Maple workbench.

[james susick]

Hi guys. I just built a 3'x5'x3.5"thick maple work top. What finish would be best on this? I was thinking just Tung oil or another oil.

[dan sherman]

If this bench is only for woodworking, I would use BLO followed by wax.

[Prashun Patel]

If this bench is only for woodworking, I would use BLO followed by wax.


Lots of people around here like the BLO/wax combo on benches. I just did this on my bench and it didn't dry quite quickly enough for me; took a few days to lose it's tack.

My previous bench was finished with Danish Oil, which I liked better.

[Ken Garlock]

Welcome to the creek, James.

I finished my all maple workbench by wiping on 2 coats of BLO. Just be careful to not apply it too heavily. You may want to thin the first coat with mineral spirits, say one part thinner to 4 parts BLO, for example. If you find an area that is not drying quickly enough, just wipe it with thinner to remove the excess BLO.

I did not wax my bench top. The BLO works pretty well by itself. Drops of glue that accidentally dry over night will flip off with a putty knife. It has been a year since I completed my bench, and it is about time to give it a new BLO.

[Scott Holmes]

I just finished redoing my maple bench top this afternoon. I used up some old (2 months) Behlens Rock hard table top varnish mixed 1/3 varnish, 1/3 MS, 1/3 BLO.

Then after 2 days drying I used paste wax on it. I expect it to last a long time without much upkeep.