> laminated 2x4"s would make a darn fine workbench top. The stuff is 
> available in oak, maple, hickory,birch, cherry, walnut etc. It is 
> well 
John,
You're right for sure.  Before the depression (the present one) I worked
in 
a plant that opened in 1911. Our "new" shop was the old power house, we
acquired it in the early 50's.  Our valve bench was about 6' wide by 16'
long.
We had a 2 ton chain fall that rode on an I-beam over the center on the
bench.
The bench had 12" x 12" post for legs and 4" x 12" planks for the
substrate on 
top. The top was covered with white oak flooring except for the one end
that
had a sheet of 1/2" x4' x 6' steel on it. We threw valves and motors and
etc
on that bench for about 50 years and it still was in good enough shape
some
of the guys were tying to figger out how to get it home when the placed
closed
in 2001.
A shame they closed the old plug mill too. I used ta could go get stubs
of them
old gum planks. They were 4" x 12" by next size under 30". Yep if it was
29 1/2"
old Greg could get it fer the hauling. Poor ole Paul (the mill owner) had
to pay to
have them hauled off, if some galoot didn't stop by and pick them up , or
someone
could use some firewood.
Old tool content, every galloot needs a good work bench and we made
everything
from boats to shop furniture from that gum, even a couple of sewing
machine cabinets.