Zebra wood help

[Betsy Yocum]

A friend gave me some Zebra wood last Christmas - just now found a use for it. Care to guess what that use is???? - Ok - yes it's a box.

Anyway - This piece of wood has pores bigger than Texas. It's obvious that I'll need to use a grain filler of some sort. What are your suggestions? After filling - what would you use to finish it off?

Thanks for your help.

Betsy

[Jim Becker]

Grain filler goes on in the middle of the finishing process...you don't apply it to bare wood. It's available in clear (what I'd use unless you are going for an effect that accentuates the grain/pores) and in colors. Behlens Pore-O-Pac is a popular version. You need to first seal the wood with shellac, lacquer or varnish. Then you apply the filler per the instructions. A very light sanding to level things and then you move on to the rest of your preferred finishing regimen.

[Betsy Yocum]

Many thanks Jim!

[Michael Stafford]

Betsy, everything that Jim told you is 100% accurate. That said when I use zebra wood for a box I do no fill the pores. For me the tactile nature of the woods I use are as much an experience for the owner as how the wood looks. I have on many occasions just used an oil/varnish mixture rubbed out between coats with a non-abrasive pad to get a smooth as glass finish and not worried about filling the pores. Of course, to each his or her own....