Introduction & recommendations for this...

[Bill Berg]

Hello. I've been reading the Creek for quite a while and figured it was time to introduce myself. I'm 35, live in Maryland, am an engineer in a manufacturing environment, have been invloved in woodworking since high school, and over the past year finally made the decision to jump into this hobby even deeper by retiring my garage shop in favor of a dedicated building in the backyard.

I'm just a few weeks away from being an uncle so I've been busy building this crib. Air dried walnut except for the turned pieces (kiln dried) which I have dyed to get a better color match after finishing.

I've used walnut several times before but never on a project like this and my finishing results have been hit and miss. Any recommendations on a finishing schedule?

[Tim Johnson]

Beautiful crib, your nieces or nephews as well as future generations will enjoy it.

As for finishing on walnut, I really like Waterlox, start with a coat of original sealer, then finish off with 3-4 coats of gloss. If the final coat is too shiny, make the last one satin.

Or, one coat of orange shellac and several blonde to build the desired finish.

Test some boards and see what looks good to you.