Dimensioning 10/4 lumber for bench build...How to go about it?

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Next question, though, now that I've had a few days to mull this over.

I do have access to a regular lunchbox planer that a friend has, and it should be wide enough for this stuff. I think I'll be fine flattening one face enough for the planer, and I think I can probably handle jointing the edges as well.

What I don't think I want to do by hand is make the long rips, and I don't have a band saw. I've been considering buying one for some time so maybe that time is now but I am wondering if a circular saw with a track/guide would do the job as well. My only concern with that idea is find a track or straight enough guide that is 72"+ long. Thoughts?

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Gave'r a whirl tonight. Jointed an edge, that is.
IMG_5213.jpg

This being my first time working with yellow pine, it was a learning experience with some ups and downs. Overall it cuts very nicely and I, personally, find it to be a very pretty wood. There was a significant crook in the board I picked so that combined with the fact that it was 78" long and 2-3/8" thick meant it took me a solid couple hours to joint an edge.

The tough parts:
IMG_5214.jpg IMG_5216.jpg

I still can't figure out a decent way to work around knots. Taking a super-light cut and sharpening frequently is annoying when there's a lot of wood to be removed, as there was here. My jack plane has an A2 blade and when taking heavier cuts it seems to go through the knots easily enough, though it tears out significantly. It's the jointer that gives me trouble. The way I like my jointer set up the shavings it takes are too thick for tougher end grain so if skewing the plane doesn't work then I just skip over the knots and after so many passes I pare it down with a chisel, file it down with an Iwasaki carving file, or even bust out the sandpaper. So dealing with these knots was a pain but not the end of the world.

IMG_5215.jpg
This, the darker part in the photo, is what I didn't think about before this ordeal. At least, I think that darker, kinda translucent stuff is pitch. Anywhoo, this wood being air-dried, it is pretty sappy. I ended up having to wipe my plane soles and blades with denatured alcohol every ten minutes or so. I tried waxing it all but, at least on the sole and blade, the wax would wear off pretty quickly and didn't seem to help much.

So that part of the experience leads me to what might be the first bump in the road. This stuff is probably gonna feel kinda sticky and ooze a little sap for the next 100 years if I leave it as is. Should I find someone with a kiln and get this stuff baked to "set" the sap? Working pitchy wood is not the end of the world to me. My bigger concern is that my workbench will be pitchy and sticky, and everything that touches it will end up with a little mixture of sap and dust on it.

[Stanley Covington]

Gave'r a whirl tonight. Jointed an edge, that is.
IMG_5213.jpg

This being my first time working with yellow pine, it was a learning experience with some ups and downs. Overall it cuts very nicely and I, personally, find it to be a very pretty wood. There was a significant crook in the board I picked so that combined with the fact that it was 78" long and 2-3/8" thick meant it took me a solid couple hours to joint an edge.

The tough parts:
IMG_5214.jpg IMG_5216.jpg

I still can't figure out a decent way to work around knots. Taking a super-light cut and sharpening frequently is annoying when there's a lot of wood to be removed, as there was here. My jack plane has an A2 blade and when taking heavier cuts it seems to go through the knots easily enough, though it tears out significantly. It's the jointer that gives me trouble. The way I like my jointer set up the shavings it takes are too thick for tougher end grain so if skewing the plane doesn't work then I just skip over the knots and after so many passes I pare it down with a chisel, file it down with an Iwasaki carving file, or even bust out the sandpaper. So dealing with these knots was a pain but not the end of the world.

IMG_5215.jpg
This, the darker part in the photo, is what I didn't think about before this ordeal. At least, I think that darker, kinda translucent stuff is pitch. Anywhoo, this wood being air-dried, it is pretty sappy. I ended up having to wipe my plane soles and blades with denatured alcohol every ten minutes or so. I tried waxing it all but, at least on the sole and blade, the wax would wear off pretty quickly and didn't seem to help much.

So that part of the experience leads me to what might be the first bump in the road. This stuff is probably gonna feel kinda sticky and ooze a little sap for the next 100 years if I leave it as is. Should I find someone with a kiln and get this stuff baked to "set" the sap? Working pitchy wood is not the end of the world to me. My bigger concern is that my workbench will be pitchy and sticky, and everything that touches it will end up with a little mixture of sap and dust on it.

An electronic jointer is a nice tool for grunt work.

Re stickiness, use an oilpot, or just wipe the bottom of the plane over a clean rag soaked in motor oil, or whatever liquid lube floats your boat.

