Workbench pics & Question......

[Tony Falotico]

Couple pic's of the workbench progress. As you can see, the top is currently 6" wide laminations that need to be laminated together.

The top is 71" x 30" x 3 1/2" deep. The tool well is 42 1/2" x 6" centered. Open the doors to two slide out trays, will show them in finished pic's.

My question is, should I glue laminate the five sections together or should I drill them and tie together with threaded rod, washers and nuts? If threaded rod is recommended, how many? I'm thinking two on each 30" end, two or three each side of the tool well. What do you think ??

[Richard Wolf]

Nice bench, nice view out the shop door also. What is the top made out?? Looks like southern yellow pine with nice grain pattern. I think I would glue it together, it seems to give you a more stable top!

Richard

[Mark Singer]

I would just glue it together...use Titebond 111...

[Steve Cox]

I like glue alone for the simple reason that if you ever want to drill a hole for a holdfast or something there is nothing to hit. If your shop temps can be brought up into the 70 degree range I would use weldwood to eliminate any possibility of creep.

[Tony Falotico]

What is the top made out?? Looks like southern yellow pine with nice grain pattern. Richard

You are correct, plain ol' SYP 2x8's ripped in half

[Corey Hallagan]

Wow great looking bench! I love working with good old Southern Yeller pine!
Corey

[Jerry Olexa]

Tony Very nice Bench. I too love SYP. Could be almost called a hardwood.Nice Job!!

[Alan Turner]

Tony,
Avoid the threaded rod. Wood moves, they don't. I like a rigid glue for a bench top, but yellow glue will be fine for your application also. I use Unibond 800 as it has a long open time, and is gap filling and quite water resistant. But, I have it around. If you don't, I don't know that I would order it in just for that job.

How will you be handling the tool well "floor." Will it be removable? is there to be room between the bottom of the bench top and the cab. below? Are you doing a tailvise? What kind of front vise? Questions, questions.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Tony, that is a great looking bench! When you get it done, be sure to post finished pics of it, it looks like it will be a treasure!

[Tony Falotico]

What would you finish the top with, I'm planning several coats of wipe on poly, light sanding between. Or should I use something else ?? The top is 2x8 construction lumber, what I call SYP.

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated......... Tony

[Mark Singer]

I would use a Tung Oil...it is easy to restore and no poblem if you scratch it. It will amber the wood and bring out the grain...

[Jim Becker]

BLO is the way I go for this kind of thing. It's a fraction of the cost of real Tung Oil, does the same thing and is "instantly" renewable...well, overnight, anyway, so it cures a little! It's also silky smooth and nice to the touch and if you do a couple coats initially, glue scrapes off easily without damaging the top.

[John Hart]

Tony, I glued mine. Works fine...last long time!

Come to think of it..the Naval Woodshop that I started out in, glued theirs too.

[Michael Pfau]

I built a bench somewhat like yours, and used red oak, I glued it. I has not moved in a few years.

[Michael Pfau]

I used a poly shade, several coats, holds up very well, gives the oak bench a golden color. Then once a year, sand it down some and reapply, looks brand new! Are you going to put dog holes in? If so, I drilled mine on the drill press, using the sections, before I glued everything up.

[Frank Lopez]

I would glue and use tung oil. Easy to repair. Where did you get those rollers you are using for the outfeed for your planer? I've been looking for somethign along those lines. Nice looking bench. I especially like the sntered tool well.

[Tony Falotico]

Where did you get those rollers you are using for the outfeed for your planer? I've been looking for somethign along those lines.

They are Wolfcraft (?) rollers, Home Depot in Clearwater had two of them on clearance earlier this year for $25 each. I bought one, get annoyed every time I use it that I didn't buy both of them!

[John Hart]

I really like tung oil, but for my benches I used minwax polyurethane for floors. It's really hard stuff, it cleans easy, and scratches repair overnight.

[Brent Beelby]

I really like tung oil, but for my benches I used minwax polyurethane for floors. It's really hard stuff, it cleans easy, and scratches repair overnight.


