work bench finish

J

John Frankl

Joined
Oct 16, 2001
Messages
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Just wondering if all of your finish/seal your wooden work benches? I just built one. It's not real nice but every time I put a tool, etc. on it it gets smeared with grease, etc. Just wondering if anyone feels it's worth the time and effort to seal the wood with something. If so, what?

Thanks,

John
 
John, just pondering a work bench surface too. I was looking at the new plastic decking material they are using for outside decks, but the stuff is $^$$)^&^&* expensive. I do know of a fellow locally who just coated a particle board surface with fiberglass resin and it turned out great. I have know idea how it will hold up, but it looks great now. Dave @ Windancer on the site put an 1/8th inch steel top on his and I believe that will be the last one he has to apply. Just thoughts. Let us know what you come up with. Terry
 
I use 1/4" hardboard, always have always will, it's very hard and flat, a great surface.

Dave
 
John, in my shop I primed and used 2 or 3 coats of light gray enamel paint on all of my bench surfaces. It has held up well and wipes down easily. I choose light gray to give good contrast with darker grays such as small screws. Worked out nicely. If you want, I have pictures on my website. If you have grease down in the wood you will need to clean it first with thinner or TSP to get good adhesion.
 
I topped my workbenches with 3/8" tempered masonite, on top of that, a few coats of polyurethane. Not the acrylic water based stuff, which just sits on top and chips off, but the good old fashioned Minwax Polyurethane. The smell goes away in several days, and the finish is hard, plus it soaks in. Also, easy to touch up if needed.:cool:
 
Originally posted by Mike Hull
... but the good old fashioned Minwax Polyurethane. The smell goes away in several days...
Click to expand...

That's what I used on my workbench top.

I made the top myself by laminating 18 2x4's on edge. (What the heck, they were free - left over from the darkroom that I removed from the garage.) Then I brought it down to a local milling shop, and had them plane it smooth. Wound up about 3" thick. Heavy SOB!
 
Just good old enamel paint, the latex works fine and resists abuse after it hardens. Rust-oleum Country Blu the favorite.
 
I used 3 coats of gym floor finish on my tabletop. Is four years old and has held up very well. Mine is made of medium density fiberboard laminated together to produce a 2 1/4" tabletop. Got the plans from an old Workbench magazine article.
 
I make one with somme hard wood remaining (oak) with tung oil for finish. Really solid and beautiful look...

All others are made with 5/8 MDF (Medium density fiber) screwed on 3/4" plywood It is very solid and reduce bouncing and vibration. The MDF is varnished with of polyurethane. That gives beautiful beige finishe and very smooth.

Alain M-D
 
I havent seen the top of my work bench for years it has so much junk on it. I seem to remember having the local sheetmetal shop bending a nice thin gauge galvanized custom fit sheetmetal top for it though.
 
My workbench is nothing speciel, but when working with leatherdye, grease and such I use plywoodpieces about 2 feet x 2 feet to work on - when done they are cleaned and put back under the bench.
 
Both my work tables are made from pine 2x4"s and are untreated. Well, I guess you could call them stablized with the amount of supper glue, dye, and oil that has soaked in. One bench has a Coote grinder and the other a disk sander so both are generaly covered in dust and Like Bruce B. I havent' seen the top in some time.

For clean work I have access to lots of clean pine cut-offs.
 
My workbench top is 3.5 inches thick, made from glued yellow pine 2x4's.

It's taken me 18 years to perfect the finish, which is made up of pounded in steel filings, abrasive grit, imbedded pieces of pin stock, spilled epoxy, leather dye, and an occasional splotch of blood. An occasional knife blade stuck into the workbench helps it to penetrate.

It's a great finish, but it took a long time to achieve.

I've thought about mixing all these ingredients in a can and marketing it as Knifemaker Workbench Finish.

:D

John Ownby John C. Ownby Handmade Knives
 
John, I got the same finish on mine.

I don't like paint it stinks when you set fire to the bench::p
 
Hi all I use formica on my main workbench and all the others are white countertops from home depot supported by cabinets from the same place. They clean up well useing lacquer thinner, and thats good since sometimes I think cavelady dyes my sheaths with a 6in. paintbrush driven by a quick flick of the wrist. When shes through the sheaths are uniform along with the surrounding ten feet. Man did she squeal when I throwed her and the dye out in the yard. Saved a lot of thinner.BTW I had someone give me a countertop a few years ago, and have been useing them ever since. The first thing I noticed was the lip at the back. Aint had to dig stuff out from behind them in a long time. Take care GenO
 
Geno is right, the Formica counter tops work very well and we have 4 in the shop and they do hold up great. I imagine each one would have worked great in the kitchen too like they were intended to be used for GENO!!! but I'll send that gripe to Whine and Cheese. :p Cavelady
 
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