Workbench Finish Question

[Don Rogers]

My first workbench is nearing completion and I am wondering “what to use as a finish”?

The bench is made almost entirely of premium 2 by’s bought from the borg and as far as I know are spruce. That is what I was told by the salesman. Anyway, this lumber has a pinkish or reddish tint and is fairly straight grained. The legs are 4” square yellow pine made from an 8” square x 42” long picked up at the recycling center. The top is glued together 2 by’s which are 3-1/8” thick , almost as flat as I need but may need some surface planing. This bench is more sturdy than I imagined. The top seems to be very hard but I would try to protect it from denting by direct pounding.

I am not interested in a furniture type finish as the workbench will be a “user” , not a showpiece. I’m thinking something like an oil finish. Also something that would not make the bench unusable for any long length of time. What would you use?

Don

[Dave huber]

Posted here and elsewhere. Wax and turpentine.
smells nice, too.

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Sealers & Waxes Part 3 – Wax Polish Recipes
In this article you’ll see how easy it is to make your own wax paste finishes as we share two recipes which you can adapt to your own needs.
Skill level: 3 – Moderate skills required
Published on: 04 August, 2012
Written by: Ben Plewes

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Safety Note
Turpentine is highly flammable. Keep all flammable ingredients well away from any source of ignition. In this article we’ll be using hot water as our heat source to avoid any risk of fire. Never heat flammable substances directly with a cooker or naked flame.

Recipe Two – Hardwearing Wax Paste Polish
Ingredients needed:
25 grams beeswax
25 grams paraffin wax
Tablespoon of carnauba wax
130 ml pure turpentine

This recipe is slightly more complicated. I have added paraffin wax to demonstrate how you can keep the cost down. Paraffin wax is an excellent filler wax and a lot cheaper than solid beeswax.

Carnauba wax is extremely hard wearing. It’s used in car wax, shoe polish and even confectionary. It’s useful in furniture wax because of its toughness which makes the wax finish more resilient. The downside is that its melting point – at 82 - 86 degrees Celsius – is among the highest of natural waxes so it takes longer to dissolve.

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Above left to right: Adding grated carnauba wax. Adding more turpentine. Mix until melted.


As before, to make the wax, measure out the ingredients then set them aside away from any cooking equipment. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil then turn off the cooker and move the saucepan to a hot plate. Place a heat resistant mixing bowl in the water then add the carnauba wax first, followed by half of the pure turpentine. Gently stir until the carnauba wax has dissolved. If you find then the need for more heat to melt the carnauba wax, boil a kettle away from from the mixture the replace the water. Once melted, add the remaining turpentine followed by the beeswax and paraffin wax. Stir the mixture until the consistency is even. Next, remove the mixing bowl from the hot water and transfer to a suitable lidded storage container before covering and setting aside to cool for several hours.

Making your own wax polish is very rewarding. I find the quality is unsurpassed too. I’ve not found a commercially available pre-mixed wax polish better than I can make at my bench on a rainy Saturday morning. With such freedom to customise and experiment it’s another area of woodworking that you can easily make your own.

Link to Part 1 (http://www.woodnotes.co/index.php/finishing/finishing/sealers_waxes_part_1) – Sanding Sealers
Link to Part 2 (http://www.woodnotes.co/index.php/finishing/finishing/sealers_waxes_part_2) – Wax Finishes




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[Jim Matthews]

I use Shellac, only on my workbench top.

It's enough to keep spattered glue, paste wax and machine oil from penetrating the surface.
I find that harder finishes get "slick" in the humid months.

Some have made benches nicer than my furniture, and finish them to a high gloss.
I put screws in mine, saw through them and drop sharp stuff all the time.

No sense in making that pretty.

[Darren Brewster]

I found no need to use any finish at all on my bench. I still don't regret that decision.

[ken hatch]

I'm in the stay away from anything that makes the top "slick" or "shine" group. Bare is good as is a coat of BLO or other drying oil. Remember the main job of a work bench is being a large clamp.

