Jarrah slab dining table

I am at the point of selecting a finish for a new jarrah slab dining table (1900x900x90)which I am making, and the more I read the more confused I become. I wanted to use Cabots "Cabothane" satin, with a shellac sealing coat, as I have used it before on a Brazilian Mahogany coffee table. However, having just bought Neil's book I am having second thoughts. I like polyurethane because of its ease of application and end-use properties, but agree with Neil that the "feel" of the timber is lost. I have tried sample pieces with hard burnishing oil sanded in wet with a 1/3 sheet orbital sander and liked the look, but the surface marked when wet glasses were were put on it. I also tried samples with Organoil wax both over the oil and straight on to the raw timber. Both areas naturally didn't take warm plates too kindly. Where do I go from here to come up with a durable easy to apply finish that looks good. I don't have a spray unit, but will hire one if nitrocellulose is the finish of choice. How durable is it in service? The surface has been taken down to 1200 grit, so it's ready to go. It's a magnificent piece of timber so I don't want to end up with a second-rate finish.

Mike

Weak white shellac base as a sanding sealer, sand with 1200, then use the poly. Try thinning it with turps and wiping on a couple or 3 coats then finish with EEE-Ultra Shine to cut out any blemishes and give that soft sensual feel. You may need to wet sand with 1200 grit or higher prior to the EEE. If you do, put a drop or 2 of dish detergent in the water as a wetting agent.

Poly is about the only readily available durable finish without spraying or using one of the very plastic epoxy type finishes. You might get away with Danins Oil but about the only on to really work is Rustins and it needs a lot of work and time to get a good finish.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

PS You really need a GOOD random orbital to make the oil finishes like Organoil work. An orbital is really just a waste of time.

Organoil's wax is nothing more than beeswax and turps. Not a good wax. Use something with a bit of guts and avoid beeswax which attracts dust and fingermarks and melts at around body temperature.

Most waxes and oils will mark with water and heat.

My own slab table is finished with Wattyl Estapol Tung Oil which is a mixture of tung and polyurethane. It took about 5 coats after a sealer of shellac and a fair bit of sanding in between. I've recently finished it with eee and the final product is great. Being a floor finish it is as tough as nails and I'm happy that it hasn't ended up looking and feeling like plastic. It is comparable the better sprayed nitro finishes I've seen.