Stan

[Robert Hazelwood]

I made my bench out of construction douglas fir, which is kiln dried a little bit but not really enough to set the pitch. There were several pitch pockets that would ooze sap and drip on the floor while I was building it. But it has not been a problem since, and a decent top coat like shellac or poly would tend to seal it in. So the bench shouldn't be sticky when you're done.

I'm doing a big project in yellow pine now myself. Luckily all of my stock is straight grained and knot free, and it planes well. I imagine the knots would be like granite. You might try setting your cap iron close, if you haven't already- it seems to stabilize the blade some and help it stay in the cut amidst the swirling grain and changing densities. Plus all of the usual tricks- keep very sharp, skew the plane, light shavings, etc.

But it is no fun at all to chop mortises in it, or to basically do anything involving a chisel. The huge contrast in hardness between the light and dark growth rings causes the chisel to want to wander and twist in the cut if you're not very careful. For the same reason, it is hell on chisel edges, moreso than any hardwood I've worked. Yet it requires extreme sharpness to work cleanly, since the soft rings tear easily. I've had to raise the bevel angles on all the chisels I'm using to minimize the chipping, and I'm still sharpening more often than usual.

Just venting a little I suppose Curious to see how your experience is.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

I made my bench out of construction douglas fir, which is kiln dried a little bit but not really enough to set the pitch. There were several pitch pockets that would ooze sap and drip on the floor while I was building it. But it has not been a problem since, and a decent top coat like shellac or poly would tend to seal it in. So the bench shouldn't be sticky when you're done.

I'm doing a big project in yellow pine now myself. Luckily all of my stock is straight grained and knot free, and it planes well. I imagine the knots would be like granite. You might try setting your cap iron close, if you haven't already- it seems to stabilize the blade some and help it stay in the cut amidst the swirling grain and changing densities. Plus all of the usual tricks- keep very sharp, skew the plane, light shavings, etc.

But it is no fun at all to chop mortises in it, or to basically do anything involving a chisel. The huge contrast in hardness between the light and dark growth rings causes the chisel to want to wander and twist in the cut if you're not very careful. For the same reason, it is hell on chisel edges, moreso than any hardwood I've worked. Yet it requires extreme sharpness to work cleanly, since the soft rings tear easily. I've had to raise the bevel angles on all the chisels I'm using to minimize the chipping, and I'm still sharpening more often than usual.

Just venting a little I suppose Curious to see how your experience is.

That's good news on the sap issue. Having it kiln-dried for a few days wouldn't cost me much but the guy I know in town with a kiln is unavailable for about a month. Working with the sap isn't that big a deal, just a minor nuisance. I am mainly worried about having a finished workbench that feels sappy and gets sap all over the pieces I work on the bench.

Apart from the knots and sap I've found this stuff pretty enjoyable to work so far. With a decently sharp iron it cuts like butter. But then again I'm used to working with oak more than anything else. Maybe when I get around to walnut and cherry I'll look back at how miserable yellow pine was to work with.

Hopefully I can cut most of the knots out when I start dimensioning parts. There are only a handful that are big and problematic. I probably didn't pick the best board to joint first but oh well. Gotta learn how to deal with these things somehow.

[Brian Holcombe]

I was warned away from BLO a long time ago. I don’t bother with it, and I’ve never known straight oil finishes to do much of anything beyond adding a light sheen or color.

[ernest dubois]

I was warned away from BLO a long time ago. I don’t bother with it, and I’ve never known straight oil finishes to do much of anything beyond adding a light sheen or color.

That which you were warned away from, it's good for making glass putty.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

I was warned away from BLO a long time ago. I don’t bother with it, and I’ve never known straight oil finishes to do much of anything beyond adding a light sheen or color.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, just curious. What would you use if you want a finish that doesn't build a film?

As far as protection goes I realize BLO is not much but thus far I haven't found anything that gives a similar tactility. Even the thin wiping varnishes, which I also really like, make a piece look and feel like it has a thin film of plastic over it, which I suppose it does. I've tried tung oil but honestly it doesn't seem to offer much that BLO doesn't.

[Stanley Covington]

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, just curious. What would you use if you want a finish that doesn't build a film?

As far as protection goes I realize BLO is not much but thus far I haven't found anything that gives a similar tactility. Even the thin wiping varnishes, which I also really like, make a piece look and feel like it has a thin film of plastic over it, which I suppose it does. I've tried tung oil but honestly it doesn't seem to offer much that BLO doesn't.