[Pat Barry]

I did the BLO on my laminated Ash top and then applied Johnson paste wax. It is slippery but I use it as an outfeed assist for my table saw so its nice that way and any glue spills and any other spills wipe right off. For me, the use of the benchtop as being a clamping device is not number 1 priority although the simple bench dogs work great coupled with my vice. I do not use holddowns currently so that may make a difference, I don't know.

[Brian Holcombe]

I used an oil finish on mine....mostly because I accidentally dumped over a container of waterlox on the top and decided to put it to use.

Lemons into lemonade...

[Don Rogers]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. They all sound acceptable. Shellac for one, would be quick and easy, as would and oil finish and either one should serve my purpose.


One thing about BLO concerns me and that is spontaneous combustion of the application cloths. If BLO would be used and I was careful to immediately put the application cloths outside in a bucket of water, would there be any chance of the BLO on the bench catching fire?


I think the answer is obvious to me because lots of wood items are finished with BLO and are apparently safe from spontaneous combustion. I’m just scared of fire in my shop.


Another question - Jim’s shellac suggestion is appealing in that it is fast and can be easily reapplied. Would BLO or some other oil finish be satisfactory either after or before shellac? If so it seems like it may offer more protection than just one or the other and may last longer.


Don’t mean to seem fussy about this - the bench is a tool, not a piece of furniture.


Of course, I could always accidentally spill a can of some type finish on the bench (like Brian did ) and the problem would be solved. That would be funny - it has happened before to me. With my luck, it would be a can of black paint.

Don

[dan sherman]

One thing about BLO concerns me and that is spontaneous combustion of the application cloths. If BLO would be used and I was careful to immediately put the application cloths outside in a bucket of water, would there be any chance of the BLO on the bench catching fire?


BLO isn't that dangerous, all you need to do is lay the rag out flat when you are done with it. Society has some how created this super myth around how dangerous oil finishes are. Your bench won't catch fire.

[Jim Davenport]

I used Watco danish oil on mine.

[bridger berdel]

My first workbench is nearing completion and I am wondering “what to use as a finish”?

The bench is made almost entirely of premium 2 by’s bought from the borg and as far as I know are spruce. That is what I was told by the salesman. Anyway, this lumber has a pinkish or reddish tint and is fairly straight grained. The legs are 4” square yellow pine made from an 8” square x 42” long picked up at the recycling center. The top is glued together 2 by’s which are 3-1/8” thick , almost as flat as I need but may need some surface planing. This bench is more sturdy than I imagined. The top seems to be very hard but I would try to protect it from denting by direct pounding.

I am not interested in a furniture type finish as the workbench will be a “user” , not a showpiece. I’m thinking something like an oil finish. Also something that would not make the bench unusable for any long length of time. What would you use?

Don


for a brand new workbench, make up a batch of your favorite oil base stuff- linseed, varnish, tung if you're feeling flush, even polyurethane or what have you- but thin it way down so that it will penetrate. apply liberally and let it stand wet for a while before you rub it down. let it dry for a few days. repeat as necessary for the porosity of your benchtop. don't let this build a film, just get it to penetrate deeply.

once that is done, use the bench as hard as you want. when it starts looking a bit worn, do a project that requires an oil finish. start by lightly scraping the benchtop to get off any glue drips or whatever, and clean it pretty well. then do your finishing job, and go ahead and follow through with the bench top.

[Jim Koepke]

Would BLO or some other oil finish be satisfactory either after or before shellac?

I am definitely not an expert on finishing. Maybe someone else who is will chime in.

My understanding about BLO is that it can be applied before just about any kind of finish.

Some finishes can seal the surface so BLO will not soak in or other finishes might not adhere.

It is also my understanding that shellac makes a good sealer for woods like fir either as the top finish or used like a primer for other finishes.

If it were mine, some BLO and turpentine, mixed about 50/50, would be fine.

Do not wad any rags used in the process. Lay or hang them flat or as you mentioned, toss them in a bucket of water. BLO and other finishing oils create heat as they polymerize. Keeping the heat from getting trapped is how to prevent combustion. I save the rags because they make good polishing rags when they dry and get a little stiff.

jtk

[John Crawford]

Looking for an easy, bottled, home-center solution, I put some of the Minwax "Antique Oil" finish on my SWP bench. (I'm obviously not a finishing expert.) This looks good, seems durable enough, and is easy to repair. It was too slick for a while, but now seems fine....

