Elm/ maple finish

[Chris152]

I've joined these boards for a table top.

There's still some more planing/ sanding to do on this to get rid of the glue lines/ misaligned boards, but I'm thinking about finish. I thought:

Either finishing oil on the elm, and sanding sealer then wax on the maple;

Or, if I seal and wax the lot, would that enhance the elm grain and create contrast with the maple (which is what I want)?

Or any other suggestions?

Thanks

Chris

 

[custard]

I wouldn't advise different finishes on different timbers within the same piece. I appreciate it can be done (ie wax resists on marquetry or inlay work) but it can also go badly wrong, if you think your misaligned boards are a problem then this could be worse. Stick to one finish for everything.

You're going to get a fair bit of contrast quite naturally as Elm is pretty open grained where as Maple isn't, so you'll see a clear difference between the two as soon as any finish is applied.

Also, wouldn't you want a finish that's a little more robust for a table top?

 

[Chris152]

Also, wouldn't you want a finish that's a little more robust for a table top?

Yes, I think I became fixated on the sanding sealer/ clear wax look on maple with my last one - it looked beautiful, I think, and retained the whiteness of the wood. I'd wondered about using a gloss finish all over, and haven't done that before so now might be the time to try. I've used Osmo raw before and like it a lot so might have a go at Osmo PolyX Gloss. I found this video by Peter Parfitt. If it's good enough for him...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duxKcjaidf8

And I didn't know about the dangers of different finishes on the same piece. I do like contrasts but will look for them in the wood in future, not so much the finish.

Many thanks

Chris

 

[custard]

I think I became fixated on the sanding sealer/ clear wax look on maple with my last one - it looked beautiful

With good reason, you get a thick film, glossy finish in next to no time; there's no yellowing; and it's dead easy to repair any problems later on. So as long as you're prepared to use coasters at every meal there's no reason not to go the same route again, especially as a couple of coats of sanding sealer will go a long way to filling Elm's open grain. However, if you want a finish that's more resistant to spillages then Osmo is a good choice, however you'll never get the same degree of gloss from Osmo, and there'll always be a marked difference in the degree of gloss between the Elm and the Maple.

Incidentally, this is what figured Elm looks like with Danish Oil,

 

[Chris152]

I think I'd be quite happy with different levels of gloss on the elm and maple, and it's another finish for me to try which is a good thing. As for that figured elm with Danish Oil, that colouration's exactly what I had in mind for the elm strip - but I'm not looking to oil the maple, so it'll have to wait!

Many thanks custard,

Chris

 

[Chris152]

Before

first coat

second coat

Very pleased with the result (the photo doesn't do it justice, and completely different lighting to the first two), it's great stuff. Though it seems nothing's like a glossy finish to highlight the shortcomings in wood prep...