Whats on your desk?

My workspace is a thick piece of particle board and formica counter top fastened to the wall.  On the desk besides all the stuff I'm working on is a piece of white ceramic tile.  The tile is smooth and hard as glass and just the right size to work on.  On the back of the tile I stuck four of those felt table leg sticker things, the ones you put on the bottom of your table legs so they don't scratch or mar the floor.  The felt stickers let me slide the tile around on the table when I need to. 

I paint on a different table right behind this one(see photo)

I have used a number of different surfaces over the years.  Started out with particle board tops, then switched to the precovers melamine particle board from the local home center.  This is still one of my favorite surfaces, as it is easy to keep clean.  For the workbench that takes a lot of abuse, I have a 3/4 inch MDF top, with a 1/4 layer of hardboard screwed on top for the actual work surface.  When that gets thrashed, I can flip it over and start fresh, and then easily replace it with another down the line.  I have a small square of glass on one end for cutting PE, glueing up assemblies, small wet sanding jobs and so forth.

Kurt

Unknownpharoah wrote:

So... what do you work on? Er.. or i should ask.. what material is on top of your desk?..butcher paper, blueprint paper or.. nothing? I hate getting glue/paint on my desk. What works best for you?

For years, I've worked at plant nurseries and I was able to get a large poster advertising a soil amendment once. It was made of a durable plastic material. I simply had to wash it and lay it face down on my workbench (the other side was plain white) and it made a terrific cover! To avoid cutting it, I use scraps of wood or plexiglass as cutting mats. The plastic takes little paint and glue spills with no problem. I had that thing for years!

Just a couple of weeks ago, the season for bare-root roses ended in Phoenix (to you northerners: we plant bare-root roses and fruit trees from Christmas time to early February in southern Arizona) and I was able to obtain another larger poster advertising the new roses introduced this year. In fact, this poster was too large for my workbench, so I had to cut it to fit; the smaller piece is just the right size for my outdoor workbench (we're getting into perfect weather for modeling outside).

The old workbench cover is still perfectly serviceable, by the way. I washed it and put it into my ice chest and now it's ready to take on the road with my portable tool kit!

I have a work bench from McMaster Carr the top is a plastic laminate that is stain and chemical resistant, it's not on either one

My desk was from IKEA with a glass top included, Self healing cutting mat PC with all the gubbins that come with that (for internetr reference only you understand) also theres a 1/72 Hornet somewhere in RAAF 20th anniversary colours & junk, yes mainly junk .

Here's a link to see it tidy.

http://www.freewebs.com/scottellis/aboutme.htm

Scott

A bottle of Jack Daniels of course....

Oh wait, you want to know the material on the tabletop.  Well, I have nothing on it since I just have a cheap folding table as my workbench so it really doesn't matter what happens to the surface of it.

berny13 wrote:

After remodeling our bedroom about ten years ago, I had some carpet padding left over.  I covered my modeling desk with it and it is still good.  It is soft enough that my tools don't roll off and cuts seem to heal them self.  It is stained with paint, but that gives it that used look.

Wish mine was that clean i cant seem to keep anything clean in my shop heres my mess

I use a piece of counter top laminate, Formica is one brand, that come is 2x4 foot piece that can be purchased at Home Depot.   If you go this route, choose a smooth light color and not one that imitates a stone or granite look.  When you drop a really tiny part…it is a real PITA to find.  Fits great on a desk, cleans easy.  I have a large self healing cutting mat down on that as well.  That helps to demark the “modeling” area and all the tools and junks that tends to piled up is kept more around the perimeter…most of the time.

espins1 wrote:

I use glass as well, a nice piece that my wife picked up for me.  It has 4 rubber corners on it so I can set it anywhere without scratching.  Usually it's on my computer desk, but I can move it up to bedroom or into the family room if I want to do some "work" while watching TV with my family.  It's great for cutting on, cleanup is a breeze, and worse case scenario you simply take a razor blade and scrape up any paint, glue or whatever.  In between projects I just windex it and voila, perfectly clean surface.

eizzle

The only glass surface that I've ever had any problems with is those that I've used standard window pane glass on - they break very easily, into very small sharp pieces.  If you want to try glass but the problem of breakage bothers you, visit an automotive salvage yard and see if you can find a flat window out of the back of a pickup - they're designed to break into very small chunks that are not near as sharp as regular glass - The only time I've had a problem with the thicker glass I use was when I managed to drop an 18" Crescent wrench about two feet onto the glass - and I don't really want to talk about how that came about. lol

I use glass as well, a nice piece that my wife picked up for me.  It has 4 rubber corners on it so I can set it anywhere without scratching.  Usually it's on my computer desk, but I can move it up to bedroom or into the family room if I want to do some "work" while watching TV with my family. 

It's great for cutting on, cleanup is a breeze, and worse case scenario you simply take a razor blade and scrape up any paint, glue or whatever.  In between projects I just windex it and voila, perfectly clean surface.

I work on glass also. Cant say enough about it. You can cut, paint, glue on it when your done easy clean up. I have to agree with the other post the thicker the glass the better, I got lucky  I found mine  next to the road, someone was gettind rid of it.

Thad

I've got a sheet of glass on mine.  It's easy to clean - anything that sets up on it (glue, paint, masking tape etc) scrapes off easily with a single edged razor blade, spilled paint or other liquids don't soak in and wipe up easily.  It's also a great cutting surface (cutting does damage the surface, but it takes about five years before the surface becomes unusable - then you just flip it over.

I've use a lot of different kinds of glass over the years (for a while I even had a co-pilots side window out of a KC-135 on the desk - a couple of feet wide, about 4 feet long and 3 inches thick - weighed a ton).  Currently I'm using a piece of glass that came from a desk top - it's about 5/16" thick and really resists breakage and damage.

If you do go with glass (I highly recommend it), don't use standard window pane glass - it breaks very easily and cuts better than a razor when it does.  The thicker the glass the better and you want to make sure the edges have been rounded (guess how I found out about that).  If you should scrounge or salvage a piece of glass you think will work for you (that's how I've gotten all my glass work surfaces), don't try to cut it yourself.  A glass shop will cut it to size and round the edges for you for a few bucks. (which is cheaper than any medical bills and pain you might get if you try to do it yourself)