Finishing a quarter sawn white oak fishing rack

[Aaron Karp]

I'm making a fishing rod holder for a friend that is essentially a 48" shelf made of quarter sawn white oak, 1" thick and 5.5" deep. It has notches cut out to hold the rods.

I'm a novice finisher (and woodworker...) so I'm looking for a relatively foolproof and not overly complicated finish.

He lives in what I would best describe as a modern Craftsman house so I want the finish to feel appropriate. Leaving it unfinished would probably match his home the best but I want to give it at least some protection against a wet finishing pole etc.

What would you do if you were me?

[Jamie Buxton]

These fishing rods are dry, right? If so, that’s good - the finish doesn’t need to be bullet proof.

I’d use wipe-on varnish. It is easy to apply, and looks good on oak. Minwax makes one. Lowe’s carries it. Get the satin, not the gloss.

[Jim Becker]

A wipe on oil based finish is about as fool-proof as you can get if you have the time for it to dry and a place to do it that any odor will not be an issue during the process.