New stainless steel countertop

DeesL · 10 May 2019 at 5:01 PM

Hello all you happy and knowledgeable builders.

I am going to cover my new workbench in the garage with stainless steel sheet (1.5mm). The bench consists of 3x15mm construction plywood.
Is there a good adhesive that works on stainless steel that can be "combed out" with a notched trowel before applying the sheet? I would like to have as even and smooth an adhesive surface as possible.

Grateful for answers

Dan_Johansson · 10 May 2019 at 5:25 PM

What are you up to in the garage? Will it be necessary to replace the disc at some point?

1.5 mm is quite thin, so if you're working with heavy things (like when you throw up a 6-cylinder Cummins diesel on the bench), there will likely be marks that can't be polished out...
It might be convenient not to glue it in that case...

Otherwise, there is spray adhesive that should work well and be even...

Johan Gunverth · 10 May 2019 at 5:53 PM

I have used contact adhesive to reinforce sinks from underneath. The downside is that it grips immediately, so there is 0% chance to readjust.

ricebridge · 10 May 2019 at 6:30 PM

What PL400 can't glue together was never meant to be joined.

DeesL · 11 May 2019 at 10:55 AM

Dan_Johansson said:
What are you up to in the garage? Will it be relevant to replace the board at some point?

1.5 mm is quite thin, so if you're working with heavy things (like when you throw a 6-cylinder Cummins diesel on the bench), there will likely be marks that can't be polished out....
It might be convenient not to glue it in that case...

Otherwise, there are spray adhesives that should work well and be even...

The main reason is for the surface to be easy to clean, and also to function as a ground plane during welding.
In case of a potential replacement, it will be possible to change the entire bench board (including the plywood) if something were to go wrong at some point.

DeesL · 11 May 2019 at 10:55 AM

ricebridge said:
What PL400 can't glue together was never meant to be joined.

but it feels a bit sluggish to comb out into an even mass

DeesL · 11 May 2019 at 10:56 AM

Johan Gunverth said:
I have used contact adhesive to reinforce countertops from underneath. The downside is that it grabs instantly, so there is 0% chance for adjustment afterward.

Thanks for the reply, but then I probably have to decline. There will be a seam in the countertop, so it's important to be able to adjust a little before the adhesive grabs.

tergo · 11 May 2019 at 10:58 AM

tec7 should work

Dan_Johansson · 11 May 2019 at 11:51 AM

D DeesL said:
The main reason is that the surface should be easy to keep clean and also work as a ground plane when welding.
In case of replacement, it will be possible to replace the entire bench top (with the associated plywood) if something goes wrong.

What are you welding? Another disadvantage with a thin sheet is that it conducts heat well, so if you're welding thicker materials with good power, I'd be a bit nervous about having wood underneath... Most glues also don't work well with heat, right?
Personally, I would have drilled and countersunk some nice M6 hex screws... It would indeed create a few places for dirt to get stuck, but if you're not cooking on the surface, it doesn't matter....

Rabbithole · 11 May 2019 at 11:59 AM

Ordinary wood glue works excellently! Easy to spread evenly with a putty knife.
Buy a rubber mat to place on top for softer padding.
Personally, I wouldn't choose metal for a workbench, I think it's too rattly. I would rather choose wood, laminate, linoleum, etc.

Workingclasshero · 11 May 2019 at 1:52 PM

ricebridge said:
That which PL400 cannot glue together was never meant to be joined.

My buddy emptied the last of a PL400 tube into an oil-filled plastic tray. When he later emptied the used oil, the PL400 was stuck at the bottom and had to be pried off.......

Workingclasshero · 11 May 2019 at 1:56 PM

Get a thicker steel plate instead.
One dent in the plate and you can't lay things evenly and flat for welding.
You also can't weld things to the table as a rig during welding.
I've built about 10 welding tables, all with at least 20mm plate.
I assess that 2mm is too thin, but 3mm may be sufficiently stable, the thicker the better.

Dheri · 11 May 2019 at 2:00 PM

Can't a few strips of double-sided tape suffice? There shouldn't be any significant lateral forces, should there?

ricebridge · 11 May 2019 at 7:51 PM

Dheri said:
Can't a few strips of double-sided tape be enough? There probably aren't any significant lateral forces, right?

You are so right my friend! Biltema's double-sided tape holds quite firmly, I can attest to that. I've fastened quite heavy things with it.

DeesL · 13 May 2019 at 11:14 AM

Dan_Johansson said:
What are you welding? Another disadvantage of a thin sheet is that it conducts heat well, so if you're welding thicker things with good power, I'd be a bit nervous about having wood underneath... Most adhesives don't work that well with heat either. Personally, I would probably drill and countersink some nice M6 hex screws... It might create places for dirt to get stuck, but if you're not cooking on the surface, it doesn't matter....

What I usually weld are smaller things. Like when you have to invent a speaker mount or "build a tool." Rarely thicker than 3mm (at most 4). I will probably go with the idea of double-sided tape and skip the idea of a ground plane if it gets too hot. Maybe I'll build a mobile welding table instead.