Finishing

The Way Wood Works: Birch This affordable wood is great for both high-end and utilitarian cabinetry. By Tim Johnson Birch is a hot item at the lumberyard these days, and birch veneer is the [...]

For the August 2012 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, I built a reproduction of a Gustav Stickley No. 74 Book Rack. It’s a great piece in a couple of ways: It is useful and nice looking, and [...]

20 Finishing Tips Purchase the complete version of this woodworking technique story from AWBookstore.com. Make dewaxed shellac Take the wax out of shellac and you have a great sealer that’s [...]

Basic HVLP Spray Techniques How to succeed at spraying a waterborne finish Purchase the complete version of this woodworking technique story from AWBookstore.com. When it comes to finishing, [...]

The answer is “no.” What’s the question? “Doesn’t (oil, tallow, paraffin, beeswax, snake squeezins, earwax, monkey fat) interfere with finishing?” Still, the answer is “no” – unless you are using [...]

Quartersawn white oak begs for a fumed finish just as was used on many original Stickley projects. Learn the steps to a traditional finish process.

Iron Out Those Dents Here’s a classic tip that everyone should know: It’s not hard to make a dent in wood and fortunately, it’s not hard to get one out, either. All you need is [...]

Aged Cherry Finish Wipe on years of age in a few easy steps. By Tim Johnson If you want to make a woodworker gnash his teeth, ask him to make new cherry look like cherry that has aged naturally [...]

I was lucky enough to be Bob Flexner’s editor for ‘Wood Finishing 101’. Throughout the process he and I both came back to the value of the images that would be in the book. [...]

Tips for Finishing Walnut THERE’S NO DENYING that most walnut looks great with nothing more than a few coats of oil. Here we’ll show you some tricks to make your walnut projects look even better. [...]

Here’s how to cut through all the confusion about oil, tung oil and wiping varnish. By Bob Flexner Finishing is a mystery to most woodworkers, but it’s not because finishes are [...]

Several readers have asked some questions about the Shaker Wall Cupboard I built for the February 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine (mailing now to subscribers). Here are the answers. [...]