So, I got a lot of what to me is nice stuff, for free, from a buddy of mine recently. One item was this heavy bench made from steel tubing.
The top was in sorry condition, so I tossed it.
I need to work on a budget, sort of like a pauper, so I first tried to use an old door I had kept for just this purpose. But, it needed to be cut down, and aside from that, I learned that it is all foam in the middle, so would not be very strong for mounting a vise and whatnot.
I didn't want to spend money to buy a sheet of thick plywood, and got lucky as heck when I went up into my old barn and found an ancient piece of what I think is 5/8. Good enough for me. So, that provided the foundation for the top.
I then trimmed it out with some 1x material that I had from other projects.
Whenever we renovate a room in the house, I save the old hardwood flooring and put it in the old barn. My original idea was to use it to put down a floor in the upstairs of my new barn. But I don't think I will actually do that, because I don't have enough yet, and the salvaged stuff has broken tongues and is not that fun to work with. I can only be so careful in removing it. I had once or twice thought about throwing it out, since I tend to be a packrat, but now I know what the stuff can be used for.
When I put down a new floor in my house, I am super-**** about the joints being tight. For a bench top, with reclaimed wood, I decided to live with some gaps.
I guess it took me two days of short bursts working on this thing, in between other projects, to get the planks laid. I then masked off the trim and hit it with two coats of white primer.
I found an old can of wood putty, and used it to try and fill some of my screw holes and board gaps. The putty was essentially partially dried coming out of the can, so while it did work on some of the spots, in others it made a mess. I didn't even bother sanding it. It's a work bench!
One time, my wife and I used polyurethane to treat some bare wood boards on a porch project we did. I thought the stink was going to make me vomit or die, and the fumes probably explain why I am so stupid to this day. I have since switched to other products, like this non-toxic Scandinavian marine varnish. It left the white trim with a brown, shellaced look, but I kind of dig it.
These pics show it with one wet coat. When it dries, it is somewhat less glossy, but still pretty good looking. I put a second coat on this evening. I will get more pics up after I trim the edges of the bench, mount my vise etc.
I'll never be a talented Jack Olsen or a fortunate Big Money Benny, but for free, I feel like this kicks ***.
The top was in sorry condition, so I tossed it.
I need to work on a budget, sort of like a pauper, so I first tried to use an old door I had kept for just this purpose. But, it needed to be cut down, and aside from that, I learned that it is all foam in the middle, so would not be very strong for mounting a vise and whatnot.
I didn't want to spend money to buy a sheet of thick plywood, and got lucky as heck when I went up into my old barn and found an ancient piece of what I think is 5/8. Good enough for me. So, that provided the foundation for the top.
I then trimmed it out with some 1x material that I had from other projects.
Whenever we renovate a room in the house, I save the old hardwood flooring and put it in the old barn. My original idea was to use it to put down a floor in the upstairs of my new barn. But I don't think I will actually do that, because I don't have enough yet, and the salvaged stuff has broken tongues and is not that fun to work with. I can only be so careful in removing it. I had once or twice thought about throwing it out, since I tend to be a packrat, but now I know what the stuff can be used for.
When I put down a new floor in my house, I am super-**** about the joints being tight. For a bench top, with reclaimed wood, I decided to live with some gaps.
I guess it took me two days of short bursts working on this thing, in between other projects, to get the planks laid. I then masked off the trim and hit it with two coats of white primer.
I found an old can of wood putty, and used it to try and fill some of my screw holes and board gaps. The putty was essentially partially dried coming out of the can, so while it did work on some of the spots, in others it made a mess. I didn't even bother sanding it. It's a work bench!
One time, my wife and I used polyurethane to treat some bare wood boards on a porch project we did. I thought the stink was going to make me vomit or die, and the fumes probably explain why I am so stupid to this day. I have since switched to other products, like this non-toxic Scandinavian marine varnish. It left the white trim with a brown, shellaced look, but I kind of dig it.
These pics show it with one wet coat. When it dries, it is somewhat less glossy, but still pretty good looking. I put a second coat on this evening. I will get more pics up after I trim the edges of the bench, mount my vise etc.
I'll never be a talented Jack Olsen or a fortunate Big Money Benny, but for free, I feel like this kicks ***.
