Many people around the world love the hobby of woodworking and fixing different things around the house. One of the most important components is getting a sturdy workbench that will support the lathes, circular saws, vices, and other tools that are required for the job. There are several workbenches, which are highly rated as the top performers when it comes to sturdiness and holding steady to complete the job. But which is the best wood for workbench that will last long? It depends on how you will use it. Although soft maple is good, over time it will get scratched faster and ding easier than hard maple. Hard maple is pretty popular as it is easily available and reasonably priced as compared oak or ash.
If you are planning to make your own workbench, read these step-by-step instructions on how to make it and check out what would be the ideal workbench height. Otherwise, read on.
Grizzly makes three of the top solid maple workbenches. Grizzly has locations in Springfield, Missouri, and Bellingham, Washington and they have been making exceptional quality products for 33 years. They have an excellent reputation for making high quality workbench tops and honoring the warranty. These are generally considered to be lifetime workbench tops that will last for decades and remain sturdy and dependable for the duration of use.
Grizzly G9912 Solid Maple Workbench Top
As one of the most durable and highly rated maple workbench tops, the Grizzly G9912 Solid Maple Workbench Top is truly a superb performer. These workbench tops are made of solid 1.8” hard rock (sugar) maple strips. Each high quality tops is laminated and coated with a Durakryl finish which produces a beautiful clear smooth surface that shows off the beauty of the wood. There is no smell to the varnish used on these tops, and they can be cleaned as easily as numerous other types of counter surfaces.
Product Details:
This maple workbench weighs 51.9 pounds and the dimensions are 36x24x1.8 inches. The tops and bottoms are sealed with a clear sealer that highlights and shows off the beautiful wood in this product. Optional heavy duty adjustable legs are available for the workbench to ensure a stable, safe working surface for the next wood working project. The manufacturer provides a one year limited warranty – check with the distributor for more details.
Customer Reviews:
The majority of customers who purchased this product loved the quality of this Grizzly G9912 Solid Maple Workbench Top product. Some of them used this for their workbenches while other found it an excellent piece for their kitchen countertops. With a seal on it that is clean and food safe, it makes it safe for using in the kitchen. They commented that the finish and quality of this marble workbench top is beyond comparison, and several stated this was the best piece to use for their woodworking projects due to its sturdiness and durability. The only critical customer review was that the top was damaged in shipping with a chip off one corner, but no complaints about the product itself.
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Grizzly H9687 Solid Maple Workbench Top
For those customers who need a larger surface for their workbench and woodworking projects, the Grizzly H9687 Solid Maple Workbench Top is an excellent choice. This workbench top is made of 1.8’ hard rock (sugar) maple strips and can safely be used as a kitchen countertop in addition to a workbench for the project area.
Product Details
This is a very heavy-duty workbench which weighs 142 pounds and with dimensions of 36x25x1.5”. The clear satin finish on the top, bottom, and sides of this workbench top shows off the beautiful wood grain finish of the product. There are also heavy-duty legs available for this workbench top, which provides a sturdy platform on which to place this high quality workbench top. Grizzly provides a one-year limited warranty on this product, and for more details check with the distributor.
Customer Reviews
There are numerous customer reviews and the majority of them were completely happy with their Grizzly H9687 Solid Maple Workbench Top. Several of the customers were repeat customers who already owned a smaller Grizzly Solid Maple Workbench Top and were so pleased with it that when they needed additional workspace the larger piece was ordered. Many of them stated that these are “lifetime benches” which are easy to assemble in addition to being durable and sturdy. The only complaint about these tops were that they had dents and dings from sanding and staining.
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Grizzly H9688 Solid Maple Cabinet Top
This is one of the top selling solid maple cabinet tops. Like the other models, the Grizzly H9688 Solid Maple Cabinet Top is made of hard rock (sugar) maple and finished with a Durakryl varnish, which makes for a satiny smooth top that is extremely easy to maintain. It’s easily cleaned with just soap and water and bleach or nail polish remover easily clears up those ink marks left from measuring and marks on the projects.
Product Details
This project is a medium weight product that weighs 50 pounds and measures 48×25.5×1.5 inches in dimensions. The edges 
are squared and this cabinet top is one of the most durable for its size. This is designed as a workbench counter top for shop, and if it is used as a kitchen countertop, there needs to be additional finishing and cleaning before it is safe for food preparation. There is a one-year warranty on this product as well.
Customer Reviews
There were several customer reviews on this Grizzly H9688 Solid Maple Cabinet Top and they were all quite pleased with the look, feel, quality, and sturdiness of this product, and each customer stated they would highly recommend this cabinet top model. The only complaint was in the shipping of the product that they had to pay extra for unloading it off the truck, which was unexpected, other than that complaint, the customer really liked the product itself and was very happy with the performance of the maple Cabinet top.
Conclusion
When customers are looking for the best wood for workbench or cabinet tops, those made of solid maple are still the preferred choice. These workbenches and cabinet tops are durable, solid and are guaranteed to provide years of good service for the woodworking project, or even for that kitchen countertop. The satin finish on these top are durable and show off the beauty of the solid maple wood used, and the Dynakryl varnish is one of the most reliable in the industry for durability and longevity. These workbenches are highly rated by customers who heartily recommend them.
