Any woodworkers?

Belongs in here too! https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cigar-smokin-and-bs.457910/

 

I never make mistakes!

I am known for being a very creative artist…

 

A long time ago I spent a summer as a carpenter's helper, assisting in building a 1.5 story addition to his house. I am sure I have forgotten many things I learned that summer but the one thing I did not forget is him telling me that in carpentry, it is not a mistake if you can correct it.

 

I put the barrel hinges on the back burner for now, as I want to get the finish on the box before I epoxy the hinges in. The walnut has been steamed, so I was thinking I'd need to add some color/tone back to it via garnet or amber shellac. I am also debating applying Danish oil or Tung oil finish (not actual tung oil) first, with a wet sand on the 2nd and 3rd coat to partially fill the pores. Shellac would go after that. There are so many opinions out there on what is needed, how much, how to do it, etc. Several said don't bother with oil, just shellac. Others say the oil helps the grain pop and gives it depth. It can be overwhelming, so I decided to try several different options and started the process yesterday.

To make it easier to compare the ones I want to see side-by-side, 1 and 2 are on the same board, 4 and 5 are on the same board while 3 and 6 are on their own.

1. Danish oil and Garnet shellac
2. Danish oil and Sanding Sealer (clear shellac)
3. Sealer only
4. Tung oil finish and Garnet Shellac
5. Tun oil finish and Sanding Sealer
6. Garnet shellac only

I applied the first coat of oils and shellac yesterday. The Danish oil looked to be the best when it was still wet - the wood had a shimmer and depth to it. The clear shellac didn't darken the wood but it's flat. The tung oil finish was sort of muddy when wet. Not that they are dry, the DO and TOF look about the same. Today I'll add 2nd coats and wet sand the oils in. I think after 3 coats or so there should be more differences.

 

I feel like you should check this out https://walrusoil.com/products/furniture-finish

I use this stuff on my cutting boards

Oh.. I want to try this as well... @wilcam47

 

Gee, thanks for adding more options to the overwhelming list! Maybe someday I'll try that. Quick read - looks like a much longer drying time as they don't add "dryers". I like that it has real tung oil, probably why it takes time to not only dry but cure.

 

I would avoid the Shellac. A couple of coats of the oil then some wood wax is all you need.

 

Here's some examples and why I am a Walrus Oil fan

Cutting Board

Walrus Oil Pour

Batch of boards

Maple, Cherry and Padauk

 

This looks neat, expensive but neat...

https://swissinvis.com/products/

 

expensive doesn't seem like a big enough word for that price

 

Ok this makes it look cheap

https://www.shapertools.com/en-us/origin/overview

 

Tung oil, side closest to the can looks best to me.

 

Quick question about storing wood. I have a bunch of walnut that was cut back in the 60’s. Stacked it in my garage but didn’t use stickers. Good move or should I re-stack with stickers?

 

Id store it with stickers

 

At this point it probably doesn’t matter. That being said, if you haven’t used it by now, perhaps you should send me your address so I can put it to good use!

 

Tom there's really no need to sticker them, that's for drying and they are plenty dry. I would sticker the boards for a couple weeks to reach equilibrium before using them on a project. It also wouldn't hurt to add weight to the top of the stack to keep things flat. I only sticker my wood for drying, once it's dry I flat stack it to conserve space.

 

Getting into woodworking here. What type of wood is your favorite to build with, and why? (If thats a thing) I understand different wood for different applications but just curious.
Do woodworkers ever bother going to Home Depot, or build with home depot wood? or straight to a lumberyard/mill

 

I'm also just getting into woodworking. I have only used walnut, pine and poplar (on 2 projects - a small box and a spiral staircase step stool). The pine was stuff I had laying around and decided to practice on that first before the walnut box. It's cheap and better to learn on that than more expensive walnut, and I did learn. I highly recommend this approach.

I bought the walnut for the box at Home Depot, mostly because the hardwood specialty store I was familiar with didn't sell smaller lengths. I did use them for the step stool. The issues with the HD walnut are a lot of them are bowed. I did a cursory check for the first one I bought and didn't catch it. Over a 24-inch length it's out by 1/4 inch on a 3/4 board. Not sure what I'm going to do with that. The next board I bought was reasonably straight but when I resawed it, boing!, it developed a bow. Oh well. The other issue with HD walnut is it's steamed, so the color is somewhat muted compared to non-steamed wood. Their supplier is Swaner Hardwood. You can Google them and see how they do it. On my current box project I'm experimenting with different finishes; danish oil, tung oil finish, clear and garnet shellac plus other variations on that walnut. The oils do add some warmth and depth. The clear shellac doesn't do much. I have yet to apply the garnet.

Poplar. I didn't know much about it before using it on the step stool. The friend who's shop we used graciously donated it so I was happy. I'm finding out poplar is hard to stain as the colors vary greatly and it can get blotchy. I have some samples and will try wood conditioner and various finishing techniques (like I'm doing with the walnut) to see what works. I don't think I'd choose poplar for anything going forward.

I've also searched for other wood suppliers in my region and am happy to find there are a number of options. I'll be making the rounds to see what they have to offer. Stores like Rockler and Woodcraft sell smaller amounts of wood that big box stores don't. Google search for wood suppliers in your area and see what's available.






This is the Tung Oil Finish. It's nice, but a bit "muddy" or dull.


The Danish Oil finish has depth and clarity. So far I like it better than the TOF, however it's not completely dry/cured in this pic, so it may not be as clear. This oil takes much longer the dry between coats than the TOF.

 

Can you mix coats? Like a TOF first coat and a DOF second coat then seal?