MFT style bench - what top surface?

[Crazyraceguy]

My needs are apparently more like [member=73094]afish[/member] I have a 49 x 97 table with 325 holes and a 30" extension that is smooth (no holes)  I use it for clamping, fixturing every day, while only occasionally cutting. I don't exactly cut in a conventional manner though. It is drilled to have the second row from the end line up exactly with the width of a Festool track, so I can cut off of the end, making no kerf in the table surface.
I have two rolling carts that are the same height as the table, which allow for support of the off-cut piece.
This is not ideal for all cuts, but it doesn't need to be, (I have a permanent table for the majority of track saw cross cuts.) but it works for the occasional cut, when it's more convenient.
I have always relied on dogs, as that was pretty much the standard, back when I built it. The MFT hinge system was basically a Festool extrusion mounting exclusive and alternatives weren't a thing yet.
Since my table is 4' across, a hinge is not all that attractive to me anyway. Without a way to keep it up, without going over-center in the back, it's not practical.

 

[WillettBarrel]

I am either going to use Formica microdot on Baltic Birch or I can get phenolic plywood.

Thoughts?

If I were going to build mine again, I'd go with phenolic.

I cut on my table, but don't treat it as sacrificial. I have a length of t-track that serves as my cut line for cross cuts. For rip cuts, I had been laying down foam board insulation as a sacrificial top, but recently changed over to the STM 1800 and just do rips on a separate station now.

I used prefinished maple ply for my top (because I had a scrap of it the right size that wasn't going to be used for anything else). I would think phenolic would perform fairly similarly. I don't have dimensional stability or sagging issues, possibly because thr MFT portion is relatively small (~2'x4'). I find the top easy to slide materials on without being too slick. That's helpful for be because I have a CMS integrated into my bench and do slide mareials across it. But if you were worried about it being too slick, you could install a strip of the non-slip foam from the underside of track saw rail. (I think Dave Stanton has a YouTube video showing this.)

 

[raylaray]

I just finished making a new bench, paulk style torsion box but with rail hinge and fence, and used 18mm ply for the top. I struggled with the decision of what surface to put on it (was originally thinking formica or the like), but in the end, I skipped the laminate and just used some left over arm-r-seal for a few coats and then added a coat of paste wax. With no finish on the ply, it was way too grippy as a mft type table for getting panels into position for cutting, but with the paste wax finish, it's fairly easy to move material but not too slippery. I'm pretty happy with the level of friction for being able to position material.