bbowdridge Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 I'm getting near the end of my workbench project. Still need (or want) an end vise. the top is Oak, stretchers are pine and the leg vise is ash. I read in a book to finish it with Linseed oil to avoid making the top too slick. Unfortunately it is slick. I used Raw Linseed oil. The store had raw and boiled (I flipped a coin). Should I have chosen the boiled? What's the difference? Thanks, Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Raw linseed oil dosen't cure. Beautiful bench what did the wooden leg vice screw set you back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 The raw oil should eventually dry, but its going to take a while. Boiled linseed oil would not take as long. But when you say "slick" i'm assuming you don't mean wet. If you sanded the surface to a high grit, just about any finish is going to make it pretty slick. So I would just give the oil enough time to cure, maybe a couple weeks. Once dry, give it a light 180 grit sanding. On a workbench, you want at least some grip so I never feel the need to sand above 150 or 180. Then a couple coats of boiled linseed oil over the course of a week should give you a little protection from spills. What's the old recipe? A coat a day for a week, a coat a week for a month, and a coat a month for a year? Pretty sure that's the traditional method. For me, I just use a little danish oil. The varnish component helps seal the surface better and dries nice and fast. But I only do one or two coats before calling it done. Not looking to build a shine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowdridge Posted May 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Raw linseed oil dosen't cure. Beautiful bench what did the wooden leg vice screw set you back? Thanks, The leg vice screw could have cost a bunch - wooden screws are expensive. I saw one for 160 bucks. I ordered a wood threading kit online through woodcraft and made my own. That saved me a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowdridge Posted May 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 The raw oil should eventually dry, but its going to take a while. Boiled linseed oil would not take as long. But when you say "slick" i'm assuming you don't mean wet. If you sanded the surface to a high grit, just about any finish is going to make it pretty slick. So I would just give the oil enough time to cure, maybe a couple weeks. Once dry, give it a light 180 grit sanding. On a workbench, you want at least some grip so I never feel the need to sand above 150 or 180. Then a couple coats of boiled linseed oil over the course of a week should give you a little protection from spills. What's the old recipe? A coat a day for a week, a coat a week for a month, and a coat a month for a year? Pretty sure that's the traditional method. For me, I just use a little danish oil. The varnish component helps seal the surface better and dries nice and fast. But I only do one or two coats before calling it done. Not looking to build a shine. Thanks Mark By slick,I just meant slippery - not wet. A couple of weeks should be ok and by then I`ll have built the end vise and drilled the holes in the top - I move at the speed of "turtle" I`ll try the Danish oil too. BTW I'm a big fan. 'learned a bunch from the wood whisperer. Cheers, Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joestyles Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Just wondering after reading this if adding something to the raw oil finish would hurry up the drying process. Some type of mineral spirits. I don`t know enough about this but have done this with other things that are oil based and had good results. I have never used raw linseed oil so have no idea what it is like. Also once something is on the surface I have not tried this approach except to remove a finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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