Restoring old pine woodworking bench

[Lee Riley]

I need some advice please on restoring an old woodworking bench I have acquired from my late Dad. The bench originally belonged to my Pop, that passed before I was born in the 70's. I am endeavoring to find out from my Aunty if she can remember when Pop got the bench to work out its age. It's not a fancy bench, it's bloody big, 3.6mts long! It has the valley in the middle for laying down your tools, accommodation for the old wood screw vice in diagonally opposite corners (I have the wood screw and handle, no cheek) and thin sacrificial skins on the tops. It feels like it's all made of a type of pine wood, my problem being is that is has ROT! The bottom part of one leg is pretty bad and there are patches of rot here and there. What do I do? There is Earl's Wood Hardener at Bunnings, videos I've watched on it say not to remove the rotten wood, just spray. Thought about filling with epoxy resin if I decide to dig rot out and treat. End of the day I would like to cover entire bench with a finish that will prevent any further rot and use the bench for my future in woodworking, so whatever I put all over the bench has to be ok not to stain a work peice that I want to build on the bench.

[auscab]

First we’d all like pictures if you could please . It sounds good , got to see it .

Patching up rot with two packs or spray on stuff is really if from this point the bench will only be looked at and not worked at and shifted around . Decent patches and repairs may be the go . There’s a few ways you can do that . Fast and easy to be done better later . Or the good way first time .

Rob

[Lee Riley]

First we’d all like pictures if you could please . It sounds good , got to see it .

Patching up rot with two packs or spray on stuff is really if from this point the bench will only be looked at and not worked at and shifted around . Decent patches and repairs may be the go . There’s a few ways you can do that . Fast and easy to be done better later . Or the good way first time .

Rob

Rob are you suggesting that I cut out chucks of timber and replace them with patches of timber, won't that end up looking like a patch quilt cover? Matching the old timber would be impossible. My train of thought was to be as least destructive and retain the old look.

[auscab]

Rob are you suggesting that I cut out chucks of timber and replace them with patches of timber, won't that end up looking like a patch quilt cover? Matching the old timber would be impossible. My train of thought was to be as least destructive and retain the old look.

Yeah . Probably , but I’m talking without having seen what you mean by “Rot “ . To me rot means you can poke a screwdriver into it 10 mm or right through . Rot in the foot of a leg means it’s shorter , and soft .
fixing it isn’t to hard . Matching it lo look like an invisible repair is harder . Pine being light in colour doesn’t help but all the old benches Ive seen normally are covered in a thick layer of dark hard matter .
If it’s not so bad and you want to just coat it to look good for the least changes then that may be good enough to get by .
Rob

[Lee Riley]

20200117_121726.jpg

[Lee Riley]

Here are some photos, just got the bench under the house with the help of the neighbours, I contacted my Aunt and she recalls the bench at an age of around 10 and she is now 80, so its at least 70 years old. It's a bit harder to see the rot in the foot of the leg now that it is upright, but it would be the worst. There is also rot in the ends of the top and along the bottom edge of the sides (sorry some photos came through up side down). I don't want to make it look new and take away the years of character, thought maybe cutting off an inch or so from the bottom of all the legs and giving it some hardwood feet, raise it up a little in the process. I also need to do some research on the old vice, make a new cheek for it and redo the leather retainers, looks like the bottom of the cheek had a rectangular peg that also went in and out of the leg to keep the cheek parallel, there is a rectangle hole near the base of the leg below both screw holes for the vice. Would like to sand it back and oil (Don't know what to use to prevent/stop rot).

[auscab]

Looks great . You have a leg vice missing it’s Face ? Jaw ? Not sure what it’s called . Google wooden leg vice and you will see plenty . I’ve got the same type wooden threads on my bench . Their the best ! I don’t have a leg vice . Wouldn’t mind one in the workshop . Mine is a face vice and a tail vice .

If the Rot has not eaten parts away , if the leg is still at its original length . And it’s not all soft and spongy . I’d just let it dry off , if it’s damp . Maybe strip off the paint if it’s not original to it ? If not leave that . And I’d just make the missing parts and oil it . If you blend and colour the new parts in they won’t look so bad . I wouldn’t be coating it up with a shiny hard oil . Just a rub down with boiled linseed thinned with turps for the first go or two . Then maybe straight oil and let it dry for a week before using . That’l sort of damp proof it a bit . Keep it in a dry shed and it’ll be good for ever . There are more hard setting oil finishes like Danish oil or Tung oil or this Osmo stuff I’m just trying out . The sorts of things used for furniture . Pretty good stuff if you want to go that way . I went and polished mine with shellac . Looked very fancy and over the top when new . It’s been great . 25 years on its had no problems . A good hat finish revives well when you want it to . Hard shiny finishes suit flat surfaces in reasonable condition . A splintery rough heavily used top won’t gain much by using it I don’t think . Except hold together the splintery bits . A rub of glue would do the same .