1. Simplest and cheapest:
Sand to remove all tooling and abrasive scratches,
Apply Cellulose Sanding Sealer and burnish,
Apply Woodwax 22 and burnish,
Only disadvantage is that being beeswax base it dulls if handled a lot because Beeswax melts at hand heat, or marks if splashed with moisture, for something that is not handled a lot will stay shiny for years.
Is very dependant on removing all tooling and sanding marks which will be highlighted by polishing, and teaches you the most about sanding.
2. Simplest, easiest and quickest all round finish across the board including final abrading:
A Buffing Mop System:
Basically sand to 240/320 grit,
Seal with Sanding Sealer,
Buff with Tripoli Compound to blend any sealer streaks or raised grain, even blend in fine abrasive errors.
Buff with White Diamond compound to clean off dark tripoli residue and increase shine level.
Buff with Carnauba Wax or Microcrystalline wax to add surface protection and increase shine.
Carnauba wax and Microcrystalline wax are both high melting point so resist hand tarnishing and especially in the case of the latter water contamination, finger prints etc.
3. If wanting a more natural satin finish that's robust:
Then use Hard Wax Oil.
In my opinion the above three methods would adequately cover everything likely to come out of the shed for the first 12 months.
Then of course there are a thousand and one alternatives and combinations to suit your preferences dependant on specific wants and wood types.
If you are looking for a description of the product types mentioned you can find examples on the Chestnut Finishes site.
