Originally Posted by
Scott Holmes
Dewaxed garnet shellac would get you close... colorwise. then I would top coat with a good varnish.
IMHO poly is not a good varnish, unless you need extreme abraision resistence, e.g. a FLOOR.
A phenolic resin varnish will also give you about the same color and is much harder than the poly. Behlen's Rockhard Table Top varnish and Waterlox are both phenolic resin varnishes. If you have a choice of either, I would use the Waterlox Original it's available in gloss and satin. I give the advantage to the Waterlox because it's made from tung oil and tung oil's real claim to fame is; that varnish made from tung oil is more waterproof than varnish made from linseed oil.