I just bought a 25"x72"x1-3/4" slab of laminated maple for a workbench top.
Since I'm building off the Veritas plans and need to shorten the bench a little to fit my shop, I will be making some cuts (making two 10-3/4"x65" slabs) - first with a circular saw, then either with a TS or a router to clean up the circular saw cuts. I will also be drilling lots of dog holes (I think the plans call for almost 40).
The slab has some kind of finish on it already - but when I'm finished, I will probably be using a WATCO Oil finish for the entire bench. I'm concerned that when I cut thru the existing finish, exposing raw wood, that the top will absorb (or lose) moisture and start moving around.
My question is - as I cut (and later, drill dog holes) in the slab(s) - how quickly do I need to re-seal (with poly?, shellac?, WATCO?) the newly exposed raw wood?
Also - do I need to use the SAME (WATCO) finish top and bottom - or can I just leave the original (poly?) finish on the underside?