Replies

1. 
   Danford_C._Jennings | Feb 19, 2002 12:23am | #1

   *
   Charles,

   i ...but in that case I'll use an oil not film finish.

   I believe you already found the answer...Even a spar varnish will eventually "crack" along the joint...

   Dano

1. 
   Sgian_Dubh | Feb 19, 2002 04:47am | #2

   *There is no solution if you use a film forming finish in such situations. The solution is to omit the breadboard, or not use a film finish. If you are are making a table for heavy duty use, e.g., kitchen or dining table, then the obvious solution is to omit the breadboard, which is no more than decorative anyway,.....assuming the table is otherwise soundly constructed. If you want the aesthetic appearance of a breadboard, use it on tables that don't get a severe testing, such as hall tables, sofa tables, etc., or if you must use it on hard worked tables, apply a soft finish such as oil and accept the fact that it must be scrubbed and re-oiled every few months to keep on looking pristine. Another approach with breadboard ends is to apply no finish of any sort. This works pretty well with rusticated looking 'country' furniture made out of oak, ash, pine, chestnut, etc., of which most of the arts and crafts styles fall into. If you go for the last approach there are plenty of precedents, this being a typical Victorian English approach. When the top gets grungy, slop a bucket of hot water on the top and scrub the hell out of it. Let it dry and knock off the roughness with a bit of 180 grit paper, and proceed to make it grungy again. As I understand it, Alan Peters dines of just such a beast in chestnut at his home in Devon, or so he said the last time I talked to him. Slainte, RJ.