Finish for workbench surface

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John Reeves

New User
John Reeves
I have just completed my workbench. The top is laminated Red Oak and Maple (that I piscked up a different saw mills as scrap). 3'X6" and 2 1/4" thick. It is on a cabinet I made out of Red Oak and Maple as well.

What finish should I use on the top surface? I used Tung oil for the cabinet and the top origionally but whe I was sharpening my steel, the dirty water stained the top. This makes me think that the Tung Oil did not seal well enough with the two coats I put on.

Suggestions appreciated.

John
 

rbdoby

New User
Rick
Lacquer, the last work bench I built I used lacquer. Water resistant, tough and most wood glues do not stick to it. I used Deft brush on lacquer.

Rick Doby
 

DaveO

New User
DaveO
I addition to lacquer being a great option you might consider Waterlox Origianl Sealer/Finish. It's and oil/varnish blend that is easily repairable and should seal very well. Also Seal-a-cell/Arm-r-seal by General Finishes would work well. Unless you used pure Tung Oil, you most likely got a wiping varnish that can offer some protection but will take many coats. And pure Tung Oil doesn't offer much in the way of water resistance either.
Dave:)
 

Ozzie-x

New User
Randy
Good ideas above :icon_thum . On the bench I have now, I used several coats of natural Watco then multiple coats of lacquer, maybe 4 coats. After all, it is just a workbench and it's going to get scratched, dented and "whatever" if you use it. Another good measure is to keep a good heavy coat of wax on it and that will keep glue from sticking and protect against other things like the black from sharpening and make it easier to clean.
 

mshel

New User
Michael Shelley
JMR2 said:
I have just completed my workbench. The top is laminated Red Oak and Maple (that I piscked up a different saw mills as scrap). 3'X6" and 2 1/4" thick. It is on a cabinet I made out of Red Oak and Maple as well.

What finish should I use on the top surface? I used Tung oil for the cabinet and the top origionally but whe I was sharpening my steel, the dirty water stained the top. This makes me think that the Tung Oil did not seal well enough with the two coats I put on.

Suggestions appreciated.

John

John,

How about some pics of the bench. I am in the process of building one and would like to see yours.

MIke
 

erasmussen

RAS
Corporate Member
Ozzie-x said:
Good ideas above :icon_thum . On the bench I have now, I used several coats of natural Watco then multiple coats of lacquer, maybe 4 coats. After all, it is just a workbench and it's going to get scratched, dented and "whatever" if you use it. Another good measure is to keep a good heavy coat of wax on it and that will keep glue from sticking and protect against other things like the black from sharpening and make it easier to clean.

Easier to clean?:cry:
Do you mean I am supposed to CLEAN my work bench:oops:
 

Ozzie-x

New User
Randy
erasmussen said:
Easier to clean?:cry:
Do you mean I am supposed to CLEAN my work bench:oops:

Yes, you should faithfully clean it once a year whether it needs it or not! :lol: :lol:
 

Matt

New User
Matt Willis
Ozzie-x said:
... Another good measure is to keep a good heavy coat of wax on it and that will keep glue from sticking...

:eusa_doh::eusa_doh:You should see my bench...:eusa_doh::eusa_doh: Covered in Tite Bond III, which reacted with something on part of my bench and turned black:BangHead:

Luckily it was already burned, scratched, dented, etc...
 

John Reeves

New User
John Reeves
I will proudly post pictures of my work bench once my son gets home from surfing camp at Myrtle beach. He took the digital camera with him.

Thanks for the ideas guys. I need all of the help I can get. This work bench was more of a learning experience than a final product.
 

Howard Acheson

New User
Howard
Let me take a somewhat contrary position on workbench treatments. IMO, a film finish (lacquer, shellac, varnish, poly varnish) is not the way to go. 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. I much favor a "in the wood finish". Here are two that lots of folks find effective.

First, is an mineral oil and wax finish. Yes, similar to the one used for cutting boards and butcher blocks. Sand the surface to 180 grit. Mix paraffin or bees wax into heated mineral oil. The ratio is not critical but about 5-6 parts of mineral oil heated in a double boiler with one part paraffin or beeswax shaved in. 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, wipe off the gung and apply another coat of mineral 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 4/0 steel wool. Let it set and then wipe off any excess. Let this dry 48-72 hours. 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 wax 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.
 

John Reeves

New User
John Reeves
Howard,

Thanks, that sounds like the solution I am looking for. I have already sanded to 220, wiped it down with a wet cloth to raise the grain and re-sanded with the 220. Now, I will vacuum and apply your mixture of BLO, varnish and mineral spirits as you suggested.

John
 

woodguy1975

New User
John
Just use seal a cell or some other oil. You're going to level it in the future anyways so there is no point on putting a surface film on the bench. I'd never put lacquer or poly on a bench.
 

