Hopefully you read this far before replying; yes, I DAGS, but still have questions.
I am building my first classic woodworking bench, and am retaining my current bench (solid core door on construction lumber base) for assembly and finishing. The current bench is finished with shellac, and waxed. Works great for keeping glue from sticking, and has the advantage that if it gets off of level by more than a few thousandths per foot, I know it because things slide off the low side! Seriously, I love shellac, but this bench is way too slick for working on with hand tools, IMHO.
I like shellac for its working qualities and results. I have been tentatively planning to use it for the traditional bench for those reasons and because of ease of repair when I level or resurface the top. But will the film, even if unwaxed, be too slick? Is that why oil finishes seem to be recommended so much for this application?
BTW, if it affects your answer, this first (not ultimate) bench is of southern yellow pine.