A drawback to wax on a benchtop

[Jeff Dege]

I recently built my first bench. After reading on the arguments over no finish vs. BLO vs. BLO+wax, I decided on a BLO+wax. I've no complaints against the wax, as a finish. It does seem to make cleaning spills off the top easier.

But ever since I added the wax, my Gramercy holdfasts haven't been holding reliably. My guess is that enough of the wax got into the upper parts of the benchdog holes to reduce the friction that the holdfasts rely on. I've sanded the shafts of the holdfasts, and that's helped some. So I sanded a couple of the holes, and with that, things are working fine.

I'm too lazy to sand all the holes, so I expect I'll be sanding holes as the need arises, for some weeks or months.

In any case, it's a problem I've not seen mentioned.

[Joe Scharle]

I use a rag soaked with acetone, wrapped around a dowel.

[John Thompson]

Ditto Joe.. life is simple.

Sarge..

[Jeff Dege]

I'd have thought mineral spirits. I didn't think acetone was a very good solvent for wax.

[John Schreiber]

I've got the same problem. I usually put a coat of Johnson Paste Wax on my bench after each project. It keeps glue from sticking. Some inevitably gets in the dog holes.

I'll try cleaning them out with a solvent.

[Al Navas]

When I flattened the top of my bench, I used BLO and waxed it a couple of days later, after the BLO has dried. Big mistake!

I used a little acetone with a rag, and re-applied BLO only. What a difference! The BLO probably should be applied every few weeks, to keep a little near the surface. By itself it minimizes problems with glue sticking to the bench top.


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[Dave Lehnert]

When I flattened the top of my bench, I used BLO and waxed it a couple of days later, after the BLO has dried. Big mistake!

I used a little acetone with a rag, and re-applied BLO only. What a difference! The BLO probably should be applied every few weeks, to keep a little near the surface. By itself it minimizes problems with glue sticking to the bench top.


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Thanks for the tip.

It often takes more than a "couple of days" for BLO to dry. It was recommended to me by a manufacture for a minimum of 2 weeks before applying any type of top coat.

[Todd Burch]

I don't think I would ever wax a workbench. It's a workbench!!

[David Keller NC]

One thought here is considering why you want to put a finish on the bench. If it's to look nice, nothing wrong with that. If it's to keep glue off of it, consider that PVA that most woodworkers use can be wiped off with a damp rag up to 10 minutes or more after the spill.

And regardless of what type of glue you use, most workbenches require flattening every couple of years, which will remove all glue and paint spots, as well as any applied finish.

[John Schreiber]

I don't think I would ever wax a workbench. It's a workbench!!

That way, I can do glueups on the workbench, clamping to the top. Then when I take off the clamps I can pop any glue off the surface.

My workbench top ain't pretty, or slick, but it's glue resistant.

[Todd Burch]

You can't pop glue off of bare, oiled wood?

[John Schreiber]

You can't pop glue off of bare, oiled wood?

Haven't tried that. Does it work?