anand@utastro.UUCP (Anand Sivaramakrishnan) (06/26/85)
[] I am in the process of making some furniture, I made a box for my puppy as a warmup exercise (I did say that I was inexperienced), then a maple king-sized bed. I am contemplating making a second bed (smaller), and some heavy padded chairs (not all done up in upholstery, but with straight legs and back, patterned after some chairs I saw in a museum here in Austin). I am looking for cheap hardwoods to do these in. I learnt from a friend of mine that cypress is a relatively inexpensive but very strong wood. His ceiling is done is thick planking of cypress. He said it was what Old Ironsides (U.S.S. Constitution?) was made out of. Cypress is a nice colour, much darker than the white of maple. I would be very interested in learning about other woods. Could people post articles about their favourite woods, and how they finish them? I have not finished the maple bed, as I still do not know what I'd like to do with it (or what I can do, even). I thought of oiling it, I've heard about tung oil, linseed oil and some synthetic (?) Danish oils. I know little about the merits and demerits of these... Why is most maple stained a reddish or yellowish colour?
mauney@ncsu.UUCP (Jon Mauney) (06/28/85)
Wood:
Cherry is the absolute best domestic hardwood. It is beautiful,
available in large boards, and not excessively expensive. However,
if you'd rather use something else, that's fine because that will
leave more cherry available for me.
Ash is a very nice light-colored wood. Strong, easy to work,
not expensive.
What I really recommend is to go to a good hardwood store and
rummage through the stock. (Does Austin Hardwoods have a store in
Austin?) Finding a wood you like the looks and price of is easier
if you can actually see the choices.
Finish:
I am sold on Watco brand Danish Oil. It is a proprietary
mix of oils and driers. It is very easy to apply (slop it on,
let it soak in, wipe the excess) and gives a beatiful finish.
It is not waterproof.
For a surface coating I like the paste varnish from the Bartley
Collection. It is very easy and gives a nice finish. I haven't
figured it out, but I expect it is more expensive than other
varnishes, since quite a bit is wasted.
An article in Fine WoodWorking described a mixture of polyurethane
and oil over Danish Oil, to give a beautiful and durable finish for
tables. I haven't tried it.
Making finish samples is a good idea. Buy small quantities
of several finishes -- Watco, Formby's Tung Oil, shellac, varnish --
and finish squares of the wood in question. You can then see
what it really looks like, and you can test whether the finish will
resist wet wine glasses or whatever accidents you anticipate.
--
Jon Mauney, mcnc!ncsu!mauney
North Carolina State University
(how much wood could a woodbutcher butcher,
if a woodbutcher could butcher wood?)