Oak Ply bookcase suggestions

[Rick Moyer]

I am pretty new to wookworking and very inexperienced at finishing. Most anything I've done so far has just polyurethaned. I am attempting to build an oak plywood (sides,shelves,back,etc.) bookcase and would like your suggestions on finishing it. I will be using oak boards for face-framing the case and trim as well as the fronts of the shelves, but the carcass will be oak hardwood ply.

I know I should get some books on finishing (I will), but thought you could get me started in the right direction. I also would like to know the pros/cons of the different approaches you suggest.

Thank you to all who respond.

edit: I should mention that I do have a 30 gal. compressor but no HVLP spray set up. I would likely do any finishing by hand. Also, should I finish before assembly or after? I guess that's probably a personal preference?

[Doug Shepard]

You're going to want some sort of grain filler first. Either an actual paste wood filler or maybe a few coats of dewaxed shellac (Behlens Seal-Kote (sp?)) then sanded smooth. Otherwise the open pores on the oak will leave a pretty rough surface. I used Minwax Wipe On Poly on my oak bookshelves and it worked well. Mine are similar to your's except no face frame - just oak edging all the way around the front opening and shelf edges.

[Ed Peters]

and have never used grain filler. After final sanding to 120 grit on a random orbit sander I stain if required, then spray 2 to 3 wet coats of gloss lacquer to achieve a smooth surface. I then lightly buff with purple scotchbrite pad prior to the last coat of lacquer with the appropriate gloss and call it a job.

Ed

[Rick Moyer]

Thanks for the responses.
Doug--I though I read that filler for oak was to reduce the dark coloration of the open pores. So you say to use either de-waxed shellac or some other filler first, sand, then you finish with poly, correct?

Ed--How much of a learning curve should I expect to spray lacquer well(assuming I've never used a spray gun), and I assume you would use a HVLP gun?

[Doug Shepard]

The filler will actually usually darken the pores slightly unless you get a perfect color match. Anything that can get those pores filled will work, even multiple coats of poly. It's just that poly is tougher to sand back smooth. Both my oak ply bookshelves were just straight poly and I've always regretted not using the grain filler on them. I did a couple smaller oak ply desktop shelf cubbys where I used the filler, sanded smooth, then used the poly over that. Those came out silky smooth in comparison to the rougher bookshelves.

[Joseph N. Myers]

Rick,

I've built maybe 10+ oak bookcases and have finished them with Watco Danish Oil with great luck. Oak plywood sides, shelves, back, etc., with oak facing. Never used grain filler on them but did sand them to 180g. I used famowood oak wood filler and screws plugging all screw holes.

See "Watco Danish Oil" http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=71953 for more information.

HTH, Joe

[keith ouellette]

One thing I have learned (the hard way) Is to match the color of you oak wood with the color of your oak plywood. I mean the actual wood color not the stain. If the wood for the frame is darker than the plywood then that will show up with most stain colors.

[Ken Shoemaker]

It just so happens I'm finishing a bookcase I built for my daughter's Christmas. I used BLO and let it dry for a week. This moring I thinned ARM-R-SEAL 50/50 with mineral spirits and wiped it on with a clean tee shirt. I have three coats on so far and it really does it in VERY thin coats. What I like about it is that the wood still looks like wood instead of wood that has been covered with plastic. After the first two caots I VERY LIGHTLY wiped the case down with 4O steel wool. The finish is coming out really nice. I have never done this before but I think it is becoming my standard. I like the way the wood looks as the finish builds.

BTW - Special thanks to Jim Becker for his guidance on this project.

[John Leipold]

It just so happens I'm finishing a bookcase I built for my daughter's Christmas. I used BLO and let it dry for a week. This moring I thinned ARM-R-SEAL 50/50 with mineral spirits and wiped it on with a clean tee shirt. I have three coats on so far and it really does it in VERY thin coats. What I like about it is that the wood still looks like wood instead of wood that has been covered with plastic. After the first two caots I VERY LIGHTLY wiped the case down with 4O steel wool. The finish is coming out really nice. I have never done this before but I think it is becoming my standard. I like the way the wood looks as the finish builds.

BTW - Special thanks to Jim Becker for his guidance on this project.

Which ARM-R-SEAL were you using? Satin, Semi or Gloss?

TIA

[Rob Amadon]

Just so everyone knows, Arm-r-seal is a polyurethane varnish that is already thinned for use as a wipe on finish. According to the manufacturer (General Finish) it is 40% to 80% thinner or solvent. I would guess closer to 80%. So if you thin it by 50% you end up with very little solids left once the solvents evaporate.

While this doesn't hurt anything you should be aware that it will probably take 6 or more coats to achieve the same dry film thickness that you would get with one brushed on coat of normal strength varnish. There really is no need to thin it any further than it comes in the can. Applied at full strength Arm-r-seal would still require 3 coats to get the dry film thickness of one coat of regular varnish brushed on.

Rob

[Al Killian]

Two to three coats of dewaxed shellac will fill the pore of the oak. Just remember to sand with 400 grit between each coat. This will cut done on the amount of poly you have to aplly to get the flat finish. I have been using target coatings lately and realy enjoy them. Lacquer works great for bookcases.

[glenn bradley]

and have never used grain filler. After final sanding to 120 grit on a random orbit sander I stain if required, then spray 2 to 3 wet coats of gloss lacquer to achieve a smooth surface. I then lightly buff with purple scotchbrite pad prior to the last coat of lacquer with the appropriate gloss and call it a job.

Ed

I agree the grain filler is a preference, not a requirement. If you have seen finished oak products that have a grain feel to them, these were not filled. If they are very smooth, a filler was probably used. The finish itself can fill grain as well if a thick enough film is built up and the finish is sanded between coats.

As to color matching, your thin veneer on the ply will stain differently than the solids. Testing on scraps and carefully documenting your sanding and finishing protocol will allow you to get a good repeatable match. Don't scrimp on the samples and don't take shortcuts on the protocol or results will be unpredictable.

Temper all this with your tolerance for what is an acceptable 'difference' to you. You don't have to kill yourself to get a good looking piece but it does take some care and effort.

[Joe Chritz]

Never being a huge poly fan I almost always go with Waterlox original if I am going to use a wipe on finish.

The phenolic varnish is much warmer looking than any poly and unless you are walking on it you really don't need poly's strengths.

Regular shellac would be fine for a bookcase unless it is going to get very heavy use. Most of the time the book just kinda sit there not doing much.

I don't use grain fillers on oak. Yes it isn't glass smooth but that is a function of the wood, not the finish. A table top I would fill but not much else.

Spray finishes are another animal all together.


Joe

[Rick Moyer]

Some of my hardwood pieces are diferently shaded than the ply pieces. The challenge will be to try to somewhat match them better. I have several Minwax stains available. Can I mix these to try to even out the differences? I am wondering if I can use different mixtures of stain on different areas to even out the overall coloring of the bookcase?

I have BLO,stains,shellac,and USL available to use for the finish. I might not use the BLO since I need to try to color match, or should I put that on first, stain, shellac, then USL?

[Rob Amadon]

Rick,
Whatever you do try it on samples first. Try the BLO on a test piece and one without. Both the hardwood and the plywood. After you decide that I would proceed (no matter which way you decide to go) by dying (not staining) the lighter of the two (hardwood & ply) to match the other. This will take some experimentation unless you are very lucky, so you may want to have plenty of samples to use. Then use your topcoat of choice. You don't need the shellac between the stain or dye and the USL. I would just use shellac myself, plenty durable enough for a bookshelf and much easier to repair if it is ever damaged.

Rob