Craftsman  6' Bamboo Work Surface

I bought this on Clearance for only $40. I was lucky. I used a 60 tooth Diablo blade to cut it so it would fit two  28 x 18 rolling tool cabinets. I already have a Maple top 8 foot bench.

The bamboo looks so great on my tool cabs.  I still have to apply Tung oil and may polyurethane the surface. The Work Surface comes in a relatively unfinished state; I would highly recommend sanding until you reach 200 - 400 grit, and then apply some Tung oil which will make it look real cool and elegant. I read up on the web on how to treat bamboo surfaces which is helpful. A great top for the price; just look around on the internet and you will not be able to beat a Sears sale price for a similar 1.5 inch bamboo butcher block top.  BTW, I am thinking of taking the 20 x 24 inch scrap to make a bamboo cutting board for the kitchen. 

I really like the bamboo surface; outside of the benefits of being sustainable,  it is probably more solid than maple, however you have to treat it with some mineral oil and then stain it and coat it with polyurethane. As far as looks go, if you want a deeper wood color, bamboo wins. If you enjoy a lighter color, maple wins. Depends on what you want really; I like having as many wood types in my garage - like a collection.

Sand the edges a little to make it soft and prevent splintering. The internet will give you some good advice. I fortunately bought mine on a clearance sale and will cut it to make tops for my rolling tool chests. Its gonna be beautiful...

Mine did have a treated (top side) and bare wood bottom. Flipped it over to install on the bench and found a 2' long crack > 1/16" wide and another about a foot long. Parts of the crack had wood filler applied, I assume by a worker at the factory. But there were large sections of deep crack exposed. Paying this much money for a top ... should not have such a defect. Also the edges were scraggly and fraying. It's going back for return. Will give some thought whether to stick with bamboo or go with the butcher block.

Pros: Hopefully will last a while. Did not disintegrate completely upon installation.


Cons:
- Neither side is really finished. Both sides have the identical tiny amount of rough finish in splotchy patches. So when the directions say to position the finished side down, you just need to choose which side arrived with less damage. I sanded down the side I chose for the top, and am debating whether to apply finish (I need to actually use this table and don't have time for a week of properly applying finish right now). This incredibly poor quality gives me an extremely low opinion of Sears/Craftsman; I guess they don't care since I read another review about the same problem.

- Numerous gouges in the table on delivery. I put most of the damaged area in the back/bottom, but what's visble is still bad.

I absolutely would have returned this for a replacement if the return process wasn't a huge pain and for the fact that I had already set aside half the weekend for making the workbench.



I have no idea if bamboo is better than butcher block. Sears is slacking in not explaining the benefits of each to customers (I searched on the web and didn't find anything useful).

I paid the extra to get the bambo top. I just got it last week and it seems well-made. It is heavy. I knew it was more expensive when I bought it, so I can't exactly call that a con. The finish is rough and it is slightly scratched upon delivery. So what? It is a workbench, not a coffee table. I like it so far.

I bought this without being able to see the bamboo in person. I'm kind of a greenie and have bamboo flooring, cutting boards, storage containers, etc.

I debated getting the butcher block top (that I'd wanted for several years) since the in-store demo was very nice and it was cheaper. In the end the appeal of fast-growing sustainable bamboo won out.

I am pleased with the build and construction. It is heavy and solid. I have no doubt it will last the rest of my lifetime.

However the finish, or lack thereof, is disappointing. There is no clear difference between the "top" and "bottom" sides. I picked the slightly better looking side for the top. I was expecting something smoother with some sort of shiny coating as shown in the pics. I'm tempted to sand the slight rough surface and finish it somehow. I have no idea what to put on the bamboo though.

Overall I think it is great but minus one star for the the finish.