Thanks all. Charlie on the table with polycrylic did it not hold up or what was the problem? Just curious. Since I use these on turnings only what is the shelf life? Charlie do you need to sand or does it burn in good enough? I checked them out and quarts is the smallest they sell. That would probably last me 6 to 8 months or longer. I also saw on their site that they have a Super Clear 9000 poly that sounds pretty good.
RE: Polycrylic table... I had to go look at it to see why I didn't like the finish. This is a coffee table that was "put aside" for a while, and is now back in service. Thus wear is not the issue. It has the look of a too thin plastic coat... the grain comes through, but it doesn't have the great look of an oiled or rubbed finish. Yet it isn't smooth enough to have the "grand piano" gloss look. I suspect that adding more coats would just make it look like thicker plastic. Bottom line, my plan is to sand off the existing finish and respray with EM6000 lacquer or EM8000 conversion varnish.
The EM6000 does burn in, so I do not need to sand between coats for adhesion. However, my usual sequence is one or two coats (or a sealer and one coat) then machine sand 400 grit to get a perfectly smooth base. Then build as many coats as required, then sand as the first step of the rub-out, or just lightly to perfect the surface before one final spray coat. The outside back of a bookcase may only have the sealer coats, just enough to feel good and keep dust from sticking. The inside back of a bookcase will never get any wear so may only have one or two build coats. The sides of a bookcase typically have about 3 build coats, since minimal wear. The shelves of a bookcase may have 4-5 build coats. If I am having an off day, I spray thinner coats and increase the number.
RE: Shelf life: The shelf life of EM6000 is well over a year - although Target would never suggest it, I do have some satin 6000 that is several years old, and I am still comfortable using. Since I don't normally use satin (I can't remember why I bought it), I sometimes mix it with the Gloss that I buy in 5 gallon lots, to get semi-gloss.
The conversion varnish EM8000 has a catalyst, so I do believe the nominal one year shelf life.
I have used EM9300 Polycarbonate top coat. It went on well and looked great, and is very durable - the top of a counter in an auto repair shop - no visible scratches despite people sliding keys all day. However, it was not as chemical resistant as I expected, but that problem was traced to the water-based shellac that I used as a first coat.
A summary of the Target Coatings that I regularly use is at
www.solowoodworker.com/wood/targetcoatings.html
I know lots of people have good results with polyurethane on furniture, but I have not. It is very hard (scratch resistant, great for floors) but it is also brittle. I put it on our breakfast table, and our son and his friends formed divots in the finish as they were growing up (and doing homework/play). I finally sanded it off and refinished. First with a Fuhr finish, that lasted less than a year before I took it off, then with Target. Thus I am a little gun-shy about any polyurethane type finish, even from Target. YMMV