How do you finish your projects??

[exssnelt]

It seems that everyone sells their wood to look like something else. Cherry stained this, maple glazed that, all made from pine or poplar (don't get me wrong they have their place). I prefer the natural colors and grains of wood, but it seems that that is a fading preference. If I want cherry, I make it from cherry. Am I alone with this?

[pigman]

"Am I alone with this?"

No.

[Tom]

Nope, you're not alone.  

I guess there are reasons for stain, making a piece uniform, making cheaper wood look more expensive, Matching the color of something else in the room, but I'm in favor of natural wood color's too.  It's not just wood, it's food too. (bettcha you didn't know I'd try to slip that in there, didya?)  Want a cup of coffee?  You'll be asked, "cream, sugar?" Well that's OK cause we're used to it, but now you get asked, "Vanilla, French Vanilla, almond, almond crunch, ameretto, apple jack, apricot, baklava, banana, bourbon, butterscotch.......etc.  The list is almost endless.

You want some Venison?  It tastes like beef.  Chicken tastes like pork, fish like crab, or, to some folks fish that doesn't taste like fish at all, beans like milk, etc.

How 'bout your car?  Cheap ones look like expensive ones and cadilacs look like potatoes.

I guess we aren't happy with anything that we have.    :D

[WDH]

NO

[treecyclers]

Even though I do use stains, and UTC's from time to time, there are only certain woods and certain colors that I will use.
Ponderosa is pretty bland, even with blue stain, so I like to hit it with either a golden oak or provincial stain. It creates some pretty patterns in the wood, as the rings don't absorb colorant much, and the sapwood takes it in varying degrees.
I think it enhances the appearance and warmth of the wood, myself.
Otherwise, it's Watco oil and Deft CWF in Satin or Semigloss.
I just gave away 30 gallons of lacquer because it was garbage quality. Nothing but problems with it.
Superdave

[Sprucegum]

I live in the land-of-low-quality-wood. The real interesting woods have much higher prices so only higher incomes can afford them. We all want to keep up with the Jones'es so we try to make our cheap wood look like their interesting wood. Everone does it until we all think that's how it should be and the cheap stained wood becomes just as desireable as the genuine article.

I thought I made scense for a minute there  ???  :  ;)

How do I finish?  rarely  :-[

[jbeat]

Three coats of Linseed oil rubbed on with a cloth -  darkens the wood slightly, brings out the grain, protects the wood's surface and dries to satin finish. I like this finish for darker colored woods. For lighter colored wood, I would mix in a little stain to suit.

[Tom]

I find that a liberal rubbing with Johnson's Paste Wax is protective and shows the wood too.

[Den Socling]

gee Tom. I'm half afraid to ask you what you rub on your car. :D

[Tom]

I sure wouldn't use Johnson's, Den.  It's for floors, but is a "true, trew" wax and is recommended for woodwork.  I used to use it on my turnings, floor, and most of the rustic furniture I've built.

I'd have to wash the car before I waxed it, and I'm afraid it might fall apart if I did that.  :D :D

I can't even find it on Google, but here is the definition I was given for trew (true) waxes.  They are derived from plants/trees and have no abrasives, silicone, fatty glycerides, etc. in them.  Bee wax is a trew wax.  bee wax doesn't do a very good job of finishing all by itself though.  Johnson's has a good formulation and its price is right.   About the only place I can get it around here anymore is at the grocery store.

[Den Socling]

 

I'll have to try the Johnson's. When I laminate holly between black walnut as in these bangles, the oils I have tried ruin the whiteness of the holly.

[Tom]

You still might get some yellowing.  Wood Magazine did a test several years ago and found that water based Polyurethane didn't appear to yellow whereas the oil based one did.

Charlie uses French buff, which I think is bee's wax and shellac.  I'll have to try to get him to come back on here for awhile.

[LeeB]

I finish my projects by cleaning the poly or shelac out of the sprayer and then go have a shower and a little nip of Tennesee branch water to celebrate another project done. :D :D

[medic1289]

Lately we have been hand rubbing all our pieces with equal parts; boiled linseed, tung oil, and poly,(oil based).

Brings out the grain nicely, easy to apply.  Does eventually need "refreshing" as it penetrates instead of being a surface coating.  sy

[flip]

Tung or natural. If ya got to coat it put on satin poly or pre cat laquer.
The natural  color of the wood is always best. ;)

[CHARLIE]

I like to let the wood's natural color and grain speak for itself. I like the bark inclusions and voids and other natural defects found in wood.  Most of my turnings I finish with shellac for two reasons. It dries fast and it doesn't alter the color of the wood.  Sometimes I use varnish or Watco Danish Oil but they tend to darkent the wood and yellow it somewhat. I also will use lacquer on some of my work.  Yep, I leave 99.9% of my woodworking as natural a finish as I can get.

[ohsoloco]

I typically use oil based poly for all of my projects, except for my current coffee table.  It's a 20-some inch diameter spruce cookie 7" thick.  Didn't bother putting a finish on it...or sanding the chainsaw marks out of it for that matter  ;D  It's slowly getting stained from feet being propped on it, coffee spilled on it, etc... 

[Handy Andy]

  I did a kitchen a while back, used burr oak, and unfinished.  This guy's DIL did the stain and finish, as the wife is pregnant, and he used a light, almost natural stain and wipe on minwax poly, and I was amazed at how it looked.  Haven't used wipe on for years myself, but it looked like it had 2 coats of spray finish. And no brush marks or sags. 

[davemartin88]

I try not to use stain and usually just use shellac, then a final coat or two of wax.

[SwampDonkey]

Den, what do you use for bonding agent in your laminates?

I was wanting to experiment a little.  ;D

[ely]

i will sometimes give oak a light stain of some sort, usually pecan at the darkest. but for me personally i like the natural color of the wood, so i just use linseed oil or poly on the projects.

[Den Socling]

SD,

I've been using Titebond II. It looks like regular white glue but it's water resistant. So far, so good.
Den

[SwampDonkey]

I'll look into it Den, thanks.

An old friend of mine used some sort of glue that came as a powder and just added water. I don't know the name of it.

[treecyclers]

I've been using Titebond II. It looks like regular white glue but it's water resistant. So far, so good.

Titebond 2 is an excellent choice for all-purpose gluing.
Only when something is going outside do I use polyurethane glue (gorilla glue).

An old friend of mine used some sort of glue that came as a powder and just added water. I don't know the name of it.

That would be hide glue more than likely. Still available, not the greatest stuff in the world IMHO.
Better woodworking through modern chemistry!
Superdave

[SwampDonkey]

I'm now using a product called WeldBond. It's is water and weather resistant and won't go brittle with age. Dries clear. 3500 PSI. You can even use it to prime the surface when diluted with water. It's used with plastic and metal as well. Lepage's carpenter glue has 4000 PSI, but I don't think it is water resistant and it is yellow when dry.