Maple bench top

[Lee4847]

I am putting together a maple bench top. I am about half way through laminating and starting to think about the finish. Is there one finish that would be better than the others? I was thinking Danish oil might be better than Poly. Any suggestions?

This is at about the half way point of the glue up. I only do three strips at a time so the glue doesn't set up before I get it in the clamps. I plan on making a sled for the router to flatten as footprintsinconc did in this thread

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...hlight=flatten

Thanks,
Lee

[JR]

That is going to be beautiful!!

I think finishing on shop furniture is a purely personal thing. There is no best answer. Whatever you use it's going to get used hard. So I don't think you should get carried away with anything complicated.

A couple of coats of Poly, or danish oil as you mentioned, whatever you personally like to work with would be fine. A coat or two of wax at the end will help keep away evil spirits in the form of glue or stain drips.

JR

[cabinetman]

Just a suggestion for your clamping procedure. If you used cauls clamped across the glue up, you heights may line up better.

As for a finish, Danish oil in general is basically BLO with varnish resins added. If that's what you want, it can be home made to your own taste (not oral). An oil base polyurethane would be more durable.

If you are going to be doing a lot of gluing, banging, and nicking, you might want to top it with a sheet of tempered masonite. Or, a thin sheet of melamine or Formica covered plywood, even 1/4" thick. Both of those surfaces are cheap to do, and glue or finish materials can be cleaned off or scraped off pretty easily.
.

[Uncle Cracker]

I used tung oil on mine. Just gave it plenty of dry time, and it hasn't come off on anything yet. I do refinish it once a year, as the wear does eventually show.

[Salty]

How about dividing it up into sections and try out several different finishes. That would be a great way to experiment and the results may come in handy later on a project.
Don't like how it looks? Take off another 1/16" with the router sled and start over.

[LinuxRandal]

I had to laugh and reread this. I first read it as "I am making a bench for my shop, it is out of Maple", then I glanced down and thought,

What is the bench sitting on LOL.

I am getting tired and need to pay attention.

[cgallery]

Most of the serious bench guys at other sites (and from the looks of it I'd say you're about to join them) use BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil) exclusively. This keeps glue from sticking to the top of the bench, and is also easily repaired. You may want to do a little checking over at sawmillcreek.org or woodnet.net. Or even get one or two of the bench books at your library.

I would avoid poly or anything else that forms a film.

[gsmittle]

I just finished an article on workbench finishes (in Wood, I think). The author's preference was for a home brew of beeswax and BLO. IIRC, he dissolved the beeswax in turpentine, then added BLO. Flood it on, let it soak in, wipe off the excess.

The other alternative (for the lazy among us) is not to finish the top at all. It will gain some character real quick...

g.

[linear]

I just want to add, that looks incredibly impressive.

Would you mind sharing some of the details of construction (dimensions etc.)?

[Lee4847]

Thanks for all the suggestions I think I’ll try experimenting with the BLO and see how that looks on some scraps.

Perhaps I should explain the new top. I purchased that bench a couple of years ago at an auction. What I really wanted was the three WW vices and the Machinists vice that were attached. My winning bid was $45 for the whole bench. It is well made except for the top which was three 2x10’s laid flat (has a 2x 4 frame under it), a sheet of ¾ ply on top of the 2x10’s and a ¼ inch masonite on top of that. The top was anything but straight. It was about ¼ inch higher in the middle and had a twist in it also.

Every time I would assemble something I was looking for something ELSE with a flat surface.

A couple of weeks ago I answered an add that said they were cleaning out their father’s shop and had some maple for sale. When I picked it up it was under a pile of dust and had been rough planned to just grade the boards. At $1.50 a b/f I loaded down the ranger with as much as I could haulwhich was 215 b/f (Is that a gloat?)

I hope that may answer LinuxRandal’s question about a bench top on a bench top!

As for details, the strips are 2 inches wide and 6 ft long. They vary in thickness. I only planed the boards down enough to clean them up. When it is done it will be 32 inches wide and 6 Ft long. After milling the surface it should be 1 ¾ thick. I will remove the old bench top and mount this one, drill the dog holes and mount the vices.

No Salty ( AKA Patches ) I don’t think so!!

[RodKirby]

"Is that a gloat" - you're kidding!

Check this out and you can imagine how I feel

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=34338