[Tom M King]

I wanted one to look like it didn't have a finish, but really have a durable finish, so I wiped on a couple of coats of Bona Naturale, but I had some leftover from a floor job. I wouldn't spend 115 bucks a gallon on bench finish. It's some sort of acid cure lacquer, adds as little darkening, or color, to any wood as anything I've ever seen, and pretty durable too since it's a commercial floor finish.

[Winton Applegate]

no need to use any finish at all on my bench. I still don't regret that decision.

+ 2
No finish on my 2 x 4 bench / planing beams.
More emphatically no finish on my purple heart Klausz bench.

Finish makes the surface slippier, the oposit of what I want. Most all of the in the wood finishes are not going to protect it from stains (Malloof finish might). A good bench gets planed from time to time to keep it flat anyway.

No finish.

[Winton Applegate]

News show demonstration. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yq6VW-c2Ts) of linseed oil fire.

Wrong terminology but right demonstration.
Another “evaporating oil” believer. What they mean is the oil cross links / oxidizes producing heat during the chemical change using the oxygen in the air. When the rags/papers are layered, insulated and there is lots of air to feed it the heat builds up and cannot dissipate fast enough and the result is combustion and flames.

If the oil is one or two layers, not well insulated the heat dissipates too fast to build up and there is no combustion / flames.
or
under water there is not enough oxygen and and the water acts as a heat sink that draws off any heat rapidly.

Here is an extremely good article (http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/13477/how-to-safely-and-not-so-safely-dispose-of-oil-soaked-rags).
well actually here (http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/pros-and-cons-of-oil-finishes.aspx) but you have to pay for it. WORTH IT !

See my posts in the camellia oil on the stones thread. The oil is very concentrated in a smear and a puddle. Absolutely no danger of it / them combusting because the oil isn't spread out on a rag or paper so it can take in oxygen all around it and the glass dissipates any heat way too fast to build up. Of these four oils the stand oil and the tung oil would be the flammable ones. The others are mineral oil and just sit there and look bored (and boring). Those are not drying oil (apparently the camellia is imitation; basically machine oil with a nice name on the bottle) The WD-40 and other machine oils are formulated specifically not to oxidize. and can actually take a fair amount of heat applied to them without changing.

Sounds complicated but basically drying oil is catalyzed (formulated) to . . . well . . . dry (oxidize / change / solidify)
and
lubricating machine oil is formulated to take heat and still resist drying (oxidizing / changing / solidifying).

PS: here is the latest photo of the infamous "evaporating" oils (ha, ha, ha). Not gonna happen.
The green looking ones are the tung oil and are not actually green they are just refracting color from the glass; I have the light very low and raking across the surface so I can photograph the oil. The camellia and WD-40 disappear from the photo when I light them from above.

The tung oil has actually hardened over and wrinkled up a bit. The stand oil is linseed oil but is for oil painting and drys extremely slowly so it does not wrinkle or crack when mixed with artist oil paint.

The artificial camellia oil and the WD-40 are still quite fluid and obviously have not evaporated. I bet we could come back in a year from now and they would both be there and in the same fluid state.

PPS: my original batch of camellia oil from the same company and in the same type of bottle did seem to oxidize and turn gummy on my saws. For all practical purposes this new version is better because it doesn't get gummy.

[Don Rogers]

thank you all for your replies and suggestions.

"To finish or not to finish". That is the question.

Well, you have given me lots to think about and now it's up to me to decide. So many different answers!!!

I have some BLO, shellac and Danish oil on hand so I'm thinking one or a combination of those. It really looks like whatever I do, the finish or lack of finish should not be slippery when dry. I agree with that but want some kind of finish that will provide some (or at least limited) protection against dirt, rust, paint, grease, etc. It's probably best to try various combinations on scrap wood before I decide.

Thank's again for your help.

