101 of Finishing

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95
Hey Guys,

I'm looking for the absolute basic steps that I should take in finishing a coffee table (cherry and oak combination). I have never taken much time in finishing my projects previously, but I'd like to make a nice job on this one.

Can someone describe the process? When to sand, when to stain, and when to apply a varathan / lacquer?
 
Dawson,
Here my routine and I follow it riligously. I sand to 220, then I apply Dye. I don't like stains. Some say that Dye';s are harder to use then stains but I perfer them and find there quite easy to use. I use water based dye's and always test the color on a piece of scrap to get the color I want. I always test the color by applying some mineral spirits to show me how the color will look with finish on it. Some say you should sand after using water based dyes but I don't I apply a few coats of wipe on Poly or varnish then I sand to 330. a few more coats and then 0000 steel wool.
Buff with a wax if desired.
 
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dawson, this is how i finished the coffee table. sanded down to 220, 1 coat of boiled linseed oil, 3 coats of amber shellac, 2 coats of clear shellac, then a good coat of johnson's paste wax, then buff it out. to see pics of the end results, check my "photo proof of winnings" thread.
 
Thanks guys, since I am using two different types of woods (cherry and oak) and plan on dying/staining each of them a different color, I assume that I should dye each prior to assembly and then apply the final coat of wax / lacquer once they are assembled ... correct?
 
then apply the final coat of wax / lacquer once they are assembled ... correct?



not a good idea to ever apply wax prior to applying anything else...only wax when you love the film finish.

as for cherry beside oak.......a pore filler used on the oak will save you lots of work. (oak is ring-porous and cherry is not)
 
I did something similar on the kitchen island top I wrote about in a thread a few months ago. I carefully dry-fit the red oak frame to the veneered panel and cut biscuit slots to keep the pieces in alignment.

Then, I dyed the red oak to both darken it and reduce the grain contrast. I used TT dye disolved in DA and sprayed it on the oak. Once I achieved the appearance I wanted, I reassembled the frame to the panel and glued it together.

Next, I applied a clear waterborne filler to the entire assembly until the grain was pretty well totally filled. I sealed with a waterborne sealer, then applied a waterborne conversion varnish.

Below is a link to the photo of the finished product from my previous post.
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23865&d=1221437860
 
Don touched on this already, but I'd second it. Always test out the finish on a test piece of wood, preferably from the same wood used in the project if possible. Run through the whole finish process to be sure you are happy with the result, then finish your piece, or at least test each step of the way.
 
Two dis-simular woods here and a different approach for each. Oak is an open grained wood and needs to be filled while Cherry is a tight grained wood where filling is not necessary. the approach will differ if the woods ajoin or flush or what construction. If possible. Fill the Oak before assembly (you can always mask off the joint area to allow for good glue penitration. ) stain the color, wash with sanding sealer and then apply matching grain filler. Then assemble after the Oak and Cherry are joined (with the Oak grain filled) then a rgular finishing can take place, Again with a sanding sealer or Shellac and scuff to allow for a top coat or three of a good hard finish (I would use wipe-on poly) Always use Gloss finishes then top off with the semi if you prefer, but I prefer to rub down the gloss finish with pumice & oil. (Semi finishes have aluminum oxide suspended to reflact the light and create a dull finish, as you lay on more coats it gets duller and duller.

All of the previous suggestions are great, but keep these in mind as well.
 
thanks for all the info, this is great. are there different types of "pore filler" or is this something standard that I can find at the local home depot? I've never used a pore filler before.

also, does waxing at the end just give the item a bit more of a final gloss look? is there any other significant advantage / disadvantage to waxing after lacquer has already been applied?

the look i was planning on going for was to use cherry in the middle of the table and then use oak as a type of border around the perimeter ... was actually planning on contrasting the colors (red for cherry and amber for oak). do you guys think this would look good? is there another combination (either woods or colors) that you would recommend?
 
the look i was planning on going for was to use cherry in the middle of the table and then use oak as a type of border around the perimeter ... was actually planning on contrasting the colors (red for cherry and amber for oak). do you guys think this would look good? is there another combination (either woods or colors) that you would recommend?

Dawson,
If you want to have a nice contrast I'd use maple instead of the oak.
After you color the Cherry you won't have to use anything on the maple. I'd hit both surfaces with Boiled Linseed Oil before apply in any Finish.This will cause the grain to realy "POP". Also with the maple you won't have to seal the pours.

Waxing just adds to the shine. If you use a good quality clear gloss wipe on Poly you can get all of the shine you'll want. I'd go with six or seven coats.
 
with a bit of sun cherry and maple will give you the look it sounds like you`re after.....no dye or stain required if you`re patient.
 
hey guys, I'm still quite a rookie at this stuff. if i set the board out in the sun for a while, wouldn't it split and check?
 
if the cherry is already dried wood your not gonna get any more mocracks than yu have already.. and i to vote for suntan on cherry have done it on several pieces.. the pop comes from the finish yu use. FWW had a comparison article sometime back and there wasnt much change in pop with anything other than sun and finish.. and if you look up the bloctchy cherry box thread or my bed yu can see what cherry can do with sun!!!
 
How long are we talking in the sun? a day? week? month? I've never tried the sun thing before ... does it work with other woods besides cherry?
 
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