Old workbench to a bed headboard


markpelly

Recommended Posts

I am in the process of rebuilding a shop that used to my great grandfathers (more to come on that later) and I disassembled his old work bench the other night. I have been thinking of ways to reuse the wood from it in a way that will keep me remembering him. He was a great guy. So I was thinking maybe using the top as a head board.

 

Now, a couple questions. I know finishing is going to be a pain because of all the oil, lubricant, and other fluids in-bedded in the wood from 50+ years of being a mechanic. Any ideas on what I can do to keep the color? Maybe poly over everything without removing/sanding anything. Or would I need to strip and sand this before finishing it?

 

Next question is, is this sanitary? Will poly be able to make a protective seal over the old chemicals in the wood. When I say chemicals I really mean just lubricants and a few random other things.

 

I can post some pictures of the wood later tonight.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first thought would be to test cleaning an area with a solvent like lacquer thinner to remove the bulk of the oils from the surface. I wouldn't soak the surface, just wipe with a rag . If this doesn't remove the color too much a barrier coat of shellac should stick.

After that poly would give you a final finish.

I wonder about the oils, solvents and smells out gassing in a bedroom. I would think about closing the bench top up in a confined space after cleaning for a few days and giving it a test sniff by the most sensitive nose available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great info, I will have to give it a try with the lacquer thinner. When you say lacquer thinner you mean something like mineral spirits correct?

 

As far as the off gassing, I am the guy for the job on smells. I am the first to smell something anywhere as well as distinguishing what the smell consists of hah. I bet I can find a good spot to close this end product in to see if there is any smells. My only issue is building the whole thing and then finding out that it smells too much to sleep next to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an old dog like that once but finally got used it :blink:

Good luck on your project. Post pics when you get er done

 

Haha, nice. I will post some pictures indeed.

 

 

Lacquer thinner is potent stuff, it has toluene and xylene in it. Definitely not mineral spirits, but you could try that first. Use outside, wear gloves and a respirator wouldn't hurt either. No smoking or open flames either !

 

Got it, thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 29 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,758
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined