Using wax for a top coat?

[Bryan Hunt]

I'm in the process of finishing a mahogany chair and need some advice. The chair will sit outside under a covered porch and not really get any direct sunlight. So far, I have three coats of Penofin oil on the chair and I'm thinking of using a top coat of wax. So here are my questions ...



Are three coats of oil enough?
Do you think a top coat of wax is a good way to go?
How many coats of wax should I use?
What would you use to buff out the wax (After searching a bit, it seems a Festool Rotex would be preferred over my ETS 150/3)?

[roger wiegand]

Not familiar with the oil you're using, so can't offer much advice there. Most oil finishes don't have much water resistance for outdoor use, so expect the surface to weather. Wax provides even less protection, so seems fairly pointless to use outside, though it looks and feels nice.

I don't think there is significant benefit to more than one coat of wax, it shouldn't build up. I buff with microfiber towels I found at the HD. Never seen any particular benefit to machine buffing for wax except on the lathe where it's so easy it's hard not to do it. Buffing out the wax by hand is kind of a nice completion ritual, celebrating the end of a project. I've got a can of softened 100% carnauba I bought many years ago, which is what I use on most projects.

[Stan Calow]

Bryan, wax won't hold up outside for very long, even out of the sun. I've used the Penofin oil outside before, and I don't believe it lasts as a permanent finish. Just about any outdoor finish needs periodic (yearly for me) re-coating, so seems like the wax would be detrimental to that. Just my opinion.