DavidF

New User
David
I am not too bothered by the finish, but an oil finish sounds ok. If you are concerened for it's beauty then how about a sacrificial top of hardboard? When it gets too dinged up, put another one on.
 

Tarhead

Mark
Corporate Member
What does the collective wisdom have to say about this mixture I found on the blog for the Roubo workbench at:
www.woodworking-magazine.com

It's evidently a historically accurate recipe used since turpentine was first discovered down east.
This mixture gives protection and a little "gription" (think cross country skis). Most modern finishes are too slick. It is very cheap and renewable. I have a beekeeping neighbor and plan to use this on my workbench top.

Workbench Finish:
Take an ounce or two bit of beeswax. Dissolve in a quart of turpentine overnight, then mix it 50/50 with BLO. Pour some onto the bench, spread it evenly with a rag so there is a fairly thick coating, but no puddles. Wait until it appears dry and add another coat. Repeat until no more is absorbed.
Takes a couple of weeks and stinks while the turpentine is evaporating, but the look is great.
 

woodguy1975

New User
John
Tarhead said:
What does the collective wisdom have to say about this mixture I found on the blog for the Roubo workbench at:
www.woodworking-magazine.com

It's evidently a historically accurate recipe used since turpentine was first discovered down east.
This mixture gives protection and a little "gription" (think cross country skis). Most modern finishes are too slick. It is very cheap and renewable. I have a beekeeping neighbor and plan to use this on my workbench top.

Workbench Finish:
Take an ounce or two bit of beeswax. Dissolve in a quart of turpentine overnight, then mix it 50/50 with BLO. Pour some onto the bench, spread it evenly with a rag so there is a fairly thick coating, but no puddles. Wait until it appears dry and add another coat. Repeat until no more is absorbed.
Takes a couple of weeks and stinks while the turpentine is evaporating, but the look is great.

I don't like any type of wax for a bench. It makes clamping peices down more difficult. You need some surface friction with a bench.

John
 

walnutjerry

Jerry
Senior User
DaveO said:
And pure Tung Oil doesn't offer much in the way of water resistance either.
Dave:)

Dave----Here is a point to ponder::-? This information was on the Homstead milk paint site I believe.

TUNG OIL HISTORY: Pure Tung Oil is a finishing product that provides a tough, flexible and highly water-resistant coating. It is classed as a drying oil along with linseed, poppy seed, safflower seed, walnut, soybean, oiticica and a few other oils. Although it is relatively new to the Western world, tung oil also known as chinawood oil has been known for centuries to the Chinese, and until this century, China was the main source for the oil. It comes from the seed of the tung trees, Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, deciduous trees that are very susceptible to frost damage. This vulnerability has restricted the cultivation of the tung trees to China and South America. Tung oil (china wood oil ) received wide application in China: in the building trades as a treatment for both stone and wooden structures; in marine trades as a preservative and water repellant on wooden boats. It is said to have been introduced to the West by Marco Polo. From the 13th to the 19th century, tung oil had only limited use in the West. More recently, tung oil has gained favor over linseed oil for wood finishing because it is faster drying and does not darken as much.............

Note they are talking "pure tung oil":)

Jerry
 

walnutjerry

Jerry
Senior User
DavidF said:
I am not too bothered by the finish,

I am in agreement with you DavidF-----my workbenches have 3/4 cd plywood surfaces. The only finish they have received is what I spilled by accident and wiped up (or tried to).:lol: I fasten jigs, stops and whatever with nails or screws to those tops. Ever so often when I am using epoxy and have any extra I fill gouges or holes with it.:icon_thum

Nothing wrong with a good finish on a nice work bench-------my benches just are not in that class.:rolf: .

Jerry
 

DavidF

New User
David
That sounds like me. I have a very nice Sjoberg bench that cost $$$ but I would find it restricting to constantly worry about damaging it; I intend to give it a scrape with a hand scraper or #80 just to get the cr%^p off it!
 

SteveColes

Steve
Corporate Member
Howard Acheson said:
Let me take a somewhat contrary position on workbench treatments. IMO, a film finish (lacquer, shellac, varnish, poly varnish) is not the way to go. 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. I much favor a "in the wood finish".
.......
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 4/0 steel wool. Let it set and then wipe off any excess. Let this dry 48-72 hours. 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 wax 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.

Howard, as anyone who has been on this site knows, I know very little, about very little:oops: But if I were going to build a traditional bench, I suspect I would want to show it off a bit. So in that I case I think I would go with your approach.:icon_thum
 

John Reeves

New User
John Reeves
Steve,

You figured me out. Yes, I am trying to show this off. A bragging piece if you wish. My first significant piece so I am trying to make the surface look good. That is why Howard's solution appealed to me.

Thanks for doing such a good job as a modeator.

John
 
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