I've never been one to put finishes on my work benches, because the work surface is gonna get beat up and used as a notepad too. But if you must, I say linseed oil would be your best bet. I dont know what your shop setup is like, but if this is your main work bench, I would put in a 36" wide piece of 1/8 or 1/4 steel (thats what I would use, I dont see why someone couldnt get away with some 10ga) on one spot, wrapped around the front of the bench. You can mount your vice through the steel, and then the steel will give you a nice spot to hammer on things without damaging the nicer parts of your bench, and protect the area around the vice from weld splatter or grinding sparks. this is as close as I could find to show the idea. Its nice to have a sacrificial steel plate that you can replace, and have to put small welding projects on or heat things on without catching your wooden work top on fire.View attachment 389983
