Hi, Eric, Go to www.woodchuckcanuck.com. He has plenty of plans for benches. The plans are available as either free or some that require payment so check both sections. There are others like www.americanwoodworker.com and www.woodmagazine.com that you can check also. Industrial supply stores carry or can get solid wood tops for benches. If you have this kind of stores in your area, you might check to see what is available. Glueing up a big, thick top and then smoothing it will not be real easy.