Important Preface: Those that love BLO and are satisfied with the results will not read this post through to the end, and will misunderstand it entirely. It always happens on the subject of BLO. Very predictable. Almost like a psychosis. "Groupthink" is what Dr. Janis at Yale University called it, I think. If that is you, you are clearly not interested in alternative solutions, and cannot provide informed input to this post, so please stop reading now, close it, and go talk with your shop cat.

There are alternatives to BLO. I can share one that was taught to me by a professional gunstock maker. I have yet to find a better or more durable method.

BLO was used for centuries to finish everything from gunstocks, to fine furniture, to house siding. It was really the only thing available. Linseed oil comes from pressed flax seeds. Flax was cultivated for oil, and for fibers to produce "linen" (poor people could not afford imported cotton or luxurious wool, beyond homespun). One would apply it, let it soak in, and rub it out, polishing the wood in the process. This is where the term "hand-rubbed finish" comes from. The gunmakers of London England were famous for this technique and the beautiful results obtained. This is the famous "London Finish" that people paid lots of money for. It took literally months of handwork to accomplish.

But BLO is not very protective, and not at all durable, and must be replenished at least annually if it is to do its job, and maintain its appearance. And because BLO never fully hardens (polymerizes), does not actually physically seal the grain, and is photo-reactive and darkens over time, it attracts dust and dirt pulling it into the wood's fibers. The end result is a fragile finish that does not provide real protection against moisture or dirt, and gets dirtier and darker as time passes. Notice the condition of even well-maintained old gunstocks and high-end furniture finished with BLO after a hundred years or so.

And it adds a sickly yellow tone to the wood.

The custom gunmakers of North America developed their own finishing techniques, surpassing the British long ago in creating durable, protective, and beautiful finishes. This is why no one hears anything about the once-famous London Finish anymore.

Here is how to use if for workbenches.

Mix a good-quality synthetic-resin varnish 1:1 with a good quality thinner. Epiphanes is pricey, but the best I have found. Minwax sold at the Home Despot will work fine. WATER BASED VARNISH WILL NOT WORK, so you poor guys in Californication that are hated by your corrupt government are SOL unless you bring some home in your car after a visit to Las Vegas or Reno.

Home Despot's cheapo thinner sucks.

Apply this thin mixture with a brush to the wood. Keep applying until it won't soak up anymore. Especially endgrain. Let it dry. Repeat until the wood won't soak anymore, and dried finish is standing on the wood. It will look ugly, but that is OK. The purpose of this is to cause the varnish to penetrate deeply into the grain and seal the wood fibers, preventing/reducing moisture transfer, and dirt/grime infiltration into the wood.

Using this same 1:1 mixture and 220 grit W/D sandpaper (calm down, sandpaper is our friend), wet sand the wood. Make sure to keep the surface very wet. Use rubber gloves. You want to create a slurry of wet finish and sawdust, and then force that slurry deep into the wood's surface, further sealing the grain and preventing/reducing moisture transfer and dirt/grime infiltration. Don't wipe off the slurry, but let it dry proud on the wood's surface. It will look as ugly as a mud fence, but that's OK.

Did the wood suck up a lot of the mixture when wet sanding the first time, or not? If it did, you want to repeat the wet sanding process. Remember to let the varnish/thinner/sawdust slurry dry on top of the wood's surface. Don't wipe it off yet.

Finally, wet sand one last time cutting down all the dried mixture and dried slurry on the wood's surface, and wipe it off completely before it gets sticky. When done, there should be nothing left of the wood's surface (lots inside the wood, however). You can use 220 grit sandpaper, or go with progressively finer grits if you want a better final appearance. In the case of furniture, I finish with 600 grit.

This is the first step in the ancient and very expensive "London Finish" except you have replaced the never-fully-hardening and dirt-attracting and always-getting-darker BLO with a substance that penetrates as deeply as BLO, but actually provides durable and effective protection.

If you are making fine furniture or an expensive gunstock, you would next apply several coatings of thinned varnish on top of this, rubbing out each one until a deep, subtly lustrous surface finish is produced. Voila. It is a lot of work, and few have the patience, but if you can do a French finish, then you can do this.

But the sealing process, not the surface finish, is all that is required for a workbench.
But the sealing process, not the surface finish, is all that is required for a workbench.
But the sealing process, not the surface finish, is all that is required for a workbench.

NO SURFACE FILM.
NO SURFACE FILM.
NO SURFACE FILM.

