Questions
What are your Standard and Optional paint colors?
Each page which shows product prices has a tab on the right margin marked "Powder Paint Colors" which brings up a display showing standard paint colors.
What are your Standard and Optional laminate colors?
Each page which shows product prices has a tab on the right margin marked "Laminate Colors" which brings up a display showing standard laminate colors. We prefer to Formica laminate, the finest brands in the world. We have access to every other brand of laminate made in the world.
Do you take Custom orders?
BenchPro™, our manufacturer has the capacity to make virtually any product from wood and steel. Chrome brass, zinc plating also available. Longer, wider, taller; Those are the easy requests. Check Series K first. It comes in 28 standard sizes. You can order any bench to be made in any height at no additional cost.
Do you handle Custom sizes?
Need longer? Because longer means weaker we recommend either the Roosevelt series which can be made in any length or the Harding series which has a much stronger frame. Multiple benches be used for lengths greater than 10' feet.
Need wider? Series K offers our widest benches, with sizes up to 60" wide. See Kennedy Series.
We do not charge extra for cutting down a standard bench size. Example: You need 71" to fit in a space. We charge you for a 72", and cut it down for free.
What does it cost to ship my furniture?
After you selected the benches and options, your Bench Depot customer service assistant will produce a quote that includes a freight charge. It will be the lowest priced quote received from up to three of our certified carriers.
The freight quote is based on the size, weight, and freight classification of the shipment, and reflects the maximum discounts available to a shipper of our size. We do not make a profit on freight.
Sometimes a customer will receive an even lower cost quote from their carrier, and will request we use their carrier. We are happy to use another carrier, but there are some complications:
1. We usually receive the freight invoice, but in this case, they will bill you, as you are the customer.
2. There are a number of carriers we can not certify, as they have shown in inability to handle our products without damage. These include UPS and FedEx Freight.
3. We take care of any carrier problems, including transit damage, which almost never happens when using our certified carriers. If you ask us to use your carrier, you will be responsible for resolving any problems, as they are your vendor.
How are these packaged for shipping?
BenchPro™ produces seven different bench styles, in as many as 28 different sizes each, as shown on this site. Each bench require different shapes and sizes of packaging material. For that reason, we buy giant sheets of cardboard, along with all the other components needed to pack a bench, and pack each bench by hand, forming the cardboard to fit.
Over the last 30 years we have changed our packaging many times. At this point, less than one bench in 500 is damaged in transit. We go to great lengths to keep transit damage down, including:
We bring in truckloads of special heat treated lumber from Canada to make our custom pallets. These pallets overlap the edges of the products they hold, leaving at least 2" extra pallet all the way around. This keeps other undersize pallets on carrier's trucks from damaging our products. Then we build a wood frame to extend to the top of the pallets to protect the corners.
Is it hard to assemble the benches?
Assembly of BenchPro™ workbenches couldn't be easier. That's because the factory pre-assembles the frames of the Kennedy, Harding, Dewey and Adams Series by welding, and attaches these frames to the top. No other brand is this easy to assemble.
For the Roosevelt and Madison Series, we are the only brand that pre-drills the holes in the underside of the top to assure easy and accurate assembly.
Each bench and accessory has complete assembly instructions included and also on this web site. The tabs for this are found on the home page and the price page.
What is the best work surface height for me?
You can order your benches at any work surface height without incurring additional cost, or select the lowest height you believe useful and add either our optional adjustable legs, our electric lift system or our crank-up system.
We have seen orders for almost every work surface height. Some Customers want to sit down and work, others want to stand. Here are some thoughts that may be of assistance:
1. Desks are 30" high.
2. Desk chairs usually have a seat cushion height adjustability range of around 17" to 22".
3. Work surfaces should never be more than 9" higher than the top of the chair range. Conclusion: If you need a work surface higher than 31", you will need a taller chair.
4. Taller chairs usually have a foot ring and a wider base. (Adjustable foot rings are critical as employees come in all sizes too.)
5. Our taller chairs have a seat cushion height adjustability range of 22" to 32". (Some brands have ranges of only 5" or 8".)
6. We do not recommend chairs be used at benches with work surfaces of 37" and higher, as some employees will attempt to "climb" the chair, and could be injured when the chair rolls or tips.
What is included with an ESD system?
Special Top Features:
1. We Use LisStat™ ESD Laminate: They both use a design which controls the static dissipation rate to meet all ANSI/BIFMA and Federal GSA standards. These laminates carry the static charge across a layer of carbon which is buried just below the surface color layer.
Some of our competitors still use brands of ESD laminate which are made conductive by dipping conventional laminate sheets into a chemical bath, then dry the sheet.
These sheets come from the laminate dipper with a label which, to paraphrase it, reads Do not clean with any products containing water, ammonia, chlorine, or soap. We have replaced hundreds of competitors tops which have lost their ESD properties over time, even though they followed all the manufacturer instructions.
2. We use ESD laminate on the top and all four edges. As surprising as it sounds most other companies either use a non-dissipative rubber strip or use nonconductive laminate on the edges. If you already have a competitors ESD bench, you can spot this by checking to see if the laminate looks identical in color, thickness and texture. If it looks different, check the surface resistivity. It won't be the same.
3. Aluminum underside: We are the only bench manufacturer to use an aluminum sheet to seal the underside of our tops and to assure conductivity. While other makers either leave the core particleboard uncovered on the bottom, paint the bottom or apply a brown paper sheet, we use the only material which completely seals out moisture, and which is 100% conductive. This is important too, as this moisture is the only reason tops warp, and leaving a nonconductive bottom sheet can cause problems in sensitive work areas.
4. Multiple grounding systems: While other brands of benches tout a very special bolt used to ground the surface of the laminate to their grounding system wires, we have eliminated this bolt (And the wires). Because all BenchPro™ bench tops are designed with a full 180 degree laminate radius on the front edge, and because the front laminate wraps under the top of the frame, we simply placed the frame where the fastening screws go through the laminate. This directs the static charge directly into the frame, which is in turn grounded by two conductors we provide for earth grounding purposes. All ESD shelves have the same grounding system.
The two front legs have banana jacks on their front edges to accept wrist strap connectors. The back of the frame has two mounting lugs to attach the two grounding wires which are included with the system. You will find this double system in evidence on every ESD bench and accessory we make.
BenchPro™ ESD work benches are not connected electrically to the floor. We use insulated floor glides so static charges will pass only through the grounding system provided, and so inadvertent charges on the floor can not pass up to the work surface and operator.