Workbench Finish Question

[Mark AJ Allen]

I don't consider the benchtop used for building pieces the ideal surface for assembling and finishing work. It's also not about luxury ... every shop has a floor. I guess that's splitting hairs a little. If people want to finish their bench and use it for both the build and finish of pieces, I don't suppose appealing the preservation of their biggest flatness reference would stop them.

[Kent A Bathurst]

..... If people want to finish their bench and use it for both the build and finish of pieces, I don't suppose appealing the preservation of their biggest flatness reference would stop them.

How flat is flat? I don't feel the need for a machinist's granite reference plate. I get some dye on the bench. Fine. I get some varnish / shellac on the bench. Fine. I get some glue on the bench, it dries, I grab a chisel and it pops right off. Fine.

Having said all of that, most of my finishing, and glue-ups for larger pieces, takes place on my TS - 6' x 6' all told, with cardboard I put on the top.

But using the bench is my first option, if it fits.

[Erik Christensen]

i used BLO on my top and would do so again. I don't finish on my bench (unless it is something small & quick) but assembly happens all the time. yah the floor is flat but with 60+ year old knees using a floor for assembly is not gonna happen unless it is something very large. the cool thing about this is if you don't like your 1st choice then next time you have to flatten your top try something else.

[Tom Vanzant]

1+ Kent. My WB is used, not abused. Small glue-ups on the bench, larger ones on the TS, but BOTH are fitted with protective panels. It's no more fun to clean up cast iron than wood.

[Stanley Covington]

If you are serious about woodworking, and effectiveness matters more than being "historically correct," an effective finish is the best choice. Whatever you select it should (1) harden the surface a bit making it more durable; (2) Protect it from stains and glue penetration to some degree, and most importantly; (3) Protect it from dust and dirt (NOT attract dust and dirt). In addition, (4) The finish should slow the migration of moisture into and out of the wood stabilizing it a bit (as Tin Cup said "perfection is unachievable"). The BLO and beeswax finishes show very poor performance on 1 and 2, fail entirely on 4, and are counterproductive on 3 (they attract dust and dirt for a long time). If you have paid attention over a number of years you know this is true.

Here is a method that satisfies all 4 requirements above with no downside. Thin a good quality satin polyurethane 50-50 with quality thinner. This is the finish. Brush it on and let it soak in. The thin nature of the finish lets the otherwise reluctant polyurethane soak deeply into the grain where it is needed. A few minutes later, repeat. Keep applying finish until the grain will soak up no more. Allow to dry minimum 24 hours. Apply more finish, but before it dries, wet sand with 320 grit WD paper creating a slurry which fills the grain. Allow to dry. Repeat until the wood pores are filled. There should be hardened sawdust and finish actually standing on the surface. This looks terrible, but it is perfectly fine. Apply the finish one last time, then sand, but while still wet, vigorously wipe off all the finish you can so that none remains visible on the surface.

The wood is hardened. The finish has soaked into the wood so it is not on the surface to get scratched off later or make the benchtop slippery. The grain is permanently sealed, will protect the wood from stains and glue penetration to some degree (remember Tin Cup's Wise Words), and will not attract dust or dirt, but will keep them from penetrating the wood instead. And the polyurethane soaked deeply in the wood greatly slows moisture movement even after the wood is scratched and dinged with use.

I guess it does have one downside. You really need to finish all 6 surfaces, especially the ends, so moisture movement is more or less uniform. Do it once, do it right is the best policy.

I apply paste floor wax to my benchtop. Keeps glue from sticking. Non-slip.

The BLO sniffers are always outraged, but it is an effective, trouble-free finish.

Stan

[Christopher Charles]

I used BLO (b/c it was on hand, don't think it matters too much) on the base and I tooth the top to create a "sticky" surface (like WP Edwards). Works great.

Good luck

[Tom Vanzant]

Stan, I did essentially the same with a freshly-made rifle stock. After fifty years, no change in zero, as in no movement of the wood.

[Stanley Covington]

Stan, I did essentially the same with a freshly-made rifle stock. After fifty years, no change in zero, as in no movement of the wood.

Tom:

By coincidence, I learned this method from a professional gunstock maker. He called it the London Finish. Best finish for wood in the world.

Stan

[Tom Vanzant]

Yes it is.

[Curt Putnam]

Stan - what does the poly do to the ability to plane the top surface for the annual flattening? Having planed the bench surface, is the finish now destroyed?

[Mel Fulks]

Stanley, I don't doubt your expertise,but I want to rant. So....SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE USED ON THE
HANDLE OF A KNIFE TO SLICE A WEDDING CAKE AT A COUNTRY CLUB!!!! Not bad for a first try.

[Kent A Bathurst]

..... plane the top surface for the annual flattening?

Man-o-man - - - I am so far out of compliance, I don't even know what to do now.

[Stanley Covington]

Stan - what does the poly do to the ability to plane the top surface for the annual flattening? Having planed the bench surface, is the finish now destroyed?

Curt;

I always refinish mine after flattening. Depending on how much of the surface you plane off, it shouldn't absorb as much thinned finish as the first time.

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Stanley, I don't doubt your expertise,but I want to rant. So....SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE USED ON THE
HANDLE OF A KNIFE TO SLICE A WEDDING CAKE AT A COUNTRY CLUB!!!! Not bad for a first try.

Not bad at all, congratulations.

The thing you need to know is that this finish, as far as I have explained it, is invisible. It does color the wood a bit, depending on the species and the brand of poly used, but so does BLO and beeswax which gives a definitely yellow cast turning to brown as dirt accumulates.

The process I have described is just the prep stages. The complete London finish is followed by unthinned coats of poly creating a standing surface finish on top of the soaked-in finish which is perfect for gunstocks. Gunstocks must endure lots of rough use in wet conditions, and if a scratch or ding destroys the finish, the stock may be ruined and accuracy will certainly suffer. But that is not what is needed for a workbench.

Give it a try on something small, maybe a saw handle or hammer handle. I think you will be impressed with how much it doesn't look like a finish, and how tough it is.

Stan

[ernest dubois]

With this penetrating polymer process, how deep do you suppose the finish goes into the wood 1, 2, 3 mm? An assertion that this will inhibit wood movement of a bench top by blocking moisture from getting in should be qualified for example by a consideration of the mass of the wooden surface as a ratio, treated to non treated wood. No doubt some inhibition will result but how significant? I imagine that industrial processes are required for any meaningful effect in countering the natural working of the wood.
Sealing the grain? I'm not sure what this means. Maybe it is the end grain? If you mean filling open pores it might be fine for a gunstock of walnut, or an oak floor, but the workbench top in question is from some kind of conifer if I remember it right, having no pores and also when planed smooth, not readily penetrated by a finish, thinned or not. I don't think we could really hope that any finish on the surface of a pine workbench top will make an effective difference in its hardness. A better approach would be paying attention to things. I mean it's a bit troubling to think that applying a finish could be a kind of remedy to inattentiveness, maybe that's the reality in many cases though.
I can think of two reasons for maintaining a flat bench top, it creates an accurate reference surface against the workpiece and provides maximum surface contact with the workpiece. Earlier it was claimed that securing the workpiece is the function of bench stops, dogs, holdfasts and vices… On a well flattened and unfinished working surface I can often plane without using any additional holding mechanism, that is to say the good surface preforms a holding function in and of itself and I assert again that any finish diminishes this by nature, sacrificing effectiveness for appearance, subjecting function to form.

Regards,

Ernest