Woodcraft is holding a 30%-off sale on laminated maple workbench tops until November 24th. The bench tops are 1-3/4″ thick and are sanded smoth with a UV-cured acrylic finish that’s resistent to water, alcohol and solvent detergents.
You can install these on a DIY workbench, or any type of home furniture project. The laminated maple slabs are available in 24″ x 60″, 30″ x 60″, and 24″ x 84″ sizes. The 24×60 bench top currently ships for free to contiguous US addresses, and the two larger two sizes incur a $15 excessive weight charge.
Maple Bench Tops via Woodcraft
I like Woodcraft, but Grizzly has a bigger selection for a lot less.
LINK
Grizzly does have a much larger selection, but their prices are comparable once you take freight into account. If there was a Grizzly near me, I would definitely head there first, thanks for the tip!
Woodcraft’s 24″ x 60″ x 1-3/4″ is $175. Grizzly’s 25″ x 60″ x 1-1/2″ is $234 including freight.
Woodcraft’s 30″ x 60″ x 1-3/4″ is $205 including a $15 excess weight fee. Grizzly’s 30″ x 60″ x 1-3/4″ is $219 including freight.
another source of bench tops is IKEA. yup IKEA.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90057855
later jim
River, that’s a great tip as well!
I am actually very fond of Ikea worktops, and have several in birch. However, after my experience with a maple-topped cabinet, I’ve discovered just how much more durable maple feels over birch. In addition, the countertops you linked to are less than half the thickness of the Woodcraft and Grizzly ones. The bitch ones I have are double the thickness at 1-1/8″, but their durability leaves me a little wanting.
On a tighter budget, I would definitely get another Ikea Varde countertop for my work surfaces, but ideally I’d love a nice finished maple top instead.