My first workbench is nearing completion and I am wondering “what to use as a finish”?
The bench is made almost entirely of premium 2 by’s bought from the borg and as far as I know are spruce. That is what I was told by the salesman. Anyway, this lumber has a pinkish or reddish tint and is fairly straight grained. The legs are 4” square yellow pine made from an 8” square x 42” long picked up at the recycling center. The top is glued together 2 by’s which are 3-1/8” thick , almost as flat as I need but may need some surface planing. This bench is more sturdy than I imagined. The top seems to be very hard but I would try to protect it from denting by direct pounding.
I am not interested in a furniture type finish as the workbench will be a “user” , not a showpiece. I’m thinking something like an oil finish. Also something that would not make the bench unusable for any long length of time. What would you use?
Don