homer Formby Tung Oil finish that was leftover from another project. Varnished waferboard is not pretty, but is has done fine for the last 25 years.

 

[drband]

Double sheets of birch 3/4" plywood glued and screwed. 7 coats of polyurethane. My gunsmithing area has 1/4" plexiglass on top. Looks nice, tough.

 

[hdwhit]

Mauser Lover wrote:
I'm thinking a high falutin' something-or-other like plywood and white latex paint.

Don't overlook leftover pieces at cabinet makers and home-improvement stores. When I built my wife a computer desk, I found a five-foot section of pre-formed laminate countertop that had gotten chipped when they cut it to length. The chip was not going to be obvious where I was going to install it, so I offered the guy $20 and he was happy to see it go.

The hardest part was getting it into the Volkswagen Jetta I had at the time.

 

[Kaldor]

A piece of laminate like what is used on kitchen counters. Will resist just about anything you can throw at it short of acid.