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I have had Work Benches since I was 3 years old - that's right 3! My Dad built me my first one when we moved into our first house and gave me some old real tools to play with. I'd hammer, drill, cut and "fix" scraps my Dad would give me from past projects he'd made. There were a few times I ruined household items "fixing them" and while my Mom was yelling and screaming my Dad had "that smirk" on his face. 
Over the years I've had a slew of Work Benches and have use many different items as a surface, including Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Oak, Masonite, Plywood, Paneling, 2 X 4's, etc. While some were better than others for specific purposes, none were great for gun smithing. Any kind of metal while impervious to oils and solvents conduct electricity and will short out electronic components in short order - and electronics is another one of my hobbies. Metal is not great for gun finishes either. The wood and Masonite surfaces are more gun friendly and won't conduct electricity, but will absorb solvents, oils, cleaners and rapidly become soft, saturated and collect debris which tends to scratch fine finishes. Changing them is a major pain in the Butt!
Fast forward to about 10 years ago when I found about as perfect a bench top as one can come up with I believe. It is a product called Sintra. Sintra comes in 4' x 8' sheets and in many thicknesses and colors. I use the 6mm (approx. 1/4") version in black. It can be cut with any Jig saw, Circular saw, Table saw, Hand saw, drilled, nailed, screwed, stapled, etc. It is a semi-soft plastic and is almost self healing when minor cuts are made - just burnish with a rounded screwdriver handle and it will be fine. Sintra will not conduct electricity, it's impervious to oils, solvents, water, cleaners, and everything else I've spilled on it with the exception of Acetone which I seldom use but will etch it. While it will melt if a Soldering iron or Brazing Torch comes in contact, it is also repaired easily by melting in some scraps and sanded.
Sintra has no grain structure and therefore will not warp, not stay bent and will lay perfectly flat all by itself. It can not delaminate as it is one solid piece. All that's needed to hold it to the Work Bench is a few small pin nails that are countersunk so they don't scratch anything. It lasts for years and once the surface is beat up, just reverse it and you are good for another bunch of years! I just recently replaced mine (already flipped it once) and figured I'd pass this on to you. So far Sintra is the absolute best Work Bench surface I've ever seen for guys in the gun hobby! While not perfect, I haven't found a better one yet.
The Sintra product is sold at suppliers that carry Foam Core, Gator Foam, Aluminum, etc. and can be Googled for a local distributor as this is an unwieldy item to ship cost effectively. The cost is about $60 bucks for the 1/4" 4 x 8 foot sheet and don't forget you can use both sides. I use my Work Bench just about every day and use it for every type of work so it takes a real beating - I got 10 years out of one piece! I have no affiliation with this product and so I don't benefit .01 cent - just passing along what I think is a great product for Gun Smithing purposes as it will not scratch your finishes, won't be ruined by gun solvents or oils, and is a fully functional and practical surface for firearms. If you are a Mechanic that regularly bangs, drills and saws things on a Work Bench you can temporarily place a piece of Plywood over it to extend the life if the Sintra.
Here are a few pictures of my Works Bench. The bench is 8 feet long and 32 inches deep. It's held down by a few countersunk 3/4" pin nails from a pneumatic gun but has no glue or adhesives holding it. It can be sanded, drilled, bent (with heat) and shaped unlimitedly. It's a GREAT product!!
Over the years I've had a slew of Work Benches and have use many different items as a surface, including Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Oak, Masonite, Plywood, Paneling, 2 X 4's, etc. While some were better than others for specific purposes, none were great for gun smithing. Any kind of metal while impervious to oils and solvents conduct electricity and will short out electronic components in short order - and electronics is another one of my hobbies. Metal is not great for gun finishes either. The wood and Masonite surfaces are more gun friendly and won't conduct electricity, but will absorb solvents, oils, cleaners and rapidly become soft, saturated and collect debris which tends to scratch fine finishes. Changing them is a major pain in the Butt!
Fast forward to about 10 years ago when I found about as perfect a bench top as one can come up with I believe. It is a product called Sintra. Sintra comes in 4' x 8' sheets and in many thicknesses and colors. I use the 6mm (approx. 1/4") version in black. It can be cut with any Jig saw, Circular saw, Table saw, Hand saw, drilled, nailed, screwed, stapled, etc. It is a semi-soft plastic and is almost self healing when minor cuts are made - just burnish with a rounded screwdriver handle and it will be fine. Sintra will not conduct electricity, it's impervious to oils, solvents, water, cleaners, and everything else I've spilled on it with the exception of Acetone which I seldom use but will etch it. While it will melt if a Soldering iron or Brazing Torch comes in contact, it is also repaired easily by melting in some scraps and sanded.
Sintra has no grain structure and therefore will not warp, not stay bent and will lay perfectly flat all by itself. It can not delaminate as it is one solid piece. All that's needed to hold it to the Work Bench is a few small pin nails that are countersunk so they don't scratch anything. It lasts for years and once the surface is beat up, just reverse it and you are good for another bunch of years! I just recently replaced mine (already flipped it once) and figured I'd pass this on to you. So far Sintra is the absolute best Work Bench surface I've ever seen for guys in the gun hobby! While not perfect, I haven't found a better one yet.
The Sintra product is sold at suppliers that carry Foam Core, Gator Foam, Aluminum, etc. and can be Googled for a local distributor as this is an unwieldy item to ship cost effectively. The cost is about $60 bucks for the 1/4" 4 x 8 foot sheet and don't forget you can use both sides. I use my Work Bench just about every day and use it for every type of work so it takes a real beating - I got 10 years out of one piece! I have no affiliation with this product and so I don't benefit .01 cent - just passing along what I think is a great product for Gun Smithing purposes as it will not scratch your finishes, won't be ruined by gun solvents or oils, and is a fully functional and practical surface for firearms. If you are a Mechanic that regularly bangs, drills and saws things on a Work Bench you can temporarily place a piece of Plywood over it to extend the life if the Sintra.
Here are a few pictures of my Works Bench. The bench is 8 feet long and 32 inches deep. It's held down by a few countersunk 3/4" pin nails from a pneumatic gun but has no glue or adhesives holding it. It can be sanded, drilled, bent (with heat) and shaped unlimitedly. It's a GREAT product!!
