How to protect an unfinished pine tabletop against rigors of this hobby?

This might be worth a try: Go to your local plant nursery and see if they have any old advertising posters (like for mulch or bare-root rose bushes) printed on one side only. The one I use is an advertising poster for bare-root rose bushes that I cut to size and turned face-down on the workbench for a protective cover. It's made of a heavy flexible plastic of some sort with a slight texture. (Get the textured kind as it will give off less glare.) The inevitable little dribs and drabs of paint and glue don't bother the material, but I do use a thin piece of clear plexiglass as a cutting board when I get out the knife or saw.

Unfortunately, I have no digital camera, so I can't show you.

 I was fortunate enough to have a piece of 1/4" glass left over from the previous owners here (20"x25") I framed it in on my bench. put a couple pieces of tape at the top(on the underside) so I could have tabs to pull up the glass. I pretty much only put paint charts under there, I fumble through the inst. too much to stick them in there. Clean up is simple, a razor blade takes care of everything!

skrooby wrote:

Thanks for your responses everyone! I think I'll just finish the table like some of you suggested and get a nice big piece of glass.

I suggest a tempered piece of glass although glass can be a little pricey if it's a good sized piece. I worked in that business for a while and raw glass is dangerous if it breaks. Tempered is extremely strong on the surface, unless you hit the edge hard as it will detonate into a thousand pieces. 

What about a 1/2" or 3/4" piece of white melamine covered particle board from Home Depot? 

Not sure if mine is actually melamine but it is a smooth white material bonded to the particle board.

That is what is on my bench and it's tough stuff......not even lacquer thinner harms it.

Leave it unfinished. 

Well let think abou this for a minute. Is this table dedicated to modeling? If it is you can finish is as discribed above plus consider these options.

Plate glass. Get a piece from your local glass shop cut to the size of your table top. I like to put those little felt pads on the underside to keep it off the surface...let's me stick instructions and reference materials underneath to refer to while working.

Vinyl Floor Tiles. I did this to an earlier workstation. I picked a suitable color of those square peel and stick floor tiles to cover my work surface. If they get damaged, you can heat them up and remove them with little if any effort.

Self healing mats are an addition to a solid surface.

You can also pickup a piece of wood laminant and apply it...so you have a surface much like a kitchen counter top. Durable and easily cleaned. My current bench is made from a recycled store countertop that was on its way to the dumpster during a remodeling project where I once worked.

There are some polyurethanes that are chemically resistant, but none of them will resist prolonged exposure. I would recommend finishing the wood, as that will stabilize it with respect to moisture and prevent warping, then cover it with glass as recommended. I recommend attaching the glass around the edge with hot glue, which is quite resistant to most common solvents. This will prevent any solvent spilled near the edge from wicking under the glass by capillary action—ruining any finish.

Get a large "self healing" cutting mat (fabric stores sell them in very large sizes) to put over the glass. 

I doubt if there is a finish (varnish, polyurethane, etc.) that is not going to be succeptible to the various solvents used in modeling. Your best bet may be a piece of glass (tempered would be best) if you want to keep the look of the pine. If not you could attach a piece of laminate (i.e. formica) to the top with contact cement.