Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Mar 13, 2007 11:37pm | #1

   Jeff,

   Several coats of any penetrating oil meant for furniture finishing will work well.  I'm sure you will get a few homebrew formulas, that you can try if you want, but almost any oil finish right out of the can will work just fine.  Finished this way the top will get a few dark spots and scars over the years, but it is a workbench not a dining room table.

   You want to be able to scrape the top down and maybe flatten it with some light planing if it has gone out of flat, before adding a fresh coat of oil occasionally as needed.  You don't want a glossy built up film finish, like poly, on the top, it will only get beat up and be too slippery and hard to repair. 

   Hopefully you can remove all of the poly you have already applied, otherwise it will make the oil penetrate unevenly.

   John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine

1. 
   jeff100 | Mar 14, 2007 01:33am | #4

   Thanks John and everyone.  I'm so glad to hear oil is the recommended finish.  I love the look of Tung oil on wood.  Can I use furniture wax over the oil?

   Jeff

1. 
   JohnWW | Mar 14, 2007 02:07am | #5

   Furniture wax is appied to glossy surfaces to make them shinier, it doesn't add gloss or any extra protection to an oiled wood surface and it will just make a mess.  You are trying to make this more complicated than it needs to be, oil it and forget it.

   John W.

2. 
   Rich14 | Mar 14, 2007 02:08am | #6

   Jeff,

   Sure.  But why?

    

   edit: John beat me to it!

   Edited 3/13/2007 7:09 pm ET by Rich14

1. 
   jeff100 | Mar 14, 2007 05:06am | #7

   OK...LOL...Oil it is. Thanks...Jeff

2. 
   Rich14 | Mar 14, 2007 12:43am | #2

   Protection from abrasion?

   Fugettaboutit!

   No finish will do that. Give it a few coats of anything at all (really!) to prevent liquids from possibly penetrating the wood.  Don't abuse it, but don't be afraid of getting the top "initiated." It's a workbench! It'll get dinged, nicked, abraded, knifed, drilled, etc. Keep it flat but don't try to baby it - your work will suffer. Yeah, it looks good when it's new, but it ain't furniture.

   Periodically true its surface, flat is the only real requirement for a workbench. And put some more "finish" on it.

   You'll get as much advice about different finishes as there are people on the forum. From oil to varnish to epoxy. Put a couple of thin varnish coats or some oil on it and get to work.

   Rich

    

3. 
   JeffHeath | Mar 14, 2007 01:19am | #3

   Jeff

   Spray on a 1/2" coat of whale blubber and...............

   Nah, just kidding!  Congrats on finishing your bench.  Like Rich and John said, it doesn't matter what you finish it with, as long as it's some sort of oil.  A film forming finish like poly will require stripping to true up the top next year, and the year after, and the year after that...

   I use Tung oil, but blo is good.  So is danish oil, etc....  Pick one, and don't be shy.  Ladle it on there.  It helps the glue from sticking too badly.

   Jeff

4. 
   ring | Mar 14, 2007 09:25am | #8

   Jeff,

   The only finish my workbenches ever get is spilled glue, coffee stains, etc. Then they get a final coat from the belt sander every once in a while. No kidding.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

5. 
   CardiacPaul | Mar 14, 2007 07:49pm | #9

   Oil all the way, Then only time & use will add true value & beauty to your work of art. It will become come a close friend with experiences & memories only you two will appreciate. Take good care of it & you will grow old & wise together.

   Paul

1. 
   jeff100 | Mar 14, 2007 09:23pm | #10

   I applied my first coat of oil last night. Beautiful. Two more to follow at minimum.My last question, (I promise) is do I need to oil BOTH SIDES of the workbench table top? I can pull it off the support frame by taking off two lag bolts. This bench was designed and built to be disassembled into about 5 major sub assemblies for moving. Those two bolts, and the weight of the 3" thick table top itself, is all that holds the table to the frame. I don't want to do this, but if I need to in order to keep the table top evenly exposed/protected from moisture in the air, then so be it. What should I do?Thanks, Jeff

1. 
   JohnWW | Mar 14, 2007 09:35pm | #11

   You can't reach under the bench and apply a finish to the underside of the top as it sits on the legs?

   John W.

2. 
   Rich14 | Mar 14, 2007 10:04pm | #12

   You need to oil the underside, every dog hole, all the surfaces of the vises, the through holes for the vice guides, the legs, and every surface of wood exposed by any bolt that can be loosened.

   (that'll get him!)

   Jeff. Listen up! slap a coat of oil on the top surface. Wipe it off. Then fugetaboutit! Use it!

1. 
   jeff100 | Mar 14, 2007 10:31pm | #13

   LOL...OK...OK...I give. I'll do it. I put sooo much work into this thing, the finish just seems 'too easy'. BTW, I HAVE been using the bench and LOVE IT...Aside from my tablesaw, it may be the most important 'tool' in my shop. In fact, it is the most important tool in my shop that doesn't have to be plugged into power, and tablesaw or not, you really can't have one, without the other, so which is 'more' important? Can't really answer that. I've recently learned to hand plane with the use of the bench and a bench hook or the side vise, depending on what I'm planeing. I never thought hand planes were going to be of much use to me, I never had much luck with them, till I really learned to use them with the aid of the heavy bench. A week ago, I actually hand planed a board flat instead of using my jointer. The oak board was twisted and I started just taking the corners down to take the rock out of the board before I face jointed it, but it went so well, I ended up just using the hand plane and flattened the whole thing, took less than 20 minutes or so, using an old Millers Falls 14" plane I bought off of Ebay and refitted with a Lie Nielsen blade. So yeah, I'm using the bench already and couldn't be happier!!Thanks so much to all...Jeff (no more questions!)