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I’m making a small end-table out of plain sawn white oak, and my wife would like a smooth surface. I did point out that the oak she likes so much doesn’t lend itself as well to smooth surfaces as, say, cherry, but that’s an argument I was never going to win anyway.
I’m hoping to put a very light color on the oak – probably a coat of a Danish Oil. Above that, a number of coats of dewaxed orange shellac (comes close to matching other colors in the room). My question is – should I fill the grain using one of the commercial pastes, or would it be better just to put a number of thin shellac coats on the piece, sanding back between coats. I’m fairly new to woodworking and don’t mind taking the time to make it right. I would appreciate any comments.
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Getting to a fully smooth finish on oak is going to be a lot of work, but the customer is always right.
Filling the pores with the top coat will take about forever so you probably should use a pore filler, such as Behlen's Pore O Pak. This comes in a "natural" color that is a pretty good oak match, but you might want to tone it a bit with pigment to emphasis the figure of the pores. Be sure to test on scrap, including applying top coat, to see how it looks.
The pore filler is applied by brushing it on with a disposable brush and then as it starts to set up (turns dull) wipping it off across the grain with a plastic scraper or a coarse fabric such as burlap. A final wipe down with a soft cloth gets more of the material off of the surface. After it cures for three days any residual on the surface,as opposed to in the pores, can be sanded. For oak a second application is recommended since the material will shrink some.
There are also water based fillers that set up faster, which is not always a advantage if it gets away from you. I've not used these so can't comment more.
*Steve, Thanks for your tip on using grain filler on oak. I am a beginning woodworker and to get started, I bought an unfinished spindle chair made of red oak. I applied one coat of Behlen's Pore I Pa to the chair bottom last night and another one this morning. After the second filler coat had dried, the wood surface seemed a bit rough. I was worried that I had messed up the finish by applying that second filler. Glad to know I sand off the surface later.
*I read an article a couple of years ago written by an expert finisher and he filled the pores in an oak table by using a squeegee (the rubber kind you clean windows with) to level a poly finish. Do as many coats as it takes to fill the pores - probably not too many.
*i have used Crystalac clear grainfiller- allows the natural finish to be smooth in porous woods. You can order it from http://www.mcfeelys.com
*Jeff Jewitt has used the Crystolac clear filler in his business, and can answer any questions you might have. He also includes it in his catalog. His site is http://www.homesteadfinishing.com
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