Don

[Don Rogers]

Winton, I did not see your post (#16) before mine (#17) until now but want you to know I really appreciate your dissertation on spontaneous combustion. It sets my mind at ease on that subject.

Thank you,

Don

[Mark AJ Allen]

I have yet to hear a good reason to finish the top of a bench.

No finish on my bench. Made from 2 by's.

[Prashun Patel]

I don't have an assembly bench (read, I'm too lazy to clear it) so I often have to use glue on my workbench. Without a finish, I'd be more of a pain to clean up. I also find a finished bench easier to sweep than a non-finished bench, which I also have.

[dan sherman]

I have yet to hear a good reason to finish the top of a bench.

A good one has been listed on this thread several times. A finish can make cleaning up glue drips and finish spills much easier.

[Don Rogers]

Well, the top looks so nice after being surfaced, I want it to stay that way as long as possible without doing more than a little oiling or shellacking. And Im sure to use it for non-woodworking activities also. Who knows what may spill on it. Hopefully a quickie finish might just help.

Don

[ernest dubois]

What will you do when you flatten your bench? Refinish? And don't forget the workbench surface has also a holding function itself aided by friction which any finish, particularly wax will diminish. Look, if glue gets on it wipe it off, the rest will look bad initially but eventually all merge together and go unnoticed or if something really bugs you just whip out a scraper for a spot touch-up. I have a similar workbench top now 15 years, no finish it gets looking better and better with proper use.

[Prashun Patel]

"refinish" and "finish" overstates what I do. This task amounts to wiping my bench down with a finish-soaked rag from another project. At any point in time, there are saw cuts through it, and worn through parts. It's not finished to improve how it looks. Wax, oil, varnish, nothing hampers the holding power of the bench. Besides, for me, the risk of slippage is in the vise or between the faces of dogs or on the pad of a hold down - not between the piece and the bench.

I think it's splitting hairs. I'm happy enough with both of my benches. I'm not particularly religious either way, but I find it worth it to keep some kind of layer on the bench, but then not to be persnickety about keeping it pristine.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Sorry that I am late to the game, but here is one that I make myself, and it is not slippery, resists glue (even epoxy), and is very protective. It also smells nice, despite the turpentine.

1 pound of beeswax, grated (NOTE: buy a grater that you can dedicate to this task, because it will get caked in beeswax)
1 pint pure gum turpentine When I first got this recipe out of an old, old publication, it was very clear to get pure gum turpentine.
1 pint linseed oil. I use raw linseed, but you can use boiled. The turpentine aids evaporation, but raw linseed will still dry slower.

Shave the beeswax into the turpentine. It should dissolve on its own, but I put it in the sun to help it along. Mix the linseed oil. It's that simple. Brush it on and let it sit for 24 hours or so. If you used raw linseed oil it will take a few days to stop being tacky. The finish you get will be satin, and you can buff it with a soft cloth to get a bit glossier finish. Pour some glue on it and let it dry. It peels right up.

I kind of play around with this recipe, adding more of this, less of that. I don't really exactly measure any more. Equal parts of linseed and turpentine, and then add beeswax until it looks about right.

Pure gum turpentine doesn't smell that bad, and you can even take lemon rind, mull it, and add that to get a lemony smell. (strain before use)

[Kent A Bathurst]

Well, the top looks so nice after being surfaced, I want it to stay that way as long as possible without doing more than a little oiling or shellacking. And Im sure to use it for non-woodworking activities also. Who knows what may spill on it. Hopefully a quickie finish might just help.

Don

Some BLO, or the BLO-Varnish-Turps stuff is all you need / want. Shellac is a film - will not last a week without serious damage. YOu don't want a film on an actively-used workbench.

My 15 year old bench [made out of reclaimed red oak that was 125 years old when it came out of the renovation project next door] got BLO - first coat thinned aggressively, tehn a couple more. Then 3+ weeks wiling off the oil that weeped back out of the pores.

Since then - cigarette ash and spilled cabernet sauvignon. On a couple of occasions when things got out of hand with a gang over, power tools off, there was a couple times a half bottle of very nice Super Tuscan that was added to the mix. Doubled the cost of materials in the bench.

