Finishing Tassy Oak

Hey Guys

I am just about to complete construction of my fisrt big project, and I need to sort out how I am going to finish it. Todate I have never done any finishing and I am looking for advice on what to do. The project is an enty table for our house and it will be used every day. Please see the attached pictures.

If possible I would like to keep (and or enhance) the colour of the wood. If possible the surface should be durable. I would also like to go for a low sheen finish.

Any advice would helpfull

Cheers

James

Hi there

I had exactly this same question when I made my first Tassie Oak piece. I ended up mixing some Linseed Oil with Minwax Wipe on Poly Satin, and I reckon it came up pretty good.

HTH

Hey Wongdai

Thanks for the rapid response. Just few more questions. . . .

What grit of sandpaper did you go down to?
What was the ratios of oil to wax you used?
Is there any trick to mixing them (ie heat)?
What did you use to apply it with?
How many coats?
Did you wipe the excess off?

Sorry for all the question, I am really new to this area.

Cheers and thanks for responding

james

Hi James

I'm probably the wrong person to ask, as there are others on this forum much more knowledgeable than myself.

However, until someone else pipes up:

I went up to my highest sandpaper grit, which I think is 240.

I didn't get so scientific as ratios. :) I had some old linsee oil that was a golden colour, and so I mixed it in with the poly until it looked a nice colour that would complement the timber. I would say maybe 25% linseed oil?

No trick to mixing them. Just poured them both into a jar and stirred it up.

I went for four coats, and I wiped off the excess.

HTH

Wongdai

Nice table :2tsup:
I cant wait until I start using hardwoods to make project! !
Im not confident enough to start using them yet, alot to learn

James,

Sometime ago, I completed a small project using Tasmanian Oak. I sanded the timber through the grits up to 320, then used Ubeaut's White Shellac (thinned 50/50 with methylated spirits) as a primer/sealer. The final finish was two coats of Minwax wipe-on poly satin, with a light sanding using 400 grit between the coats. This procedure darken the timber to a "wet look". I can't remember the colour of the timber with just the shellac (which is a timber finish in its own right).


Carbatec distributes Ubeaut's White Shellac.


HTH

Mike

I love the way when I have a question this forum seems to have the answers at just the right time. I am about to start making some bedroom furniture with tassy oak and was not sure on how to finish it as well. My sister just got a new tassy oak bed delivered that apparently had a light oak stain to make the timber look the same and had a matt finish on it that had a citrus smell about it. Can anyone guess what it may be as the finish was exactly how I wanted my furniture to turn out. Anyway sorry to hijack your thread and good luck. I will be watching closely.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BTman

I love the way when I have a question this forum seems to have the answers at just the right time. I am about to start making some bedroom furniture with tassy oak and was not sure on how to finish it as well. My sister just got a new tassy oak bed delivered that apparently had a light oak stain to make the timber look the same and had a matt finish on it that had a citrus smell about it. Can anyone guess what it may be as the finish was exactly how I wanted my furniture to turn out. Anyway sorry to hijack your thread and good luck. I will be watching closely.

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Might this have been orange tung oil?

I useed Feast and Watson Scandanavian Oil to finish the table top in the photo - its tassie oak with Brazillian Bloodwood edging. (Ignore the legs, they arnt part of this table!!)

In this case i sanded to 4000, then applied the oil as per the cans instructions.

G'day James.

Very nice first project!

You pretty much have a choice between an "in the surface" finish and an "on the surface" finish. Oil is in the surface; pretty much everything else (polyurethane, shellac), is on the surface.

There is a lot of information on this forum on how to do the various finishes. Whichever you pick, read up as much as possible on it and do some practice on scraps. Stick with same finish for the first few projects - it takes a while to get the feel for a particular finish. Everyone has their own slight variation in the way they apply any given product. If you read enough you'll get a feel for the underlying basics running through the various methods.

Oil is usually the most fool proof for beginners. It is less durable but is easier to repair. I like the look of satin polyurethane on Vic Ash - I think it brings out the colour and character in the wood better but it takes a little bit more skill to get a professional looking result.

Good luck

Regards

Gerard

I guess it depends upon what sort of finish you want. Just finished this project for dearly beloved. Timber was sanded, 120, 240, 400, 800. Then 10 coats of water based clear in a satin finish - no sanding in between. Then sanded with 120 until all shiny spots had disappeared, then 240, 400, 800, 1500. Finally using the random orbital sander with a felt pad buffed with Kitten [automotive] no 2 cut & polish. Finally buffed with lambswool buffer on the ROS.

Came up a treat

Hey Guys

Thanks for the volume and the speed of feed back. I have a few things to think about. I will keep you posted on what I decide on and how it turns out.

Cheers

James

James,

I had similar questions about a Vic Ash tv cabinet I am completing. Can't stand the yellow/orange colour that results from using polyurethane and decided eventually to use Rustin's Danish Oil, with a final coat of wax. So far have applied 3 coats of the DO (contains a lot of tung oil) and it looks great - the timber has darkened a little (which I wanted) and the grain is nicely highlighted. Presently the colour is broadly similar to English Oak. I sanded to 1200 grit before oiling and was worried about it not penetrating, but my concerns were groundless. According to another helpful forumite you could use pure tung oil but i couldn't face the 4 day drying time between coats).
Btw, I have used Feat Watson Scandanavian Oil and liked it but I think it does contain polyurethane.

You might find it better when doing multiple coats to use gloss for the first few coats and just finish it with a satin. You get the satin finish but it is not as cloudy - they put stuff in gloss to take out the shine. I use this method with wipe on poly and it does not muddy the grain.

Hey Guys

Thanks for all the tips and feed back on this project. For my first project it was fun and I feel that I have learnt a lot (mainly from making mistakes). I ended up going with this product "Minwax Wipe on Poly Satin". I like the it fisnish. I have added some photos, please take a look and provide feedback. PS, there is a few issues with the build, most of which resulted from a mid project design change. Thats why there is some cuts in the legs.

Anyway, thats what this hobby is all about

James