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You've spent countless hours building a project and all that's left to do is apply the finish. This step is daunting for even the most seasoned woodworkers, and with good reason--a bad finish can ruin the most well-built, sophisticated piece of furniture in a matter of minutes. In this invaluable collection of articles from the editors of "Fine Woodworking," readers will find foolproof finishes and application methods that guarantee the perfect finishing touch for any project. The first part of the book covers surface preparation, including sanding and scraping--a step that is critical to a successful finish. Other sections address specific challenges: choosing the best finish for your furniture; coloring wood with dyes and stains; bringing out the best in wood; and, finally, troubleshooting mistakes. This required reading will ensure that you never fear finishing again.
List of contents
Part I Choosing Tools
Choosing Sandpaper Scott Gibson
Sharpening and Using a Card Scraper Brian Boggs
The Best Brushes Mark Schofield
Spray Gun Choices Mitchell Kohanek
Part II Surface Preparation and Sanding
Sand, Scrape or Plane Ari Tuckman
Sanding Basics David Sorg
Sand Between Coats for Perfect Finish Jeff Jewitt
When to Stop Sanding? Ari Tuckman
Finish While You Build Charles Neil
Part III Coloring Wood
Dyes can do it all Teri Masaschi
Combining Dyes and Stains Paul Snyder
Altering the colors of dyes and stains Paul Gedrys
How to Match a Finish Jeff Jewitt
Part IV Applying Finishes
All about thinning finishes Jeff Jewitt
A Durable Tabletop Finish Sean Clarke
Padding Lacquer Mario Rodriguez
A Traditional French Polish Sean Clarke
Wiped on Varnish Tom Wisshack
Choosing and Using Brushes David Sorg
High Gloss Finish Made Simple Sean Clarke
Spraying Basics Jeff Jewitt
All about wax Peter Gedrys
Part V Foolproof Finish Recipes
One Editor's Foolproof Finish Mark Schofield
An Oil-and-Wax Finish Charles Shackleton
Hot Rod Your Varnish Roland Johnson
One Fast Finish Jeff Jewitt
Foolproof recipes for three favorie Finishes Peter Gedrys
An Easy, Durable Finish Lon Schleining
Part VI Bringing out the best in wood
Finishing Mahogany Jeff Jewitt
Best Finish for Pine Tom Wisshack
Blotch Free Cherry Mark Schofield
An Antique Finish for Tiger Maple Lonnie Bird
Finishing Walnut Jeff Jewitt
Finishes for Foodware Mike Mahoney
Part VII Troubleshooting
10 Best Fixes for Finishing Mistakes Teri Masaschi
How to Troubleshoot a Spray Gun Jeff Jewitt
About the author
FINE WOODWORKING, located in Newtown, Connecticut, has been publishing the best woodworking information for small shop woodworkers since 1975 to help them gain essential knowledge and build lifelong skills. More articles, videos, and interactive features can be found at www.finewoodworking.com
