Replies

1. 
   GillesHap | Oct 16, 2006 12:23am | #1

   Hey!

   Sorry, I don't but I am looking at building one myself.  I'm looking for ideas.  Do you have pictures of your piece?  I'd be interested in getting the answer to your question as well.

   Gilles

2. 
   Rich14 | Oct 16, 2006 12:44am | #2

   Sponge,

   It all comes down to what you expect from the look of the finish and the amount of use/abuse the surface of the table will get.

   My choice for a dining room table is lacquer, rubbed out to a semi-gloss or gloss finish because a dining table is usually a piece of furniture first and a dining surface second. When used, it often is protected by a pad, and is used for decorative reaseons the rest of the time.

   If the table is going to get a lot of use, without a pad and, especially with children, I would finish with varnish and my choice is Behlens Rock Hard. I use 4 to 5 applications, each sanded smooth between applications at least a week apart. The final coat is sanded then rubbed out after at least a month to harden.

   Rich

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Oct 16, 2006 12:59am | #3

   I'll second these recommendations.

1. 
   PlaneAround | Oct 16, 2006 07:08am | #5

   I've made a few dining room tables over the past few years and in every case, used urethane.  For the first two, (cherry) which were done before I got into spraying finishes, I laid on 2 coats of their quick-drying poly, which I brushed on, followed by 2 coats of Minwax wipe-on poly with a rag.  For the last table (oak; photo attached)  I first used filler then stained the piece, followed by 4 coats of Fuhr waterborne urethane that I sprayed on with my Lemmer conversion HVLP gun and the finish was excellent.  See the attached photo, showing me in the portable spray booth that I set up in my shop whenever I'm spraying finished.

   I should mention that  I subsequently purchased a Fuji HVLP turbine system, which I find works even better than my conversion gun.  In addition, this coming week I am going to try Target Finishing's waterborne shellac and their urethane on a dresser I'm working on, to see how well they'll will work for me.

   Marty S.

   Edited 10/16/2006 12:10 am ET by Marty_Sawdust_Eater

   
1. 
   SteveSchoene | Oct 16, 2006 02:55pm | #6

   The table looks nice.

   YOu should be aware that the oil based finish on your earlier pieces is nothing like the waterborne finish on the later piece, even though the finishes may have been labeled urethane.  The waterborne is basically an acrylic that will have roughly the protective qualities of a good lacquer, though it shouldn't yellow over time. Nothing wrong with that at all,  I'm just emphasizing the point that waterborne and oil based, both containing some polyurethane resin in the formulation, are much more different from each other that two oil based varnishes, one with polyurethane and the other with only a traditional resin.  

1. 
   PlaneAround | Oct 16, 2006 03:27pm | #7

   Steve,

     The differences in oil-based and waterborne finishes are certainly stark, aren't they?  This point is really well covered in Bob Flexner's new book "Understanding Wood Finishing".  To that end, my statement that I have moved to waterborne finishes exclusively is somewhat misleading, as I have had to continue using oil-based finishes, to match pieces I had previously done in oil-based finishes.

     I am beginning to experiment with the use of dyes to tint the waterborne shellac, to give my pieces that oiled look and would like to hear from others that have been doing the same thing.

   Marty S

2. 
   user-83153 | Nov 08, 2006 05:44am | #8

   I would like someone who uses water-borne "shellac" to tell me why they would go through the trouble of dyeing it instead of just using real shellac that comes in many different grades (colors) already.  Especially when you get to pay more for what is almost surely an inferior product.

      Thanks, Rob

   Edited 11/8/2006 8:47 am ET by Rob A.

3. 
   chappy | Oct 16, 2006 06:45am | #4

   Please post pictures of your table.  Which parts are Cherry?