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A simple approach to this classic finishing technique. Finishing options abound in the woodworking world, however with Arts & Crafts style pieces, you need to get the finish right to complete [...]

Did I mention there would be a quiz? Here are 20 questions, together with the answers, based on my articles from Popular Woodworking. If you have been reading regularly, you should do well. For [...]

Finishing the plugs for covering screw holes is a pain. When you run a brush or rag over them after they’re installed, they’ll probably cause the finish to run or drip. Finishing them [...]

Take a walk on the wild side of finishing. I’ve got six good reasons to skip the stain and polyurethane on your next small project: bleached, blended, charred, marbled, salt and pepper, and iron [...]

Waterlox is a mainstay for furniture makers. Follow these steps to get a deep glow, a buttery-smooth surface and unmatched protection.

My finishing turntable is perfect for spraying large parts or projects. To make the device, I mounted five fixed 3-1/2” casters on a plywood panel. They’re equally spaced in a 16” diameter [...]

A simple test reveals ideal pressure for atomization. Spray guns can run off a compressor or a turbine. With turbines the air pressure is established by the number of “stages,” usually two, three [...]

Finding a felt-tip marker or touch-up stick that actually matches the color of your project is a real crapshoot. What if you could make your own, using your own stain? You can, using the Perfect [...]

Fictional ‘incidents’ give a piece a believable back story. In Part 1 I gave an overview of creating an aged look for new pieces of furniture, and discussed mechanical wear. The second prevalent [...]

Once an inaccuracy gets started, it becomes almost impossible to correct. “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on,” said Winston Churchill (or [...]

Adding wear and tear to a piece is like writing a convincing tale of fiction. It’s your day off. So, you go into your shop to make a new piece of furniture. How do you want it to look …

While Flax Oil, Shellac, and Tung oil are all good transparent finishes for students, what if you want to cover up the appearance of the natural wood instead? Let’s remember the key [...]