I hope 3 times is the charm.

The wood is now sealed beyond just the surface. The wood is now harder than it was prior to this process. There is nothing to chip or become damaged or make the workbench top slippery. The finish can easily be refreshed any time.

As a final touch, and to keep glue from sticking, I apply floor wax (Johnsons makes a good product) after the wood has dried for a week (it will out-gas thinner for some time). Don't use furniture wax: It will create a slippery surface. Floor wax is non-slip.

This process is simply the evolution of BLO as developed by professional finishers whose clients wanted better results than BLO could provide. Give it a try and show everyone what a real hand-rubbed finish should look like.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Preface: Those that love BLO and are satisfied with the results will not read this post through to the end, and will misunderstand it entirely. It always happens on the subject of BLO. Almost like a psychosis. "Group Think" is what the psychologists call it, I think. If that is you, you are not interested in alternative solutions, and cannot provide informed input to this post, so please stop reading now, close it, and go talk with your shop cat.

There are alternatives to BLO. I can share one that was taught to me by a professional gunstock maker. I have yet to find a better or more durable method.

BLO was used for centuries to finish everything from gunstocks, to fine furniture, to house siding. It was really the only thing available. Linseed oil comes from pressed flax seeds. Flax was cultivated for oil, and for fibers to produce "linen" (poor people could not afford imported cotton or luxurious wool, beyond homespun). One would apply it, let it soak in, and rub it out, polishing the wood in the process. This is where the term "hand-rubbed finish" comes from. The gunmakers of London England were famous for this technique and the beautiful results obtained. This is the famous "London Finish" that people paid lots of money for. It took literally months of handwork to accomplish.

But BLO is not very protective, and not at all durable, and must be replenished at least annually if it is to do its job, and maintain its appearance. And because BLO never fully hardens (polymerizes), does not actually physically seal the grain, and is photo-reactive and darkens over time, it attracts dust and dirt pulling it into the wood's fibers. The end result is a fragile finish that does not provide real protection against moisture or dirt, and gets dirtier and darker as time passes. Notice the condition of even well-maintained old gunstocks and high-end furniture finished with BLO.

And it adds a sickly yellow tone to the wood.

The custom gunmakers of North America developed their own finishing techniques, surpassing the British long ago in creating durable, protective, and beautiful finishes. This is why no one hears anything about the once-famous London Finish anymore.

Here it is how to use if for workbenches.

Mix a good-quality synthetic-resin varnish 1:1 with a good quality thinner. Epiphanes is pricey, but the best I have found. Minwax sold at the Home Despot will work fine. NOT WATER BASED, so you poor guys in Californication that are hated by your corrupt government are SOL unless you bring some home in your car after a visit to Las Vegas or Reno.

Home Despot's cheapo thinner sucks.

Apply this thin mixture with a brush to the wood. Keep applying until it won't soak up anymore. Especially endgrain. Let it dry. Repeat until the wood won't soak anymore, and dried finish is standing on the wood. It will look ugly, but that is OK. The purpose of this is to cause the varnish to penetrate deeply into the grain and seal the wood fibers, preventing/reducing moisture transfer, and dirt/grime infiltration into the wood.

Using this same 1:1 mixture and 220 grit W/D sandpaper (calm down, sandpaper is our friend), wet sand the wood. Make sure to keep the surface very wet. Use rubber gloves. You want to create a slurry of wet finish and sawdust, and then force that slurry deep into the wood's surface, further sealing the grain and preventing/reducing moisture transfer and dirt/grime infiltration. Don't wipe off the slurry, but let it dry proud on the wood's surface. It will look as ugly as a mud fence, but that's OK.

Did the wood suck up a lot of the mixture when wet sanding the first time, or not? If it did, you want to repeat the wet sanding process. Remember to let the varnish/thinner/sawdust slurry dry on top of the wood's surface. Don't wipe it off yet.

Finally, wet sand one last time cutting down all the dried mixture and dried slurry on the wood's surface, and wipe it off completely before it gets sticky. When done, there should be no visible finish left on the wood (lots inside the wood, however). You can use 220 grit sandpaper, or go with progressively finer grits if you want a better final appearance. In the case of furniture, I finish with 600 grit.

This is the first step in the ancient and very expensive "London Finish" except you have replaced the never-fully-hardening and dirt-attracting and always-getting-darker BLO with a substance that penetrates as deeply as BLO, but actually provides durable and effective protection.

