New Work Bench, Top Suggestions? Options

[jfort]

I am going to make a new work bench this winter. Maybe 30" by 16'. 4 by 4's. drawers and a shelf across the bottom. A vise. I am just your typical once-in-while car project and home project type guy.

Don't know what to do for the top. I see places make butcher block. I put formica-type stuff on top of 3/4" plywood one time. I've though about a sheet of metal, but something tells me not to do that.

Suggestions? Any other suggestion about a work bench would be appreciated, too. For example, I've thought about getting 2 or 3 half-sized metal shop drawer thinks, bolting them together and putting a work bench top on that. What do you think?

[DBCooper]

It depends a lot on what you want to use it for. Gint's solid core door suggestion is a good one, cut to whatever size you need. In addition I usually put a sheet of Duratex/Masonite on top. I tend to beat them up pretty good, and that way it's real easy to just replace the top and start out new again. Down side is if you dump a lot of solvent or carb cleaner out onto your bench. Then it's better to have metal, but I generally don't like the feel of a metal bench. And if you do sheet metal WATCH THOSE EDGES AND CORNERS, they can really fuch you up.