Table Time

You can build the bench out of wood and buy a thin piece of metal for the top surface. That would be pretty cheap.

I bought a big piece of Formica that they use to make counter tops off the clearance rack cheap. Cut it out to fit the top of my work bench. Works great for working on messy stuff. Cleans up easy. The worst part was getting it flat again after it was rolled up. Throw it away when it gets too hacked up.