If you are making fine furniture or an expensive gunstock, you would next apply several coatings of thinned varnish on top of this, rubbing out each one until a deep, subtly lustrous surface finish is produced. Voila. It is a lot of work, and few have the patience, but if you can do a French finish, then you can do this.

But the sealing process, not the surface finish, is all that is required for a workbench.

The wood is now sealed beyond just the surface. The wood is now harder than it was prior to this process. There is nothing to chip or become damaged or make the workbench top slippery. The finish can easily be refreshed any time.

As a final touch, and to keep glue from sticking, I apply floor wax (Johnsons makes a good product) after the wood has dried for a week (it will out-gas thinner for some time). Don't use furniture wax: It will create a slippery surface. Floor wax is non-slip.

This process is simply the evolution of BLO as developed by professional finishers whose clients wanted better results than BLO could provide. Give it a try and show everyone what a real hand-rubbed finish should look like.

Coincidentally, I have finished a couple gunstocks and this method is pretty much what I was told to do by a very reputable stockmaker. I used Waterlox, which is thus far one of my favorite finishes. As far as protection goes, I can't imagine any piece of furniture needing more-or even as much-protection as an expensive piece of figured walnut that has 40-60 hours of handwork in it that is taken out for long walks through the woods and sometimes in harsh weather. So far the Waterlox-finished stocks have been just fine out in the rain and snow, so long as I dry them well afterward.

That all said, the wood does feel a bit different than if I used BLO. I made sure to brush on enough varnish to fill the pores (took multiple coats), sanded, and then hand-rubbed the last coats on. I think, by definition maybe, a film-building finish will inherently offer more protection than something like BLO that doesn't build a film. But it is the lack of film that gives BLO its particular feel. So the way I figured I really have to choose between a genuinely protective finish and the more-wood-like tactility of an oil.

As for the finish recipe (is that the correct term?) you described, the one thing I can't decide on thus far is whether or not to sand with a slurry of sanding dust/finish. I didn't do that on the first gunstock I finished because I thought the sanding dust in the slurry would muddy the figure and pores of the wood. I wanted the finish to be as clear as possible. But after looking at finished stocks where people sanded with a slurry I honestly don't know if I can tell much of a difference.

And back to the subject of workbenches, I honestly didn't consider the idea of something as protective as a varnish on a workbench. After all, some folks recommend not finishing them at all. I don't like that idea myself but I figured whatever I do finish-wise it will be cheap, simple, and easily maintained/repaired. I assume at some point this bench is gonna get a little beat up, and I may have to flatten the top occasionally. Oil/varnish mixture is one idea. I wonder now, though, would a more protective finish that seals out moisture more effectively also make the bench more dimensionally stable?

[Stanley Covington]

Coincidentally, I have finished a couple gunstocks and this method is pretty much what I was told to do by a very reputable stockmaker. I used Waterlox, which is thus far one of my favorite finishes. As far as protection goes, I can't imagine any piece of furniture needing more-or even as much-protection as an expensive piece of figured walnut that has 40-60 hours of handwork in it that is taken out for long walks through the woods and sometimes in harsh weather. So far the Waterlox-finished stocks have been just fine out in the rain and snow, so long as I dry them well afterward.

That all said, the wood does feel a bit different than if I used BLO. I made sure to brush on enough varnish to fill the pores (took multiple coats), sanded, and then hand-rubbed the last coats on. I think, by definition maybe, a film-building finish will inherently offer more protection than something like BLO that doesn't build a film. But it is the lack of film that gives BLO its particular feel. So the way I figured I really have to choose between a genuinely protective finish and the more-wood-like tactility of an oil.

As for the finish recipe (is that the correct term?) you described, the one thing I can't decide on thus far is whether or not to sand with a slurry of sanding dust/finish. I didn't do that on the first gunstock I finished because I thought the sanding dust in the slurry would muddy the figure and pores of the wood. I wanted the finish to be as clear as possible. But after looking at finished stocks where people sanded with a slurry I honestly don't know if I can tell much of a difference.

And back to the subject of workbenches, I honestly didn't consider the idea of something as protective as a varnish on a workbench. After all, some folks recommend not finishing them at all. I don't like that idea myself but I figured whatever I do finish-wise it will be cheap, simple, and easily maintained/repaired. I assume at some point this bench is gonna get a little beat up, and I may have to flatten the top occasionally. Oil/varnish mixture is one idea. I wonder now, though, would a more protective finish that seals out moisture more effectively also make the bench more dimensionally stable?

