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1. 
   Rob_Millard | Sep 08, 2001 06:48pm | #1

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   This is my approach to finishing Birdseye Maple.I've not worked with a burl before, but I think this will work . Sanding is the most important step. I normally hand plane everything, but birdseye maple is an exception, so I sand up to 220 with a R/O sand, and follow with hand sanding to 320 grit. I use aniline dyes, a combination of honey or amber maple, with a touch of brown mahogany works well (sorry, even though it breaks every finishing rule, I don’t keep records of my “recipes”) Put on a weak dye solution and let dry, and sand this off, leaving the eyes darker than the rest of the maple. Apply an even more diluted dye, and sand when dry to remove the raised grain. If you cut through to bare wood, put on another coat of the diluted dye. Then I use golden brown Trans Tint Dye (Homestead Finishing Products) in Tried and True Danish oil, to pop the grain, two coats is enough. I mix the oil/dye fairly weak, so that it only tints the finish. Follow this after a few days drying time, with some dewaxed dark shellac. For a table top, I’d put only one thin coat of the shellac, and follow this with Behlens Rock Hard Table Top Varnish. This stuff isn’t easy to work with, and it takes forever to dry, but it is tough and looks great when rubbed out. I’ve had people mistake my varnish finishes for French polish. I have attached a photo of a dressing mirror I made showing birdseye maple finished as I just described. Ignore the knobs, I made this as an entry for a magazine listing, and the accurate knobs were on back order, and did not arrive in time, so I had to use these second rate ones for the photo.