Best Finish for 1/4-sawn OAK

[Kashka-Kat (Guest)]

What will make the rays stand out and make quarter sawn oak look spectacular? I just put one coat of water lox tung oil on it and maybe its too soon to judge, but it looks kind of blah. Is it too late to put some kind of stain on it? Would that give the grain more oomph?

Someone was telling me I should've filled the pores first-- I didn't do that thinking I would lose the texture and the natural look of the wood, but now I'm wondering if I should've?


thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

[Tina (Guest)]

I"ve heard that a French polish makes the rays stand out on any type wood gives it depth...I can't tell ya how to do that but there are lots of books on finishing woods including that, hope this helps.

[barbsiddiqui]

I would sure like to see your pictures...after you've uploaded the file and been given an html for it, you have to copy and paste that address into your message. Try it again. And welcome to the forum! -BarbS

[barbsiddiqui]

You really got the rays to stand out on the
quartersawn oak. With all those coats of
different tung oils and Watco Danish, how
long altogether did that finishing process
take you? Thanks for the photos.

[barbsiddiqui]

I'd always heard that a project should be planned
out as taking 1/2 a builder's time for the construction,
and 1/2 the time for the finishing. You've achieved
fantastic results with your method, and it gives any
woodworker a guideline for finishing to advantage with
quartersawn oak. Thanks for contributing here. -BarbS

[JohnP]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-02-05 AT 07:19PM (CDT)

Barb, my grandfather (who hand built furniture, he died in the late 1950"s at 75) used the rule that for every hour of contruction, you would spend one hour for finishing. Keep in mind this was in the day where is only power tool was his arm. The time today might be as mush as 2 hours for finishing for every hour of construction.
JohnP

[Johanna]

That's depressing -- I may never finish that Shaker chest! Of course, when you can only work an hour or two a few days a week, it does take forever to complete a project.

I had hoped to complete the remaining drawers last Sunday, but the discovery that mice had been shacking up in my shop realigned my priorities.

All I have to do is fit the bottoms into three drawers. Unless something else interrupts, I'll get that done this coming weekend -- and maybe get the insides of the drawers shellacked, too.

Johanna - in the Land of Enchantment

[Johanna]

welcome to the forum, Rod! Nice to have you.

Johanna - in the Land of Enchantment

[barbsiddiqui]

Mice! It is Such a nuisance when you have to stop woodworking
to do cleanup chores, isn't it? Maybe a cat? heh.
I'm interested in Rod's finishing time because I had heard that about half/and/half for a project, and one of my worst flaws is rushing the finishing job just to complete the project. It takes real self discipline to do it right. Seeing Rod's results on white oak is an inspiration. And John P., do you mean to tell me you spend all that time on your birdhouse kits? :P just kidding. In spite of all I have learned the hard way in woodworking, the one thing I have yet to do is make myself slow down and aim for the perfect finish.
And Johanna, your Shaker chest is going to be beautiful.
-BarbS

[pampine]

I think the trick is having some place to set aside the finishing projects. That way you can get on with building other work, spending a few minutes a day on the finish without trying to rush it.

Pam