John,
I would be concerned that the poly is too hard, and that the SYP wouldn't be able to support the finish. I was finishing a project last year with a soft wood, and Steve Mickley ( an excellent finish advisor ) said "not to use a hard finish on a soft wood because the wood would dent and the finish would crack and peel. He had recommended an oil, BLO or Tung. I took his advice and have had no problems.
Thanks, Brent

[Dennis Peacock]

Tony,

GREAT Looking bench!!!!!!!!!! I would use TiteBond glue for the top and finish the top with Tung Oil. A quart of Minwax Tung Oil is fairly inexpensive, coats well and curse very well overnight. Then buff out with an old T-shirt and your ready to go. I also coat my old worn out bench with Johnson's Paste Wax. Three coats initially and then once about evey 3 months and no glue will stick to it and easily fixed with more wax. Just an idea. ;)

[John Hart]

John,
I would be concerned that the poly is too hard, and that the SYP wouldn't be able to support the finish. I was finishing a project last year with a soft wood, and Steve Mickley ( an excellent finish advisor ) said "not to use a hard finish on a soft wood because the wood would dent and the finish would crack and peel. He had recommended an oil, BLO or Tung. I took his advice and have had no problems.
Thanks, Brent

Yeah..I don't really disagree..Tung oil is probably the way to go...but I haven't had any problems with the poly. It seems that the pine soaked up the poly pretty readily and gave it a deep hardness. I don't have much of a "heavy equipment" on the bench problem but others might.

You're probably right
John

[Jim Becker]

A quart of Minwax Tung Oil is fairly inexpensive, coats well and curse very well overnight.

Keep in mind that "Minwax Tung Oil Finish" it doesn't have any Tung Oil in it! ("Tung Oil Finish" is just a marketing name for a wiping varnish that they market under several different names. General Finishes does the same with some of their products...if you read the MSDS, "Armour Seal" is the same formula as "Salad Bowl Finish"... ;) )

Marketing. Can't live without it. Can't shoot it...

[Tony Falotico]

Keep in mind that "Minwax Tung Oil Finish" it doesn't have any Tung Oil in it! ("Tung Oil Finish" is just a marketing name for a wiping varnish that they market under several different names. General Finishes does the same with some of their products...if you read the MSDS, "Armour Seal" is the same formula as "Salad Bowl Finish"... ;) )

Marketing. Can't live without it. Can't shoot it...

I read the chapter on oil finishes in Bob Flexner's Understanding Wood Finishing last night. He too states that what is sold to you isn't what you always get. I went to Lowes and got a can of Formby's Traditional Tung Oil Finish. It does not have ingredients on the can, all it says is "A premium protective varnish for classic, hand-rubbed beauty" on the front and "Formby's Tung Oil finish is a high quality varnish made from a balanced blend of tung oil and other fine penetrating oils" on the back. Going back to Flexner's book, he states Varnish (in a separate chapter from oils) is a combination of oil and resins. Bottom line, I don't think I have pure tung oil.

I also got a can of BLO, under contents it simply says Linseed oil.

Flexner's book says that both pure tung oil and BLO have poor protective qualities and deep penetration. Wiping varnish on the other hand, has shallow penetration yet it's protection is "potentially excellent if built up". I'm thinking the Formby's I got is closer to wiping varnish than pure tung oil, so that's the way to go, although I'm not positive. Flexner's book says that BLO "shouldn't be built up, or it will be soft and gummy". That worries me.

Anyway, I'm totally confused, leaning towards using the Tung Oil finish, but reserve the right to change my mind without advanced notice or reasoning.

I appreciate the discussion, let's keep it going to expand our knowledge base (in my case 'lack of knowledge base' :D ).

[John Dingman]

Another vote for gluing, and BLO for finish.

John

[Richard Wolf]

I have recomended Formby's Tung oil to my custormers for years to finish their interior wood railings themselves because of the ease of application and fairly good protective quailties it seems to have. I was always under the assumtion that it was a blend of tung oil, varnish, and thinner. The oil penetrated, the varnish built on the surface, and the thinner evaporated. It is also easy to reapply additional coats for more protection as needed. I think it would be a great finish for your workbench.

Richard

[Lamar Horton]

Tony, I used formby's tung oil finish on my SYP bench and two years later after heavy use, banging and all around abuse, it has held up fine. Glue drips pop off after they have dried or wipe clean with a wet rag when fresh. As Mark, Jim and others have said, use some type of an oil.