[Mark AJ Allen]

Ouch. Perhaps not finishing a benchtop is incentive to avoid finishing and gluing up work on the primary flat reference surface in a shop.

[ernest dubois]

Ouch. Perhaps not finishing a benchtop is incentive to avoid finishing and gluing up work on the primary flat reference surface in a shop. Flat, that is, if kept flat.

[dan sherman]

Ouch. Perhaps not finishing a benchtop is incentive to avoid finishing and gluing up work on the primary flat reference surface in a shop.

Have you ever consider, that some people might not have that luxury?

[Tom Vanzant]

I use Watco Danish Oil...wipe on, drink a cup of coffee, wipe off. 24 hours later, it's good to go. Antique Oil works equally well.

[Mark AJ Allen]

I don't consider the benchtop used for building pieces the ideal surface for assembling and finishing work. It's also not about luxury ... every shop has a floor. I guess that's splitting hairs a little. If people want to finish their bench and use it for both the build and finish of pieces, I don't suppose appealing the preservation of their biggest flatness reference would stop them.

[Kent A Bathurst]

..... If people want to finish their bench and use it for both the build and finish of pieces, I don't suppose appealing the preservation of their biggest flatness reference would stop them.

How flat is flat? I don't feel the need for a machinist's granite reference plate. I get some dye on the bench. Fine. I get some varnish / shellac on the bench. Fine. I get some glue on the bench, it dries, I grab a chisel and it pops right off. Fine.

Having said all of that, most of my finishing, and glue-ups for larger pieces, takes place on my TS - 6' x 6' all told, with cardboard I put on the top.

But using the bench is my first option, if it fits.

[Erik Christensen]

i used BLO on my top and would do so again. I don't finish on my bench (unless it is something small & quick) but assembly happens all the time. yah the floor is flat but with 60+ year old knees using a floor for assembly is not gonna happen unless it is something very large. the cool thing about this is if you don't like your 1st choice then next time you have to flatten your top try something else.

[Tom Vanzant]

1+ Kent. My WB is used, not abused. Small glue-ups on the bench, larger ones on the TS, but BOTH are fitted with protective panels. It's no more fun to clean up cast iron than wood.

[Stanley Covington]

If you are serious about woodworking, and effectiveness matters more than being "historically correct," an effective finish is the best choice. Whatever you select it should (1) harden the surface a bit making it more durable; (2) Protect it from stains and glue penetration to some degree, and most importantly; (3) Protect it from dust and dirt (NOT attract dust and dirt). In addition, (4) The finish should slow the migration of moisture into and out of the wood stabilizing it a bit (as Tin Cup said "perfection is unachievable"). The BLO and beeswax finishes show very poor performance on 1 and 2, fail entirely on 4, and are counterproductive on 3 (they attract dust and dirt for a long time). If you have paid attention over a number of years you know this is true.

Here is a method that satisfies all 4 requirements above with no downside. Thin a good quality satin polyurethane 50-50 with quality thinner. This is the finish. Brush it on and let it soak in. The thin nature of the finish lets the otherwise reluctant polyurethane soak deeply into the grain where it is needed. A few minutes later, repeat. Keep applying finish until the grain will soak up no more. Allow to dry minimum 24 hours. Apply more finish, but before it dries, wet sand with 320 grit WD paper creating a slurry which fills the grain. Allow to dry. Repeat until the wood pores are filled. There should be hardened sawdust and finish actually standing on the surface. This looks terrible, but it is perfectly fine. Apply the finish one last time, then sand, but while still wet, vigorously wipe off all the finish you can so that none remains visible on the surface.

The wood is hardened. The finish has soaked into the wood so it is not on the surface to get scratched off later or make the benchtop slippery. The grain is permanently sealed, will protect the wood from stains and glue penetration to some degree (remember Tin Cup's Wise Words), and will not attract dust or dirt, but will keep them from penetrating the wood instead. And the polyurethane soaked deeply in the wood greatly slows moisture movement even after the wood is scratched and dinged with use.

