Shopsmith Forums

mickyd wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:21 am Go ahead Marc..... do the right half with the oil finish and leave the left side natural. You'll have the best of both worlds!

My choice for what is worth, apply a nice oil finish for looks. Yeah, I'm a cosmetic kinda guy as you veterans here know.

Interested in opinions on a stain only???

You know me, Mike, I'm not really much of a cosmetic guy for functional tools. Though I do love the looks of that 10ER you gave me.

But, I have been thinking I would like to see the wood grain in the benchtop a little more, but I don't want to take away from its ability to grab what I'm working on. Still, I always love to hear what you're thinking. After reading about your color selection process for this 10ER, I suspect that for a stain you are thinking something "burgundy"?

As for worrying about stains, grease, or glue, I saw a guy use brown paper when he was using spray on glue when he was making a jig - I thought that was a great idea and bought a roll. So, I expect to use and reuse cut pieces of that paper, or an expensive piece of scrap plywood, most of the time.

How about a “compromise” finish?

Lately I’ve been spraying my jigs & fixtures with clear satin lacquer. The stuff in a rattle can works fine. It brings out the grain without changing the color of the wood very much, so scratches and dings aren’t very noticeable. It applies easily and dries very quickly — just be sure to apply it outdoors or in a VERY well-ventilated space, as it’s chock-full of smelly & toxic VOC’s.

The lacquer penetrates enough to strengthen the wood surface and to protect it from liquids — at least the ones that are less aggressive solvents than lacquer thinner. And unlike polyurethane, a fresh coat of lacquer melts right into any existing coats, so refreshing a tired finish is easy. It’s not particularly slippery, and you can roughen it up with fine sandpaper if you wish. I usually apply two or three coats, sanding lightly with fine sandpaper between coats to knock off stray fuzz & fibers.

To see what it looks like over raw wood, check out the example WoodAnchor jigs and fixtures at toolquest.net. I finished most of those with spray lacquer.

Spray shellac?

JPG wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:14 amSpray shellac?

I use spray shellac sometimes, and it’s a whole lot more pleasant to use than lacquer. The thing is, I use denatured alcohol quite often as a cleaning solvent, and it will quickly dissolve shellac. So for a workbench, I’d choose lacquer for its better chemical resistance.

That dissolved shellac is soooo easy to 'repair'.

malakrowa wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:33 pm Its look perfect for me ! Very nice job.
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- David

DLB wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 5:25 pm

malakrowa wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:33 pm Its look perfect for me ! Very nice job.
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- David

There sure is. It is still there. The SPAMERS are getting even more creative.

DLB wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 5:25 pm

malakrowa wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:33 pm Its look perfect for me ! Very nice job.
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- David

No link present when approved. Edited in later.

beeg wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:10 pm

DLB wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 5:25 pm

malakrowa wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:33 pm Its look perfect for me ! Very nice job.
[Link Deleted]

Note that there is a link hidden in that post under the 'relevant'-ish text.

- David

No link present when approved. Edited in later.

Of course not. They have to get approved first. Then add the link later so it shows up sooner on a Google search.