Boilded Linseed Oil & Pure Linseed Oil

[Kevin Rector]

Hello all, I'm working on my first ever woodworking project, it's a small telephone table out of Mahagony. It won't get much use, mostly it will sit next to my bed and hold my glasses while I'm sleeping.

On a shelf in my garage is a big can of pure linseed oil. Can I use this to finish the table or do I need to go out and buy boiled linseed oil. What's the difference between the two?

[Prashun Patel]

Pure linseed oil isn't appropriate as a finishing product; it won't dry for a long time.

Boiled linseed oil has metallic dryers in there that speed the drying process.

That said, BLO still takes a lot longer to 'dry' than varnish or shellac, and offers poor protection to wood. It's used mainly now in wood finishing as a cheap means of imparting color or luminescence to wood.

If it were me, I'd use a varnish or an oil/varnish blend on a side table.