I guess it does have one downside. You really need to finish all 6 surfaces, especially the ends, so moisture movement is more or less uniform. Do it once, do it right is the best policy.

I apply paste floor wax to my benchtop. Keeps glue from sticking. Non-slip.

The BLO sniffers are always outraged, but it is an effective, trouble-free finish.

Stan

[Christopher Charles]

I used BLO (b/c it was on hand, don't think it matters too much) on the base and I tooth the top to create a "sticky" surface (like WP Edwards). Works great.

Good luck

[Tom Vanzant]

Stan, I did essentially the same with a freshly-made rifle stock. After fifty years, no change in zero, as in no movement of the wood.

[Stanley Covington]

Stan, I did essentially the same with a freshly-made rifle stock. After fifty years, no change in zero, as in no movement of the wood.

Tom:

By coincidence, I learned this method from a professional gunstock maker. He called it the London Finish. Best finish for wood in the world.

Stan

[Tom Vanzant]

Yes it is.

[Curt Putnam]

Stan - what does the poly do to the ability to plane the top surface for the annual flattening? Having planed the bench surface, is the finish now destroyed?

[Mel Fulks]

Stanley, I don't doubt your expertise,but I want to rant. So....SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE USED ON THE
HANDLE OF A KNIFE TO SLICE A WEDDING CAKE AT A COUNTRY CLUB!!!! Not bad for a first try.

[Kent A Bathurst]

..... plane the top surface for the annual flattening?

Man-o-man - - - I am so far out of compliance, I don't even know what to do now.

[Stanley Covington]

Stan - what does the poly do to the ability to plane the top surface for the annual flattening? Having planed the bench surface, is the finish now destroyed?

Curt;

I always refinish mine after flattening. Depending on how much of the surface you plane off, it shouldn't absorb as much thinned finish as the first time.

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Stanley, I don't doubt your expertise,but I want to rant. So....SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE USED ON THE
HANDLE OF A KNIFE TO SLICE A WEDDING CAKE AT A COUNTRY CLUB!!!! Not bad for a first try.

Not bad at all, congratulations.

The thing you need to know is that this finish, as far as I have explained it, is invisible. It does color the wood a bit, depending on the species and the brand of poly used, but so does BLO and beeswax which gives a definitely yellow cast turning to brown as dirt accumulates.

The process I have described is just the prep stages. The complete London finish is followed by unthinned coats of poly creating a standing surface finish on top of the soaked-in finish which is perfect for gunstocks. Gunstocks must endure lots of rough use in wet conditions, and if a scratch or ding destroys the finish, the stock may be ruined and accuracy will certainly suffer. But that is not what is needed for a workbench.

Give it a try on something small, maybe a saw handle or hammer handle. I think you will be impressed with how much it doesn't look like a finish, and how tough it is.

Stan

[ernest dubois]

With this penetrating polymer process, how deep do you suppose the finish goes into the wood 1, 2, 3 mm? An assertion that this will inhibit wood movement of a bench top by blocking moisture from getting in should be qualified for example by a consideration of the mass of the wooden surface as a ratio, treated to non treated wood. No doubt some inhibition will result but how significant? I imagine that industrial processes are required for any meaningful effect in countering the natural working of the wood.
Sealing the grain? I'm not sure what this means. Maybe it is the end grain? If you mean filling open pores it might be fine for a gunstock of walnut, or an oak floor, but the workbench top in question is from some kind of conifer if I remember it right, having no pores and also when planed smooth, not readily penetrated by a finish, thinned or not. I don't think we could really hope that any finish on the surface of a pine workbench top will make an effective difference in its hardness. A better approach would be paying attention to things. I mean it's a bit troubling to think that applying a finish could be a kind of remedy to inattentiveness, maybe that's the reality in many cases though.
I can think of two reasons for maintaining a flat bench top, it creates an accurate reference surface against the workpiece and provides maximum surface contact with the workpiece. Earlier it was claimed that securing the workpiece is the function of bench stops, dogs, holdfasts and vices… On a well flattened and unfinished working surface I can often plane without using any additional holding mechanism, that is to say the good surface preforms a holding function in and of itself and I assert again that any finish diminishes this by nature, sacrificing effectiveness for appearance, subjecting function to form.

