Jim Becker
04-26-2005, 1:25 PM
Ok...my arm was twisted (lightly...) and I volunteered to watch after this forum about finishing. It's my pleasure to help out SMC in this capacity. Please note that I'm not a finishing expert, but have tried to pay great attention to what folks incredibly more experienced say about the subject over time. Maybe someday I'll have the opportunity to apply their advice more often...
There are hopefully only two things I will be doing relative to this forum: 1) keeping an eye on things to avoid non-civil behavior...something rare at SMC and 2) occasionally posting a stimulating discussion thread that revolves around finishing, much as Mark does in the Design Forum. While there is huge value in getting answers to specific questions from a bunch of folks, we all learn a lot from basic discussion on a topic. That's something lacking in most forums and one of the things that makes SMC "da best". (That's Chicagoan for "really good"--not that I'm one of those folks...:p )
Things are already off to a good start, so keep posting your questions AND answers. The idea is to not only deal with the immediate, but also build a wealth of information that folks can find via the search feature over time. Thanks in advance for your contributions.
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First addition observation: Always work out your finishing regimen on scraps of the material from your project before you attempt the real thing! There is nothing worse than doing a bang-up job on your woodworking and then doing something you've either never done before in finishing or getting an unexpected reaction. DAMHIKT!!
Second additional observation: Finishing starts when you select the actual material for your project. Matching color, grain and texture is one of the single most important things that many woodworkers can improve their end-results with. It's something that sets the very best work apart from just the merely awesome. No matter what you use as your final finishing regimen...it cannot "fix" the characteristics of the underlying wood.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
There are hopefully only two things I will be doing relative to this forum: 1) keeping an eye on things to avoid non-civil behavior...something rare at SMC and 2) occasionally posting a stimulating discussion thread that revolves around finishing, much as Mark does in the Design Forum. While there is huge value in getting answers to specific questions from a bunch of folks, we all learn a lot from basic discussion on a topic. That's something lacking in most forums and one of the things that makes SMC "da best". (That's Chicagoan for "really good"--not that I'm one of those folks...:p )
Things are already off to a good start, so keep posting your questions AND answers. The idea is to not only deal with the immediate, but also build a wealth of information that folks can find via the search feature over time. Thanks in advance for your contributions.
-----
First addition observation: Always work out your finishing regimen on scraps of the material from your project before you attempt the real thing! There is nothing worse than doing a bang-up job on your woodworking and then doing something you've either never done before in finishing or getting an unexpected reaction. DAMHIKT!!
Second additional observation: Finishing starts when you select the actual material for your project. Matching color, grain and texture is one of the single most important things that many woodworkers can improve their end-results with. It's something that sets the very best work apart from just the merely awesome. No matter what you use as your final finishing regimen...it cannot "fix" the characteristics of the underlying wood.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->