Any woodworkers?

Looks like a great place to swing with wife and enjoy a cold beer!!

 

We moved it to over look our new small pond, i had dug recently

 

Looks great!!

 

Thanks! Its really comfortable

 

Resourceful too! And great job showing the Ryobi can get things done too!

 

It Ryobi days

 

Yeah Ive put them tools through some abuse. They are still hanging in there! Ive built many things with them. The drill did struggle a little with the logs but probably because some of the logs were still green. But made it through

 

That's worth the batteries alone!

 

Question on finishing a serving tray for durability and beauty.

I have used poly for years but I was the only one who cared about the finish so multiple layers of plastic was fine if it was sealed. For my 15 ft computer desk it has actually been comforting to know the exposed top is plactic instead of pine plywood.

But for this tray ... must be a better solution. Woodworking shop suggested Odie's Oil ... $60 a jar. Is that finish as good as the man claimed or was he just playing me for the newbie I am?

 

I would use something food grade just in case.. personally I use Walrus Oil's Cutting Board Oil for my cutting boards.

 

The man and the jar says Odie's is food safe. Also their web page talks about protecting floors with one coat for years while Walrus ($10 per gallon, not $60 for 9 oz) shows cutting boards and spoons. Walrus also talks about maintaining the finish occasionally.

Your redirect to Walrus helped me find interesting information. In addition to the "sand at 320 to 600" it suggested the sand-wet-sand final cleanup. I can see that using water to raise the last few imperfections makes sense.

Is Walrus a long-term protectant (like a serving tray would need) or a conditioner product designed to be reapplied for often-hammered/abused surfaces?

I wonder if my nephew, should I ever think this is ready as a gift, will ever appreciate how much money and effort I am putting into it ... mostly because I want to know.

 

Obviously on the cutting boards it's a repeat action item.. the Cutting board oil soaks in and protects the wood then the cutting board wax makes it smooth and shiny. You can likely use other products on a serving tray that would be less work long term but I don't have experience with them. I'm not sure about the food grade on the Walrus Oil Furniture Butter which seems to be a longer term product.

 

A serving try is probably not furniture, it seems, to Walrus. The junction of "permanent" and "food safe product" may be tricky.

Your guidance may or may not have provided a product, but provided contrast and sand-wet-sand method which openly invites more interest in other techniques.

Odie's is $45 on their site with free shipping but $60 in the store ... good thing I have not broken the seal on the jar.

 

Routers ...

Is a fixed palm router (granted with "micro adjustments") far too limited? For a .75 in thick maple serving tray end with routed handle groove it could be made to serve, but is it worth going 2x price and just get a good plunge router with 1/4 and 1/2 collet, because the palm/fixed will mostly be a trim router effectively?

 

If its a serving tray implying bowls, glasses, and such on it id personally poly it for better wear/protection.
One of those shark-coochie boards or however tf theyre pronounced where the cheese and crackers are right on the board itself id personally oil like a cutting board.

 

I would need to improve my technique for poly ... brushing roughly on for desks and personal (not for sale) night stands failed miserably. But at least I am willing to admit my previous failures.

Still, I would like to highlight the wood regardless. What oil/stain highlights walnut/red-oak/encased-by-soft-maple to full beauty?

 

im sold on salad bowl finish. Its food safe. But you do have to let it dry. I use them on wooden spoons, one coat the let it dry, then second coat. Ive wear tested the spoons and wife puts them in dishwasher, finish still holds up good. So with those extreme conditions it does quite well in my opinion.


For cutting boards i put one or two coats on cutting board let dry then the mineral oil. Till it looks good.