Solvents and bench finishes

[strat81]

Mods, please move this if it's in the wrong forum...


I'm planning on building a general purpose work bench that will also be used for reloading, gun cleaning, and repair. What should I finish the bench top with? My concern is spilling some kind of solvent and having it destroy the finish. General and specific recommendations welcome, but nothing that requires special tools (sprayers) or that isn't readily available at Home Depot or a local hardware store. Thanks!

 

[JohnBT]

I don't think I've ever seen a workbench with a finish on it - a homemade one anyway. Most of them have been topped with oak and they're left bare to get dirty sooner or later. My uncle had one made from salvaged 6" x 8" beams and he just sanded the top a little every 5 or 10 years.

The 3' x 6' I built for my father in 1990 is topped with red oak and it's held up fine. I screwed the boards down, countersunk the heads and plugged the holes with hardwood dowels sanded flush. It looks good and the boards can be flipped or removed if need be.

You could try a penetrating stain I guess, but some kind of bore cleaner is going to spot it sooner or later. Anything else I've ever used will likely chip if you do any hammering.

I use a piece of vinyl when I do gun work on an old oak dining room table. It's actually the retractable luggage cover from an '86 Subaru wagon. My 3 workbenches in the basement are unfinished, although the 5' maple butcher-block bench could have a finish on it, but I got it for free and don't really know.

John

 

[sm]

JohnBT I agree with.

Now my reloading bench was actually a Oak Buffet I refinished . I used a piece of plywood on top with a heavy cloth to protect the Buffet. Buffet is fine and I can use it as a reloading bench or as a Buffet. It depends on where I am what I have for uses. This is used mostly in a spare bedroom.

Solvents and such, I used a workbench out in gargage, or shop, depending on where I lived and how set up. Plain old bare wood bench, solvents, stain, paint and whatever else. Sand it - if I thought about it every so often.

I did not want some of the chemicals I used - used in the house itself. Allergies, getting in curtains, carpet and whatever else.
Something to consider.

Strong smells like soaking guns in mineral spirits, or refinishing furniture - done in the gargage/shop with a vent for instance.