Regards,

Ernest

[Tom Vanzant]

Gunstock wood is quite dry to start with, so the penetrating polymer process is primarily to prevent intrusion of water in the future. It doesn't fill the pores as much as coating all the surfaces within the pores. In walnut, the penetration of a 50-50 mix of varnish and naphtha is about 1/8" (3mm), probably much less in any conifer. On a WB, any finish should be to prevent "instant" staining due to a spill. Think of it as ScotchGuard for wood. Immediate attention to spills makes a world of difference. As I said in an earlier post, Danish Oil works well straight from the can. On a WB, I stop there. As for re-surfacing, I flatten, then wipe on, wipe off. Done.

[Stanley Covington]

Ernest:

Thoughtful comments. Thanks.

I have not measured how deep the finish penetrates the wood. It would be difficult to state a number because it varies with species, location, tightness of the grain, and endgrain versus face grain. Because I can see it happening before my eyes, I do know that the wood soaks up the finish, which strongly suggests it is actually penetrating.

I disagree strongly with your observation that conifers have no pores, and when planned smooth, are not readily penetrated by a finish, "thinned or not." Allow me to remind you that all wood is composed of hollow tubes (various designs) designed to convey water from the roots to the leaves. Get out your microscope and take a gander. No exceptions to this rule. Trees are big water pumps. When the tree is cut down and dries, these tubes deform, but do not collapse entirely, and continue to admit water into the wood's interior. It will also admit other liquids so long as they are not too viscous. Thinning the polyurethane allows it to penetrate. The degree of penetration varies with each variety and piece of wood.

Rather than writing "sealing the grain," I should have used the term "filled the grain" as used by professional finishers. That is, the sliced tubes at the surface of the wood, which form visible pits, can be filled with various substances. These typically include a binder such as oil or varnish, a bulking agent such as silica, quartz dust, sawdust, or even gypsum, and a solvent. These products are often a paste or putty which is spread onto the wood"s surface and forced into the open tubes where it dries. This is repeated, and then sanded down creating a smoother surface that can be finished to higher gloss if so desired. An ancient technique still used today.

The London Finish I have described fills the grain in exactly the same way as pore fillers used for high-end furniture finishing does. However, the polyurethane and sawdust slurry mixture is quite waterproof even without a topcoat, so the grain is also sealed so water cannot as easily penetrate the wood. Sanding with wet dry paper forces this slurry into the cut tubes where it hardens. It also soaks the ends of the fibers, making them more or less waterproof. Is this a perfect seal? No, but it does slow the movement of liquid water and water vapor into and out of the wood. Before you scoff, give it a try.

The original London Finish was BLO, sometimes with driers, sometimes with rottenstone, sometimes with a tad of alkanet root, rubbed into the gunstock by hand (bare) with lots of friction. Time-consuming work, very expensive, quite beautiful on some woods, and used on the best bespoke custom guns. With force, BLO can reach deep into the wood's fibers but it does not readily harden, does not effectively slow water movement, and must be renewed annually. Well documented fact. American custom gunstock makers used this technique for many decades too, but their customers wanted something more durable, so they replaced the yellowing, smelly, dirt-attracting, dark, ineffective linseed oil with tung-oil-based varnishes, and later the tougher synthetic urethane resins. This American technique has become the world standard for custom gunstock finishes, even in London where they still call it the London Finish even though it is not the same method or materials used back in the days of the Raj.

There is an old saying used by finish carpenters which is a pun on the term used in drawings: "Cut to fit, paint to match" becomes "Cut to match, paint to fit." But the method I have described is not intended to compensate for "inattentiveness" or sloppy work. And I never said it would make nasty work look pretty.

