New member, newbie questions

[Mark Hudson]

Hello to all. I'm new here, and also fairly new to woodworking. My grandfather was a woodworker, but he died in 1985 (I was 6). Fastforward to 6 months ago, when my parents bought the house he lived in from my grandmother, along with his woodworking shop.
I've been "playing" in the shop, practicing on the lathe and bandsaw mostly. I started working on my first actual project (other than a few simple shelves), a coffee table, a few days ago. So, on to my question: Im wondering what sort of finish to use. I want something durable, in a finish thats more flat than glossy. All I've used previously is poly, but I find it somewhat difficult to get an even finish. I thought about using Waterlox, but thoughts I'd solicit opinions from all you experts out there. Would that be a good option? Other opinions?
Thanks for all the wealth of information available here, I love just reading old posts for info, as well as looking at some of your amazing finished projects for inspiration. Thanks in advance for any answers-

[Jim Becker]

Mark, welcome to SMC!!

Normally, I'd move this thread to the Finishing Forum, but since it's your introduction, I'll just put a copy of it there so folks can get to know you.

Waterlox would be a nice finish to work with as it's easy to apply and ISN'T poly...something that counts in my book. LOL!

[Mark Hudson]

Thanks Jim:) I'm more than happy to be in two forums at once. So, what do you have against a nice coat of poly??? Too often used I'm guessing?

[Jim Becker]

Poly is great for floors and other situations where it's abrasion resistance is a benefit, but otherwise, there are so many wonderful finishes that don't have the down-sides of polyurethane varnish...such as the "feature" that it doesn't like to stick to itself (the reason for light sanding between coats) and it's often "plastic" look when applied thickly. Alkyd (Pratt and Lambert #38) or phenolic (Waterlox) varnishes are nicer finishes if you want oil based and the current crop of water borne acrylic finishes are easy to use and look great. And then you have shellac, lacquer, oil & wax...so many choices! Pick a finish that is apporopriate for the use of the project as well as one that will enhance the material you have chosen. In many cases, that will mean multiple products. My cherry finishing regimen, for example, is BLO, garnet shellac and a clear topcoat appropriate to the use. Sometimes, it's just BLO and shellac and sometimes it's just BLO and wax.