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If you have any left over oil based finish that is too old to use otherwise, I would use that. Thin the first coat by 25%, and full coats afterwards.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I've found that applying paste wax, letting it sit for a minute and then buffing it off makes the tooling and benches last longer, work better and does not interfere with anything. Buffing it is a step I never skip though, my boss thinks it is superfluous. I guess it's fine if you're only cutting melamine on your saw, but I think too much wax residue can make a tool difficult and sticky to use until the excess is worn away from use.

MDF will be fine. I would put some kind of finish on it. Don't glue it down. Just screw it. When it gets messed up, just remove the top layer and replace it.

Yes screw it down. When it gets really bad just flip it over. Danish Oil is a good finish for MDF because it's thin and will soak into it. My sharpening station is a board of very thick MDF. I just poured pure Tung Oil onto it and let the stuff really soak in. It's always getting water and Oil spills, pretty much everyday. It's fine.

thanks folks, good to know. i have several danish oil leftovers, i think i´ll use that then.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

I have been using MDF and Melamine bench tops for over 20 years. They are stable, inexpensive and easily replaceable. I use a 3/4" MDF top and cover it with a 1/4" MDF top which gets replaced every 2-3 years. Melamine is particularly good for clamping tables and saw benches. Glue doesn't like to stick to to it and things like to slide on it.

I'm personally a big fan of torsion boxes. For workbenches and assembly tables I like building a torsion box core from MDF, filling voids with polyurethane foam (the cheapest way to do this is mixing polyurethane (gorilla) glue with water to fill each void with foam and make it less resonant. Cap the sides with an inch or so of hardwood such a maple, and it's hard to beat.

I also use MDF for the mounting surface of my CNC router in torsion box form (although a steel frame will take part of its place soon.

Due to the stability of MDF torsion boxes, it could also be reasonable to use something like birch plywood to face both sides as well (the most important factor is balanced construction.)

Signboard (MDO) can be a great material as well because it is less susceptible to dimensional change.

dang man just use it. It's a great work surface. Don't need to seal it, if you do need to its time to clean up your work habits. The fact that it is soft is a plus. Not a fan of melamine, I guess in one man shops the sharp edges can be kept in control. I'm about two years from that downsize. Frankly I'm concerned with better and cleaner midrange on my builds than a twenty dollar table top. Timo

I've been using wax on my cast iron tables (saws, drill press, jointer) for 15 yrs with no issues at all. I put it on and buff it off, it keeps the rust away and the wood slides on the tables better. Not sure why people are worried.

That said I like oil-based polyurethane for MDF.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I use MDF & like it for many of the reasons above. If you want a reliably flat surface, you will need to make a solidly built structure under it. I use a "ladder" of straight 2X4s spaced about 1 ft. on centre. Unsupported, MDF will bend easily.
MDF will swell alarmingly when wetted. Even a small scratch in the finish will allow moisture to seep into "wood" & cause it to swell.

+1.

I have to say I am not sure why you would use wax on your drill press table ...my cast iron drill press table hasn't seen the light of day in 30 odd years, and I see no need to wax the auxiliary MDF tables , but as far as the saw , jointer and planer are concerned ...right on .

Melamine for me too.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.