Table ideas

A few years back, I picked up this table frame from Fasted58. 

At the old house, I had a steel tabletop on part and a big chunk of butcher block on the other.

I've reclaimed the steel and nature claimed the wood.

Inn the new garages, I have old rotting wooden table/benches.

I'm looking for input on turning this frame into a good work bench. 

Outside dimensions are 26.75x82.25 inches

Internal dimensions are 24.675 x 83 inches.

By my math it would take 11 24 inch long pieces of 2x8 to make a flat/solid bottom to then mount plywood on and voila instant sturdy heavy work bench. 

I thought about using 2x4s but that number was ridiculous. At current lumber prices, 3 2x8x8 are affordable though.

Good idea? Bad idea? Without spending an arm and a leg on a sheet of steel to mount to it, any other ideas I might be missing?

I have a section of counter top I'm going to make another bench out of, but it's to small both ways to work on this.

The last time I built a bench, we bought a remnant countertop from the local kitchen rehabbery. Worked like a charm. And it fit in mazdaspeed protege. 

I’ve made several work benches from salvaged commercial solid core doors.  It’s shocking how much ends up in the dumpster at renovation jobs sometimes.   The dimensions you have above look plausible.  

11GTCS said:

I’ve made several work benches from salvaged commercial solid core doors.  It’s shocking how much ends up in the dumpster at renovation jobs sometimes.   The dimensions you have above look plausible.  

I think the greatest work bench I've ever encountered was just that, coupled with an old hospital gurney. Robust as berkeley, and wheel able!

Agreed, solid core door was my first thought. If you have a local Habitat ReStore or other architectural salvage / overstock hardware type place, you can sometimes find counter top remnants cheap too. But the door would be sturdier if you can find it. Check CL and FB for them if they aren't in the dumpsters around there.

Solid core door topped with 1/2" MDF to serve as a sacrificial surface.

A typo on my part, outside should be 83.25.

Yea I'd considered counter top, but that edge around it for outlets would put just a straight top a few inches low.

Solid core door I had forgotten about. Might be able to find one of those. 

I just have a stack of lumber and a stack of plywood, but it turns out nowhere near enough lumber, and I'm not wasting 6 sheets of plywood, so looking at options.

That bench came from an industrial plant, every maintenance shop and production line used them. I used the 2" thick butcher block type bench top w/ tie rods through the length on the new bench I fabbed. Also had a back panel w/ shelf on top. 

The stamped steel x-braces for the back were somehow missing on this bench in our shop so it swayed like a hula girl if ya were bangin' on it. Might appear flimsy but the benches tied together properly were pretty darn stout.

I have 3 of those in my shop and 2 have the original butcher block top, the other I stacked 2 sheets of used 3/4" plywood I had lying around. I would otherwise go the 2 X 8 route

If there is an IKEA near you, you could check out the scratch and dent section for cast off table tops (think butcher block or similar) or counter tops.

That or see if there are people selling stainless steel restaurant tables or butcher blocks on FBM or CL (considering the number of restaurants that are dead or dying, they do pop up from time to time).

In reply to RevRico :

A stone countertop I got mine at a big box store they were changing out the display cabinets and sold it for $30.   Since then I've found the recycle center for habitats for humanity. They have various countertops. Cheap.  I suspect that the stores that sell stone counter tops  may have some old ones sitting around someplace?