Finishing

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Wax is one of my favorite methods of finishing, especially on oak. It’s easy to apply, gives a great finish and you can see the results near enough instantly. I start by filling any nail holes or marks there might be on the work piece. In this case there was a nice big dent on the front where it was knocked off the workbench. I’m using ‘Natural Oak’ Brummer stopping which you can get from many places including Axminster. Sand the piece thoroughly and always sand with the grain. An electric sander isn’t essential but it sure does take the effort out of sanding. I normally start with a 80grit disc then switch to a 180grit and finally finish with 320grit. I’m wearing a dust mask and I’ve got the ROS sander connected to my shop vac to...

While I am certainly no expert at furniture finishing, I thought I would share with you my favorite method of finishing wood. I find the finish part of wood working to be the most relaxing and rewarding part of my hobby .I do not like to stain wood if I can help it, nor do I like the look and feel of polyurethane type finishes. I do admit though that they have their place, as there are times one needs a waterproof and heat resistant finish. I prefer to add color to wood, if need be, via shellac. What is shellac? Shellac is made from the resin of the Lac Beetle larvae, most of which comes from India. It gets it's different color due to the time of the year it is harvested and the amount of refining that the lac went though. Some Shellac...