I am thinking ahead
’till when I have my workbench (New-Fangled design from 1999 Fine Woodworking) done and thinking of finishes for the top. I want something that will keep the wood as light as possible in color. The shop teacher at the school I work at uses Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish. His tables look great and they hold up to student abuse. Any other suggestions?
Replies
Myco,
Your varnish solution sounds great. I used shellac. As a matter of fact I re-did my top about two months ago...in about an hour more or less.
I second the shellac choice.Since it drys so quickly, it can be scraped off and reapplied easily, as needed.Tom
I'm not happy with shellac as a benchtop finish. When (not if) I spill alcohol on the top, the shellac softens & it gets messy. I use leftover BLO/poly/MS on my benchtop. Easy to reapply & isn't affected by solvents.
The only reason I can imagine to spend any time, money, or effort putting finish on a bench is to keep glue-ups or paint from sticking to it. I would probably use paper instead.
I prefer to oil my bench tops (something like BLO or Watco). Then I wax it now and then -- mainly so that any glue will flick off.
I think shellac would be fine too, since you can rub it out with alcohol at any time to reconsitute the finish and apply another coat.
I would, however, avoid any film finish -- such as varnish -- since it will scratch. And the only way to refinish it is to completely strip off the varnish and recoat.
Shellac- Easy to apply, easy to touch up-
I use Waterlox on mine. If it means anything, I saw Frank Klause at a wood working show a couple months ago and of course, his bench was beautiful. I asked him what he used and he said Waterlox. That Frank, always trying to keep up with me!!
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
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