Vise and finish questions for well-used workbench

[John Dorough]

281090281091

I recently purchased well-used, cosmetically-challenged, bespoke workbench, pictured above. Excluding vise extensions, 28" x 60"; top is 3" thick in the interior, with 2" x 5" apron. (For $100.00, I think I did okay.)

My questions:

1. I am not familiar with the type front vise used on this piece. Is there a name for this type? Should I be concerned about clamping strength? As shown, the hardware attachment on the front vise is centered, and the connection allows for significant freedom of movement. For clamping angled or odd-shaped items, the plate will probably accommodate a 20-25 degree angle and still hold tightly. Any experience with this type unit? Interested in insights and suggestions.

2. The top is 1" hard maple over approximately 2" of pine. The apron has the same 1" of maple, with 4" of mahogany. After I have refinished surface, I think it should be quite attractive. Please provide suggestions for the finish I should use.

Thank you for any assistance.

John

[Jeff Bartley]

John,
May I be the first to say, You Suck!! Awesome score for $100! Your vise is a shoulder vise, found most commonly on european style benches. Line it with suede leather. As for what finish to use: that's a very debatable topic, if it were mine I'd wipe on a couple coats of linseed oil, but I like an easy to refinish surface. Is the base in good shape? Just make sure it's solid.

[Judson Green]

I'm of the belief that a bench top needn't have any finish. But if you should choose to have some kind of finish on it a thinned out BLO would probably be the best. Definitely choose a non film forming finish. Be sure to look for embedded nasty stuff like nails and screws.

And kudos on the score!

[John Dorough]

281109

Jeff, thank you for your prompt reply. In re: the base, I've included a photo of the legs; they are heavy and appear solid. Thanks, also, for the reference to a European shoulder vise. I have looked up several in the last few minutes. I think mine will do, but I will be cautious when clamping, since the piece running parallel with the front of the table (and through which the hardware is installed) appears to be a little bit light when I compare it to others I have found. Someday, I may decide to beef it up a little.

Again, thank you for your help.

John

[Jim Matthews]

$100?

Materials alone would cost you more.
May all your teeth fall out, save one - so you can still have a toothache.

This kind of vise works like a "power crochet".

Some people love them, I would just run into something that sticks out that far.

[Tom Vanzant]

Jim, I have a vise like that. If I'm lucky, it's just my hip that hits it.

[phil harold]

Looks like it has wonderful finish on it already

plenty of character

[Brian Holcombe]

I stopped using finish on mine, allows for a 'bite ' when you are putting material on it.

[Keith Mathewson]

Call around to a millshop which has a widebelt sander. I just had my bench-top sanded 36"x144"x4 1/4" sanded yesterday- $55. It will come out looking like new, except the tool tray.

[Frederick Skelly]

I use Danish Oil. Works well.
Fred

[Daniel Rode]

While I do love the character of it as it sits, I'd want to get it as flat as possible. I'd buy, beg borrow or steal a #6 or #7 plane and winding sticks and clean it up after it was in place and mounted on the legs. Alright, maybe not steal a plane but buy or borrow one. After that, I doubt I'd put any finish on it.

BTW - I'm green with envy. $100 is a fantastic price for a style bench I'd love to have.

[Stanley Covington]

I have tried a lot of finishes, but the one I have settled on is as follows. It sounds like a surface finish, but isn't.

Thin a quality satin or flat polyurethane 100% with a quality thinner (yes, there are plenty of crappy thinners sold at the Home Centers). Do not use the "Environmentally Friendly" variety. Epifanes PU and thinner is the very best I know of, but it is pricey. Minwax will work.

Apply this to all surfaces, and let the wood pores, especially the endgrain, soak up as much as possible. Note that the specific purpose of thinning it is to permit it to soak into the pores, so let it soak. Allow to dry, and repeat until no more will soak in, and the finish is standing on the surface. The number of soaking coats necessary depends on the porosity of the wood, and your patience. At least 2 or 3.

Using 320 WD paper, sand the thinned PU into the wood's pores creating a sawdust slurry. Do not wipe this off, but allow the slurry to dry and harden.

Wet the wood with the thinned PU one last time, and wetsand it knocking down and removing any hardened slurry and PU standing on the wood's surface. Immediately scrub the surface with rags BEFORE the PU dries removing all traces of finish. Allow to harden a couple of days. Dispose of rags properly!

Rub all surfaces with a brown paper bag. Hard. Yes, Mildred, I said a brown paper bag.

The resulting surface will be harder and more durable than BLO, or Danish Oil, or Beeswax & Unicorn Piss. It will actually get hard and dry and not continue to attract dust and grit forever. Nor will it stink for months. It will be no slicker than the bare wood. It will resist stains. And because it will slow down the transfer of moisture significantly (BLO, DO, Beeswax etc have been professionally lab tested many times and shown to NOT significantly impede moisture transfer) it will make your bench stabler than any other non-surface finish you can apply without using a vacuum chamber.

A coat of non-slip paste floor wax (not furniture wax) will keep glue from sticking, if you want.

This is the finish BLO and Danish oil and the beeswax love potions try to be, but never quite accomplish. Easily and cheaply touched up after truing the top.

I learned it from a custom gunstock maker who charged a lot of money, and called it his "London Finish."

Give it a try.

Stan

[David Weaver]

I'd plane it with a jointer plane and leave it unfinished. If it turns out to have something abrasive in it, I would run a belt sander over it in an x pattern and then through strokes (as if you're planing) until you get fresh wood and then plane it.

Great bench for a hundred bucks.