Workbench Finish opinions

[Mike Gadget]

I am in the process of building a small workbench for my shop, and would like opinions on finish and the pros and cons of that finish.

It will be based on a plan from Wood Magazine and be built from Baltic Birch Plywood and Maple. The work surface will be 1-1/2" of plywood with a Maple trim.

I have attached a copy of th picture so you can get an idea of what I am building.

I know it is not as big as I may need, but I like the fact that it is mobile and that I can drop a leaf or two to save room. My shop is a 2 car garage that I park my motorcycles in, and being able to move it around and save space is important to me.

I am rather new to woodworking, and could really use your opinions.

Thanks for your help!!!

Mike

[Howard Acheson]

A film finish (lacquer, shellac, varnish, poly varnish) is not the way to finish a workbench top. A workbench is going to get dinged and film finishes will crack or craze or be otherwise damaged. Once a film finish is penetrated, it looses its effectiveness and adjacent areas begin to fail. No treatment is going to make a soft wood benchtop harder. I much favor a "in the wood finish". Here are two that lots of folks find effective.

First, is an boiled linseed oil and wax finish. Sand the surface to 180 grit. Mix paraffin or bees wax into heated boiled linseed oil. USE A DOUBLE BOILER TO HEAT THE OIL. The ratio is not critical but about 5-6 parts of boiled linseed oil in a double boiler with one part paraffin or beeswax shaved in. Take it off the stove. Thin this mixture about 50/50 with mineral spirits to make a heavy cream like liquid. Apply this mixture to the benchtop liberally and allow to set overnight. Do it again the next day and again the following day if the top continues to absorb it. After a final overnight, lightly scrape off any excess wax and buff. This finish will minimize the absorbsion of any water and you can use a damp rag to wipe up any glue excess. Dried glue will pop right off the surface. Renewal or repair is easy. Just use a scraper to remove and hardened stuff, wipe down with mineral spirits using a 3/0 steel wool pad (a non-woven green or gray abrasive pad is better), wipe off the gunk and apply another coat of mineral oil/wax mixture.

My personal preference is for an oil/varnish mixture treatment. Either use Minwax Tung Oil Finish, Minwax Antique oil or a homebrew of equal parts of boiled linseed oil, your favorite varnish or poly varnish and mineral spirits. Sand the benchtop up to 180 grit. Apply the mixture heavily and keep it wet for 15-30 minutes. Wipe off any excess completely. Let it dry overnight and the next day, apply another coat using a gray non-woven abrasive pad. Let it set and then wipe off any excess. Let this dry 48-72 hours. To prevent glue from sticking apply a coat of furniture paste wax and you're done. This treatment is somewhat more protective than the wax and mineral oil as the varnish component adds some protection from not only water both some other chemicals also. The waxing makes the surface a little more impervious to water so you can wipe up any liquid adhesive. It also allows hardened adhesive to be scraped off. Repair and renewal is easy. Just go throught the same scraping, wiping down with mineral spirits and reapplication of the BLO/varnish/mineral spirits mixture and an application of paste wax.

Both of the above treatments are quite protective but are easy to maintain and renew. They do not fail when the surface takes a ding.

[Todd Carpenter]

Hi Mike,

I second Howard's advice.

[Stephen Musial]

I use orange shellac (Big surprise - I use shellac for just about everything from wood floors to game boards). It's easy to apply and if it gets scratched, just put a little on the scratch and it looks good as new. Shellac amalgamates into the previous coats so you don't have to worry about sanding between coats - just wipe it down with some naphtha to get it nice and clean. Short of spilling straight ammonia or grain alcohol on it, it will stay in good shape and if you're drinking straight grain alcohol in the shop, you have bigger problems than a workbench finish...

Howard's recipes are great for solid wood benches but it's not going to go past the first ply of the top of a plywood bench.

[Scott Holmes]

I mix up an oil/varnish blend for my bench tops. I keep it in a squeze bottle for touch-ups.

[glenn bradley]

I'm in the no-brittle finish camp as well. I used BLO and paste waxed when it was done weeping. I have re-paste waxed a few times over the years and glue still doesn't stick (not that I slop it all over but, we all miss now and then).

[Joe Cunningham]

I used Watco Danish oil on my bench--simple simon. Glue pops right off.

No finish is also an option. It isn't furniture, it's a *work*bench.

[Jim Becker]

I use only BLO on my benchtops. Simple. Inexpensive. Easily renewable.