Workbench Finish Choice
#11
Getting close on finishing my split top Roubo and thought I'd see what some of you are using for a finish for your benches.

Mine is the typical hard maple top and base with walnut accents.
"This is our chance, this our lives, this is our planet we're standing on. Use your choice, use your voice, you can save our tomorrows now." - eV
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#12
(02-18-2021, 10:28 AM)KLaz Wrote: Getting close on finishing my split top Roubo and thought I'd see what some of you are using for a finish for your benches.

Mine is the typical hard maple top and base with walnut accents.

I bought my bench from Lie-Nielsen. I asked them about the finish, and this is what they said they use.

"Lie-Nielsen benches are finished with a 3 equal-part mixture of spar-varnish, boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. This traditional finish seals the wood, but does not make it slippery. We use Helmsman Spar Urethane for the spar-varnish portion."
Best,
Aram, always learning

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery


Web: My woodworking photo site
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#13
I like beeswax/BLO/MS, glue pops right off and it's easy to renew.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#14
I used a coat of Danish Oil on the maple top, two or three on the cherry base.  

John
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#15
(02-18-2021, 10:34 AM)Aram Wrote: I bought my bench from Lie-Nielsen. I asked them about the finish, and this is what they said they use.

"Lie-Nielsen benches are finished with a 3 equal-part mixture of spar-varnish, boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. This traditional finish seals the wood, but does not make it slippery. We use Helmsman Spar Urethane for the spar-varnish portion."

This is the mixture I made up for my Lie-Nielsen clone bench. It has worked well.
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#16
(02-18-2021, 06:04 PM)Mark A Smith Wrote: This is the mixture I made up for my Lie-Nielsen clone bench. It has worked well.

Not a cloned bench but I did this once when I built my bench. Maybe been 8-10 years now. 

But since then all I've done is use the bench, flatten it once and now just card scrape anything off. 

Meh, it's a workbench.
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. -- G. Carlin
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#17
Tung oil was recommended on the workbench I built from Woodsmith #50.

Doug
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#18
Thanks for the info.  Ready to get this thing into action!
"This is our chance, this our lives, this is our planet we're standing on. Use your choice, use your voice, you can save our tomorrows now." - eV
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#19
I used Bush Oil on mine--it's a BLO/varnish/mineral oil blend, do most of my B. Oil finishing on the workbench. Any drips or spills just get spread around to add to the coat that's already there then wiped down along with the work. Dried Titebond pops right off.

g
I've only had one...in dog beers.

"You can see the stars and still not see the light"
The Eagles: Already Gone
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#20
You do NOT want a film finish. Howie used to recommend ½ either turpentine or mineral spirits, linseed oil and beeswax
Thanks,  Curt
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      -- Soren Kierkegaard
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