You can finish the other surfaces of your bench however you like with whatever finish you prefer.
Woodworking workbench finish. If there is some factory applied finish on the workbench the wipe on finishes would do better if you sanded off any film applied finish first if you detect one on the bench. Patch and sand surface 2. Not much will stick to poly and you will certainly have spilled glue oil nondescript goo and other things on the bench over the years. General finishes gel topcoat satin the above products are for going on bare wood.
On saw reference lines speed resetting. Don t be intimidated by the finishing process. In my own case i built my current benchtop more than 35 years ago. For others no workbench is complete until it sports a beautiful high gloss finish.
Varnish will probably offer the longest most durable life. Recently i had a project that involved making repetitive precise cuts at identical angles and. Easy workbench finish quick durable easy to maintain touch up 1. Add additional coats of wax and buff to achieve desired luster 5.
Apply coat of oil and allow to dry 3. Woodworking is a solitary pursuit and it s rare to use someone else s bench. Apply wax and allow to dry 4. Since plywood is a softwood it is much easier for liquid oils and other residue to get into the wood and cause damage.
If you have installed some big dents or surface distortions over time you can renew the surface by planing it flat provided the surface is thick enough then put the oil finish on once more. Buff wax from surface with rag 5. We ll guide you to the right finish for your project polyurethane lacquer shellac and more and show you how to get picture perfect repeatable results. When working with a softwood workbench top such as plywood many woodworkers find it important to add a finish to the workbench so it is easier to clean as well as help the plywood last longer.
It s a matter of personal style. If you are really going to do actual work on that workbench top then it won t look pretty very long. This rig serves as the assembly bench in the popular woodworking shop but if you put a vise on it somewhere it probably could serve as a workbench in a production shop.