Your most salient point is "No doubt some inhibition will result but how significant?" Now that you have asked the question, test it for yourself. I have been using it for a long time with excellent verifiable results, as have many professional woodworkers in the gunstock industry. BTW, gunstock wood is very very expensive pound for pound, and a top-quality shotgun blank can sell for multiple thousands of dollars, so a finish that looks good but does not protect the wood is totally unacceptable. Shellac finishes are beautiful but as unsuitable for a gunstock as it is for an axe handle. BLO has not been acceptable for seriously protecting wood commercially for a century (although BLO varnish mixtures like WATCO Danish oil are used in some cases). Only hobbyists or recreationists still cling to it.

Before you scoff, give it a try. I promise you will be impressed.

Stan

[ernest dubois]

Stanley, Really when it comes to the best, as you claim, finish for gunstocks along with the implication that there probably is no more demanding case for a finish than this, who am I to say you're not on the mark? But can you really mean that when it is the best finish in the one instance, this will be the case every time? Let alone that finish is always better than no finish? Can it be so simple once we accept the premiss? This would be revolutionary and perhaps if that is your meaning, this is what leads to the claim that in order to be considered a serious woodworker, (humm), London's Finest must be on the finishing shelf and top off every last woodworking project. Maybe what prompted the tone in my reply begins to reveal itself, maybe not.

I'll tell you what I like about linseed oil, the boiled stuff I'm not keen on, First of all it's simple and direct. It's slow for sure but that is part of its effectiveness. Because it can take up to 80 years to cure it means it has that long to get down in the structure of wood. It doesn't mean it will take that long to be serviceable, by the way. Will that have consequences otherwise? Of course but that's why we have invented the concept, maintenance, not something insurmountable or that need be avoided, as I see it, but then I am surely out of step. Because of the long curing process the linseed oil is doing its business, maybe we can say, along with the way the wood is reacting over time instead of in opposition. Here it is a matter of compatibility, one simple material taken from nature in combination with even a similar material - I envision a scenario; the nut tree standing on the edge of a flax field is felled, the wood cut and seasoned and the oil pressed from the flax seed in that field gets used as a finish. Sound fetched? It's not so different from how I have worked from time to time.

It's clear we come from very different perspectives and who knows if I will ever have the chance of trying out your number one finish or not but I don't scoff at it out-right in any case.

Regards,

Ernest

[Curt Putnam]

Took me awhile, but I finally found these recipes from Howard Acheson:

"



This is what I recommend for a workbench top treatment.

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 an "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 boiled linseed 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.







"
Seems to be about what you are recommending - and what I plan on using.

[Mark AJ Allen]

How flat is flat? I don't feel the need for a machinist's granite reference plate. I get some dye on the bench. Fine. I get some varnish / shellac on the bench. Fine. I get some glue on the bench, it dries, I grab a chisel and it pops right off. Fine.

Having said all of that, most of my finishing, and glue-ups for larger pieces, takes place on my TS - 6' x 6' all told, with cardboard I put on the top.

But using the bench is my first option, if it fits.

How flat is flat? As flat as you can make it I would say; The flatter a benchtop, the better able a person will be to detect non-flat lumber. I think it's it safe to assume using flat lumber is a best practice so this leads to conclude flatter is better.

Maybe this is a bad assumption on my part: If someone cares enough to clean up a bench after using it for assembly and finishing, they care a great deal about benchtop condition, including the key attribute of flatness. That leads me to wonder why anyone would use their bench to assemble/finish work when other options everyone has are available. This also makes me wonder how finishing a top affects the flatness of the top. Those factors are my own reasons to not finish a top, in addition to the advantages of an unfinished top for hand planing, etc ...

I don't believe it's a forgone conclusion to put any finish on a bench. I believe the motive to finish should be aligned with what kind of work a person does and how they do it. The basic question is how much work do you want to do to maintain a flat bench? If a person doesn't mind more work beyond flattening to maintain a flat bench, they can finish a bench whatever they want.

[Daniel Rode]

My bench has a finish that consists of 1 coat of thinned poly. I think it was thinned to about 1:1. I wiped the top, let it sit for a couple minutes and wiped it thoroughly with a dry rag. It leaves a surface that feels grippy rather than smooth. The only reason I put any finish on was so glue could be cleaned up easier.

It's a workbench, not furniture, so I do everything on it, even assembly.