Finish for maple workbench?

[John K Jordan]

Hey workbench experts! I primarily do woodturning but I built a bench with a top of hard maple, good and dry. I use it mostly as a staging, assembly, and detailing bench for turnings.

I recently had some fun with a spilled and unnoticed bottle of CA glue so I just scraped and sanded the top.

Is it recommended to finish the top with something? When I built it I put some "danish" oil on it.

JKJ

[Brian Holcombe]

I use a finish called 'hand plane'. :D

[Prashun Patel]

I have had them both unfinished and finished. Finishing makes it easier to get glue off and can prevent metal from embedding into the wood. The best finish for a bench to prevent glue and finish spills is a sacrificial piece of hardboard.

[Dave Cav]

I have both a workbench and an assembly table. The workbench top is 3" of face glued ash. I try not to do any gluing or finishing on the workbench, and it's finished with BLO. Any spills get scraped off. My assembly table top is a 4'x8' torsion box with a sacrificial hardboard top with a coat of (I think) Deft or shellac. When it gets too nasty I turn it over. Glue, etc gets sanded off with a ROS. I try to remember to put a drop cloth down before I do a big glue up or finish work to keep major spills off the top. I use the cotton drop cloths from Harbor Freight; they are big and priced well. I have one for gluing, one for finishing, and a clean/new one for assembly to keep the project from getting beat up.

[Jim Barrett]

This is what LN uses on their workbenches:

1/3 spar varnish, urethane,
1/3 mineral spirits
1/3 blo

[jack duren]

I have an 8/4 hickory top and have nothing on it. If I put anything on its Johnsons paste wax from time to time....

[John K Jordan]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess this is more of a work table than a "real" workbench. But I can see the value of keeping it unfinished or waxed.

When gluing things on purpose I tape down a piece of aluminized mylar, great material, the stuff they make Fritos bags from - I have wide rolls with thousands of feet.

Jim, that's the same "traditional" finish recipe woodturners often use on turned pieces.

JKJ

[jack duren]

Another option....
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[Jess Coleman]

I was taught that when you built a bench you finished it with BLO applied as follows.
Once a day for a week.
Once a week for a month.
Once a month for a year.
Once a year for a lifetime.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

See my reply to this similar thread- http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?242413-Finishing-the-bench

It's a recipe for a linseed oil, pure gum turpentine, and beeswax finish. Reading it over, I said I use 2oz of beeswax. I'm thinking even more than that. I'm not one to measure stuff- I just add until it looks right. The more beeswax you add, the thicker the mix, and also the waxier the finish. The wax repels all glues, even West System epoxy.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I was taught that when you built a bench you finished it with BLO applied as follows.
Once a day for a week.
Once a week for a month.
Once a month for a year.
Once a year for a lifetime.

That's for a chopping block. For a workbench you don't need that much oil.

[Patrick Chase]

My assembly table top is a 4x8" torsion box...

Wow, that sounds like it would be a great place to assemble an 18" stonehenge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXzzHM8zLw).

[Dave Cav]

Wow, that sounds like it would be a great place to assemble an 18" stonehenge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXzzHM8zLw).

OK, I fixed it...my assembly table won't fit into a FedEx envelope.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Like Dave Cav I finished my 3" thick ash benchtop with BLO and later waxed it. I also use an assembly table for gluing and finish but mine is my old 30" x 72" maple topped bench.

[Brian Holcombe]

my old 30' x 72" maple topped bench.

Handy to have a 30' long bench laying around :p

[Phil Mueller]

My workbench sits next to the gas fired water heater and furnace, so rather than slather it with flammable material or haul it outside, I use Brian's finish method...a hand plane.

[John K Jordan]

See my reply to this similar thread- http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?242413-Finishing-the-bench

It's a recipe for a linseed oil, pure gum turpentine, and beeswax finish. Reading it over, I said I use 2oz of beeswax. I'm thinking even more than that. I'm not one to measure stuff- I just add until it looks right. The more beeswax you add, the thicker the mix, and also the waxier the finish. The wax repels all glues, even West System epoxy.

Thanks, I like that idea. I keep beehives and have a large excess of beeswax awaiting for purpose.

JKJ

[Bill White]

John, you could always send me some of the "excess" beeswax whenever you wish. 1 or 2 pounds would be great.

Let me know how much and shipping to 38826.
Bill

[Skip Helms]

I've got some of everything. My main assembly table is the melamine outfeed table for the saw. Nothing sticks to it for long. The main bench has BLO and the occasional paste wax. My guitar bench is naked wood since I want to avoid any contaminants. Most of the time I use a towel or bathmat under the work. sh