Knowing that I was planning build a CNC milling station I set about building a bench for the system. I framed a bench from 2x4s. For this bench I used all biscuit joinery for the added strength but without the added labor of lap or mortise & tenons. Besides, most of it would be covered up. Love those Bessey clamps!
I covered the top with a nice piece of single-sided birch plywood. After three coats of sanding sealer and a mineral spirits wipedown to avoid dust, I coated it with just under 1/8″ of Bar Epoxy to give it a very hard, glass-like finish. You have to spend some time making ‘dams’ out of masking tape to prevent the epoxy from dripping off the edges but it was worth it. It came out really nice. I purposely left the edges of the table 1/8″ wide because I expected the epoxy to adhere to the masking tape in a meniscus…..the overhang meant I could sand off the ledge and get a perfectly level edge.