I am looking for some ideas on finishing a African Mahogany side table I am making. I was just curious what some of your favorite finishing techniques for mahogany are. I will probably select a few, try them out on some scrap, and see what I like. Thanks in advance for your time.
Edited 7/7/2007 7:09 pm ET by miller
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There are lots and lots of ways to finish mahogany. Your first choice is whether to fill pores or not. Formal furniture tends to want filled pores. Filled pores also implies a fill finish on top, and usually some kind of stain, even if nothng more than tinting the pore filler to match the coloration you want.
Casual furniture can look nice with open pores. In the wood finishes, typically an oil/varnish mix might be used. You can also use a light film finish, such as a wiping varnish, though I think heavy film finishes without pore filling tend to look quite unattractive.
Mahogany can be left natural without stain or without more than a light dye to pull the various tones together. But if antique looks are sought, mahogany can be died quite dark. It can also be treated to create the kind of highlights that are seen on some museum furniture from several centuries past.
With all this range, it might be helpful to describe the context in which the side table will be used. What does the rest of the room look like, for example.
I started out making this table as a gift for my sister and brother in law. This by far has turned out to be the best project I have ever done. The joinery is a perfect fit, everything has just fallen together square and straight. I am not sure I will be able to give this thing away. If I do give this project to my sister I am not sure which room she will put it in.
The only way I have ever finished Mahogany before is with tung oil and some wipe on poly. I like the way it turned out, but I would like this to be maybe a little darker. I am going to experiment a lot before I go throwing finish on this project. I have never filled the pores, and I am not sure I have ever seen a piece to know the difference.
I recently posted this same question,I made a chest of drawers out of African Mahog.,I was worried about putting on a finish I didn't like,but I wanted to darken the wood a "hair".But in the end I just put on Formby's low gloss Tung Oil finish(a wiping varnish)An way it turned out awesome,it darkend the wood to my liking(I've been told it will get a little darker with age also)and it is so easy to apply.
On an entertainment credenza that I did in Ribbon-stripe Mahognay, I used several coats of Waterlox, but in lieu of using a traditional grain filler, I used pumice stone and burlap.
Put on a heavy wet coat of oil for the first coat, and then sprinkle the surface with pumice. Take some burlap or a heavy cloth and start rubbing. You will get a slurry to work into the pores. Let it sit a bit, and then gently wipe off the excess.
For the second coat, I wet sand with 400 grit. After that things should be looking good. A couple more coats of oil, and then a nice coat wax to bring up the lustre.
This is a nice comprimise between a filled and non filled finish--it gives a nice contemporary look to the piece.
Peter
www.jpswoodworking.com
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