Slab desk build

[John TenEyck]

I hear you John! I think the whole design would have benefited from a lot of 'lightening up'. I would have in fact routed the edges clean, and beveled the long edges underneath to lighten up the top.

I agree Prashun, that would have improved the looks a lot. But customers want what they think they want and until we are so famous that people will buy what we make because Prashun or John made it we'll just have to say "Yes, Ma'am, I can do that." Let me know when you get there !

John

[Pat Barry]

Thanks, Guys.

Pat, I started using BLO when I started making my own Danish oil. Most of the varnish products out there are a combination of varnish resin, mineral spirits, and possibly some oil. I found Flexner's book and Jeff Jewitt's writing very illuminating on how each of these components alters the finish. I learned a good deal (and continue to learn) from the guys on this forum (Steve, Howard, John T, Scott, Jim, and others). My hero is Mike Pekovitch from FWW. I hope to meet him some day.

I find that of all aspects of woodworking, there's the least understanding about finishing. A lot of reputable bloggers and podcasters out there, including Woodtalk and MWA, and FWW have all misspoken about varnish and oil/varnish blends. I'm surprised how many veteran woodworkers are intimidated by this aspect and end up making blanket statements like, "There's no reason to mix your own finish" or "Danish oil is a varnish".

I say, just get in there, mix your own and try things out. There's so much misleading or blanket information on this subject, that you can easily get turned around and confused.

When I get to finish part of the project I usually cringe and find something else to do while I work up the courage. Having a predictable process would help immensely.

[ron david]

When I get to finish part of the project I usually cringe and find something else to do while I work up the courage. Having a predictable process would help immensely.

that is the least part that you should worry about unless you have used some horrific stain that is not removable. most finishing fuddles can be remedied quite easily while still fresh. one can usually wash it off with the right thinners and start over
ron

[Jim Becker]

When I get to finish part of the project I usually cringe and find something else to do while I work up the courage. Having a predictable process would help immensely.

Pat, the "cure" for this is to work out the finishing regimen "off" the project. It's really important to go through all your intended steps on scrap first so you know exactly how each finishing step will affect the final result. And when coloration is involved, subsequent steps do affect the color, so you can't just assume that what it looks like with just the color step in place will be what you get. Working it out first will help to give you some confidence about what the result will be.