Waymon Campbell
04-21-2004, 1:25 PM
The grandson's toy chest is finished! That's a good thing since his birthday is tomorrow! This is only my second woodworking project in the modern era (I define the modern era as anything after I attended woodshop in HS some 25yrs ago :D ). This is the first time that I have sprayed lacquer or used raised panels. I decided to use red oak in hopes that it would take the abuse that youngsters can dish out. Chest is 22"H x 44"W x 22"T and has a plywood bottom. Finish is oil based wipe on stain (Wild Cherry). After finish coating the color is an exact match to my oak desk in the home office! Finish coat is 3 coats of satin pre-cat lacquer sprayed on with the Wagner HVLP Conversion Gun. Hinges came from Rockler.
Some of the things I learned on this project were:
1) Mask off areas that have already been sprayed and are dry. Overspray plus a little wind equals fuzzies on a dry lacquer finish.
2) Don't spray lacquer on a windy day (I spray outside), because it can cause bubbles in the finish from out-gasing.
3) A little retarder in the lacquer sure helps with flow out and blush in the humid Texas Gulf Coast environment.
4) Clearly mark your parts before machining. I inadvertantly put a dado in the top rails because I confused it with the bottom rail :( . Fortunately I was able to glue in a strip and sand it flush for a seamless fix :) . I think this is what fighter pilots call "situational awareness", knowing where everything is in relation to everything else.
5) Make sure you understand the hinge geometry (both opened and closed) of any hinges you have never used before. My first attempt to install the Rockler toy chest hinges resulted in the top not closing completely :confused: . I had to remove and reinstall and then plug the previous screw holes :) .
Thanks for looking.
Some of the things I learned on this project were:
1) Mask off areas that have already been sprayed and are dry. Overspray plus a little wind equals fuzzies on a dry lacquer finish.
2) Don't spray lacquer on a windy day (I spray outside), because it can cause bubbles in the finish from out-gasing.
3) A little retarder in the lacquer sure helps with flow out and blush in the humid Texas Gulf Coast environment.
4) Clearly mark your parts before machining. I inadvertantly put a dado in the top rails because I confused it with the bottom rail :( . Fortunately I was able to glue in a strip and sand it flush for a seamless fix :) . I think this is what fighter pilots call "situational awareness", knowing where everything is in relation to everything else.
5) Make sure you understand the hinge geometry (both opened and closed) of any hinges you have never used before. My first attempt to install the Rockler toy chest hinges resulted in the top not closing completely :confused: . I had to remove and reinstall and then plug the previous screw holes :) .
Thanks for looking.