Finish for workbench surface

[Mark Anderson]

i realy don't know that much about finishes....but can i see the pics from the beach that your son took ;-)

 

[Richgod]

Mike, I have about 75 pieces of Kiln dried Maple 2x6x60" that I want to turn into a bench..I'm thinking about 30"x60" (I have a SMALL shop). But I need a plan. I'm terrible and 'just building something' , and work best from a pre-done plan. Do you have any good sources? I want a smooth top - no tool tray - possible 2-4 drawers, an end vise and possible a pattern vise. My shop is 16x16, and FULL of mobile equipment. I may have to cut the size a bit, but I hope not.

Richard

 

[Howard Acheson]

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

Permit me a couple of comments.

""Pure Tung Oil is a finishing product that provides a tough, flexible and highly water-resistant coating""

This is not true except that it is flexible. Spread some tung oil on an impervious surface like glass or aluminum foil. First note how long it takes to "dry". Dry tung oil will be crinkly and very soft. Peel it off the surface and see how easily it pulls apart. Nor does pure tung oil have any water or watervapor resistance to speak of. It has somewhat more than linseed oil but not much. Tung oil is frequently used in marine finish for its higher water resistance than linseed oil but almost all of the water imperviousness of a marine finish comes from the resin, not the oil.

The Forest Product Lab of the US Forest Service rated the water resistance of wood coatings. Pure tung oil is at the bottom of the list just above paste wax and boiled linseed oil.

""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.""

Like linseed oil in Europe, Tung oil was all they had as a finish. It's not like the Chinese chose tung oil in comparison tests against linseed oil or varnish. In fact, when shellac was developed in China, tung oil was no longer used very much. It was probably used in marine applications, but again, it's all they had and there is no proof that it preserved wood any longer. Long term preservation in water has more to do with the the water and what it contains. A brand new wooden square rigger warship sank in Stockholm in the 1500's on it's maiden voyage across the bay. (Someone left the waterine gun ports open). The ship was raised in perfect condition in the 1980's I believe. It had been preserved by the cold water and local lack of marine borers.

""More recently, tung oil has gained favor over linseed oil for wood finishing because it is faster drying and does not darken as much..""

Referring back to the drying test above, if you test pure tung oil against linseed oil, you will find that pure tung oil dries faster. Both take 6-10 days. But no one uses raw linseed oil, they use boiled linseed oil which dries in 24-48 hour where pure tung oil dries in 6-8 days. It is true that pure tung oil adds less amber to the wood and will yellow less over time.

So, the above sounds more like a marketing study than a technical treatise. It's my opinion that "tung oil" has gained a totally undeserved cachet in the past 10-15 years mainly because it can be sold for more money. Add to that the most of the product that contain the woods "tung oil" in their description do not contain any real tung oil at all (Minwax Tung Oil Finish, Formby's Tung Oil Finish, etc.) If the container label does not say "pure" or "100%" you are getting a faux "tung oil". In reality, the faux tung oil is a much better finish than a pure tung oil or linseed oil.

 

[Mike Stanley]

Hello People, all of ya.
Over the last 60+ years we've had several "work benches" in our shops. You make the bench, you pound on it, you scrape on it, you get a saw cut on it occasionally. When I was too young to see over the work bench, I put a series of triangular file marks in the edge of the bench with my grandfather watching me while he worked on another bench. Are all of these benches really wonderful pieces of furniture that some people call work benches? And they in any case need a protective coating? :eusa_thin
Well, I suppose so. WE put mineral oil on ours. The low grade stuff is cheap, and it readily soaks in just like it does in cutting boards. Occasionally we spilled motor oil on our benches, glue, stain, lots of things... but this is a WORK bench and we worked and worked and worked without regard as to long lasting bench beauty. If it's a work bench, enough said. If it's a piece of furniture, you do what you want to keep it that way. I have to get back to work.

 

[hdc]

For a simple effective workbench finish, consider General Finishes' PolyAcrylic. It is a waterbased product that builds quickly.

I've used it for years and nothing sticks to it including titebond III. Simply hit the dried titebond with a sharp putty knife and it pops off.

To clean it, simply sand it with 180 and slop more on. Simple and effective.