Interesting thread that I have read with interest especially since I am a novice tyer. My bench has a formica top that cleans very easily. I lay out the materials and tools for a tying session after which the materials go back in the drawers or hung on pegs on my peg board above the bench. I then sweep the bench top into my waste can. Most of my tools are keep on a kind of Lazy Susan that I got from my wife'e sewing work room that holds tools and quite a few spools of thread. This seems to work for me at least for now. The idea of an oil cloth makes a lot of sense; I haven't since that kind of material for a long time.