Don't be lazy. Try it on a test piece. If you do it right, there should be NO varnish film on the surface.

NO FILM. NO FILM. NO FILM.

Read my post again, and pay attention this time.

[ernest dubois]

Such a sweeping statement writing off the use of linseed oil as a worthless wood finish, is to say the least a bold move in the face of the thousand year history it has going back to the Turks who were using it for that and more. Stan I think you take some of the things that make it particularly useful and superior, permeability I mentioned, the long curing, and because these may or may not, such subjectivity here, be compatible with finishing gun stocks, draw the conclusion that it therefore is not a good wood finish in general. Can this really be what you are saying? I find it incredible. Well, is it helpful to get into a point/counter-point confrontation especially when the parameters are so wide and varying? I don't think so, for example to me oil has no place on a workbench - I guess for all the standard reasons. My workbench is from Leif Karlsson and early on while he was building I asked him not to finish it with anything. In the meantime he forgot and put linseed oil on - the Swedes are big into it. On the bench surface the oil was gone with flattening and the rest took me about half a days work to scrape off. Look, there are places where it has no business and should not be used. I always regret to this day once finishing a tansu of Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir with linseed oil but for a wall cabinet in cherry wood it is the one finish that lives with the piece and will improve with time and proper maintenance. Maybe this is key, the maintenance involved, not really suitable to the lifestyles and attitudes prevailing. I just finished hauling my front room empty of its contents to give the floor its yearly oiling. It means we don't use it for a week plus a significant tax on my back and knees. Still, in the end my floor will only improve over time rather than degrade from the moment the polyurethane dries.

[Stanley Covington]

Such a sweeping statement writing off the use of linseed oil as a worthless wood finish is to say the least a bold move in the face of the thousand year history it has going back to the Turks who were using it for that and more. Stan I think you take some of the things that make it particularly useful and superior, permeability I mentioned, the long curing, and because these may or may not, such subjectivity here, be compatible with finishing gun stocks, draw the conclusion that it therefore is not a good wood finish in general. Can this really be what you are saying? I find it incredible. Well, I find it unhelpful to get into a point/counter-point confrontation especially when the parameters are so wide and varying, for example I think the oil has no place on a workbench - I guess for all the standard reasons. My workbench is from Lief Karlsson and early on while he was building it I asked him not to finish it with anything. In the meantime he forgot and put linseed oil on - the Swedes are big into it. On the bench surface it was gone with flattening and the rest took me about half a days work to scrape off. Look, there are places where it has no business and should not be used. I always regret to this day once finishing a tansu of Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir with it but for a wall cabinet in cherry wood it is the one finish that lives with the piece and will improve with time and proper maintenance. Maybe this is key, the maintenance involved, not really suitable to the lifestyles and attitudes prevailing. I just finished hauling my front room empty of its contents to give the floor its yearly oiling. It means we don't use it for a week plus a significant tax on my back and knees. Still, in the end my floor will only improve over time rather than degrade from the moment the polyurethane dries.

Not a sweeping statement. I explained the logic clearly, and supported that explanation with facts. You may find those facts unromantic, but that does not change measured results. Old does not mean superior, anymore than an oxcart is superior to a pickup truck in modern times. Please do your research before you use bold sweeping statements to dismiss my professional experience.

Or, are you by some chance a commercial finishings chemist and can produce a long-term technical study that substantiates your quaint theory that BLO provides superior protection to wood?

If you are so convinced of BLO's superiority, I suggest you put your money where your mouth is and paint your house with it next time in the ancient manner instead of using a good latex paint, that is, if it does not take too much time away from thatching your roof.

[ernest dubois]

You discount a whole aspect of woodworking with a history of a thousand years, evidence to be seen by anyone in every museum only to rely on chemical studies, no questioning of impartiality of course, coming out of the industries own labs and the mouths of the very ones with an interest in self-promotion, and claim to have made a rational rebuttal. Ok, I give in, you win.
Here's my house, painted in linseed oil and pigment of my own making, top to bottom, inside and out.
You may say, but will it seal the wood off against water? Will it maintain its blindingly bright and chemically induced coloring?
No, it will not.
P3150219.jpg
DSCF2357.jpg

[ernest dubois]

Coincidentally, and since it just so happens to be at hand, yesterday I made this picture of a house in Leiden, the oldest known dated to 14th century, that is the middle ages, when chemistry was in its infancy and the painters didn't even know it existed. Original linseed oil paint, holding up pretty well these past 700 years.IMG_20180302_140722763.jpg