Replies

1. 
   fussy | Feb 20, 2007 07:02am | #1

   Cwalvoord,

   As long as you're using scraps to test, try boiled linseed oil.  It pops the grain on cherry, maple, quarter-sawn oak, and lots of other woods.  You can use poly, shellac, lacquer, etc. over it, or just put the glass on top.  Try it--you just might like it.

   There are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.

   1.  Let her think she's having her own way.

   2.  Let her have her own way. President  Lyndon Baines Johnson

2. 
   sapwood | Feb 20, 2007 07:29pm | #2

   A couple of years ago I did this very thing, only I didn't add the glass top. I found that any good penetrating type finish looked good. I think I finally used wipe on poly because of a time factor, or maybe it was shellac...... My log ends came out great. I might add that the finish sanding is as important as the finish you apply. I milled my logs first with a router then a belt sander. Finally I used progressive grits on my random orbit.

3. 
   forestgirl | Feb 20, 2007 07:55pm | #3

   Think of everything we do to minimize blotching and end-grain unsightliness, and then do the opposite. ;-)  e.g., you usually sand to a higher grit on end-grain, and use shellac as a washcoat, to prevent increased stain take-up, and you might dilute any oil-based stain.  So, sand with a lower grit, lose the shellac, use a concentrated stain.  Dye's would defeat your purpose one would think.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

1. 
   cwalvoord | Feb 20, 2007 08:39pm | #4

   Thanks for all the suggestions.Fussy - I will try some BLO tonight.Sapwood - I too have observed that the grain seems to look better the higher I sand. The harder parts of the rings seem to burnish and stand out more from the softer parts and the pores. On some particularly hard parts in the center of the tree the burnishing effect was visible after sanding with 60 grit! Oak is hard! BTW, how high did you sand your table?Forestgirl - I agree with your logic and suggestions except for the sanding part as noted above. You are correct about the dye - it seemed to do the opposite of what I wanted. I tried it because it was suggested for bringing out the figure in bird's eye maple in one of Jeff Jewitt's books.Thanks again for the suggestions and I will post some pics when it is finished.
   Chris

1. 
   sapwood | Feb 21, 2007 01:44am | #5

   I seldom sand beyond 220 except for wet sanding with oil type soak-in sand-a-bunch wipe-off do-it-all-again finishes. Then I use 400 or 600 and steel wool after the first time.