During the filming of our last podcast I decided to do a quick finishing Q&A with the chat room. I was able to get it all on tape and that’s exactly what this is. Random questions and quick answers. Enjoy.
July 23, 2007
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July 5, 2013
Marc,
After much research on many different sites I find your site to be the most helpful. On that note what would you think would be the best way to finish a side table or coffee table with tile in the center. I have tried a few different ways but I am still mot sure what to do or what the differences are between all the different finishes. Any suggestions and/or explanations on the differences would be amazingly helpful!!
Hi Amber. Finishing is a wide and varied topic. If you’re hungry for the details, I might suggest trying one of the classics like Flexner’s book or Jeff Jewitt’s. Both are great for giving you textbook style introduction to finishing and what the different finish types do. There’s a lot to cover.
As for the average woodworker, I always recommend keeping things as simple as possible. No need to overcomplicated the situation. So I usually recommend a simple wiping varnish finish. Easy to apply, no runs, no sags, and quick drying. And you can either pre-finish the piece and then install the tile or simply apply the finish after the tile is set. Either way you are going to want to use a little blue masking tape to cover the area you don’t want to make contact with. That’s what I would suggest.
Hey Marc,
Great videos!! I’m currently working on a rocking horse for a friends new baby and am using shellac to finish it because I know it’s safe but wanted to know if shellac would hold up under wear and tear or if I should varnish and then shellac? any thoughts?
Hey Josh. Shellac should be durable enough. Its not exactly as durable as an oil-based varnish though. But if for some reason you don’t want to use varnish, shellac should be fine.
What type of finishing steps is used on a typical Stickley piece made of quarter sawn white oak. I am always amazed when I see those pieces.
The classic way to do this would be with Ammonia Fuming. But these days, its become less and less necessary to deal with the harsh chemicals. There are many dyes out there that will mimic the Stickley look without putting you at risk. Here’s a great article by Jewitt that should explain the process in detail:
http://www.homesteadfinishingp.....3-2009.pdf
Hey Marc, could I ask what finish you would recommend for timber cupboards and drawers in my workshop? The timber is dressed pine. I’m thinking some thing strong, durable and needs little love!
Hey Geoff. I actually use my shop furniture as a place to test out all kinds of new finishes, because I consider the surfaces “sacrificial”. But if you’ve built something nice and you want flat out protection, I don’t think you can beat good old polyurethane. Arm-R-Seal is my favorite.
great stuff Marc. i found the website this past weekend so i sat with a couple of six-packs and watched all of the videos. one area of woodworking in which i am weak is finishing so this latest video helped a lot. is there any possibility that you might do a video on air compressors and spraying finishes in depth? perhaps with topics such as choosing good and compatible equipment to proper mixing of the finish and what to look for when the finish leaves the gun, i.e. too thin/too thick.
This was a cool way to get the ustream people over to the site. And if you could push up the patio to finishing room project, that’d be great…save me from my own mistakes. Just kidding, I know how busy you two are already…but..:)
Boy do I wish I had a finishing room. At this point, my finishing room is the back of my shop. One day though, we plan on converting part of our back patio to a finishing room. And of course I will document the whole process.
do you have a dedicated finishing room? Can you share how it is set-up? Love your website – TXS
Great stuff Marc – a very natural stream of Q&A.
Since when do we give Spags crap in the chatroom? much?