TomD
Roger, I don't have screws in my bench. I guess I would if I wanted them. I have screws in my bench to hold the vises in place. I use the screws in planing beams, beams are superior in a lot of situations since they can be any length, are cheap, can be kept flat, or built out of composites that do not shift, moved to where they are needed, and so forth. I have several benches, and beams around the shop, and I store the beams on the wall when not in use.

I might also use screws in fixtures. They could also be mounted in dogs as a mini dog, or on blocks held in vises. So there really isn't any need to worry about the condition of your bench.

I agree with you on benches. I keep mine pristine for a variety of reasons. Pride and love. I made it and like it. I also think a bench like any part of your shop (gulp) is an advertisement for the contents of your mind, and you abilities. But most of all it needs to be functional. A rough bench damages certain kinds of work, guitars being the extreme case in my shop. Really a proper guitar bench needs a surface of shag carpet, but I just don't like that. Pristine surfaces are as close as I can get. And right at the moment they are down there somewhere.