On Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:33:29 -0700 (PDT), Greg Guarino
wrote:

On Mar 19, 6:42*pm, Larry Jaques
wrote:
On Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:54:34 -0400, Greg Guarino
wrote:

Having marveled at the craftsmanship of some of the other "rec"
denizens, I feel a little sheepish "showing off" a project as relatively
simple as this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...t-721576277517...

... but hey, you have to start somewhere. Thanks for all the tips.

Hey, a hearty Well Done, Greg. *Kudos on your accomplisment. *That's a
far larger and more complicated project than most of us started with.

Well, it's not the very first thing I've done. In fact, I made the
cabinet boxes (sans doors) fifteen years ago. I cut them down about 6
inches for this project. I've also built and finished a couple of
wall-hung cubbyhole shelf units. And I've had a fair amount of
experience in home repair. It's a different pew, to be sure, but a
related denomination of church, at worst. The techniques may not
always be similar, but both require a problem-solving mindset.

Pew? You can't say those common home-repair words in any church I've
been in.


That said, the desk is certainly the largest project so far, with the
most time-consuming finishing. And the panel doors were probably the
biggest challenge I've taken on yet. But as so often happens, I'm sure
I could build another set now in a fraction of the time and with fewer
errors. Except, of course, for the finishing.

Familiarity breeds content. (sorry for the pun)


The whole experience has given me more ideas than I have time for, but
I intend to keep at it when I can.

Grok that.


So, how do you like Waterlox now that you've used it? *Other than the
smell (and it smells far, far better than Watco, lemme tell ya) I
simply adore it.

I'll tell you some things I've learned for the next project. The most
important lesson seems to be wood selection. The waterlox on the oak
rails and stiles is probably the nicest finish I have yet
accomplished; smooth with a little gloss, but with no plastic-y
thickness. I used some garden-variety birch ply for the panels. The
contrast in color is nice, but the panel surface didn't give nearly as
nice a finish as the oak.

It's probably because of the lack of color to begin with. Several
more coats might impart a bit of amber to it. Practice on a spare
piece about 6" square. Save your wiping rag in a plastic baggie and
it'll last for a couple weeks. Leave the bag on the concrete (oily rag
hazard) and do a coat the first thing every morning or evening.

Did you remember to remove the air on top of the Waterlox so it
doesn't set hard on you? If not, do it RIGHT NOW! It might not be too
late... I lost half a quart can that way, but not the gallon!

--
When you are kind to someone in trouble, you hope they'll remember
and be kind to someone else. And it'll become like a wildfire.
-- Whoopi Goldberg