[linsomniac]

I ended up doing MDF tops for my workbench (1" MDF over 3/4 plywood), and finished them with shelac for a protected, low-friction surface. It is still vulnerable to water damage, but not as bad as unfinished, and as a spoil layer it's not bad. It has plusses and minuses.

[verisimilitude]

If you ever need to replace that MDF, try this: https://epoxytops.com/phenolic-resin-countertops/

I'm using it for my next workbench top.

[jeramey]

Seconded! I recently built a large 50" x 90" work surface in my garage and used MDO sign board (another phenolic resin product, not much more expensive than MDF and available at many construction-oriented lumber yards) for the top surface over top of a hardwood plywood subsurface and heavily milled Douglas Fir legs and trusses, all doweled and glued together. I've been quite happy. It was easy to use a router on to make channels for t-tracks, and has been quite stable for the past 6 months or so through the fall, winter, and spring weather changes with only an oil-filled radiant heater to keep things from getting too frigid.

[ajb]

I think that's similar to what my kitchen worktop is made of. It's great, but cutting it at all is a big job. It's incredibly hard.

[amerine]

Oh neat!! Thanks for showing me this

[thebiss]

Umm, freight is $500?

[verisimilitude]

LTL, the next frontier in logistics optimization