New guy needs some help ID'ing the grooves in the top of the table

[Andrew Seemann]

If you are just starting out in woodworking, skip the fumed finish. I've done this for 40 years, and even I don't bother with it. There are plenty of other Mission/Craftsman finishes that are just as authentic and far safer and easier to apply. Mr. Craftsman himself, Gustav Stickley, specifically mentions asphaltum, which is for all intents Walnut Watco (medium or dark). A coat or two of shellac over that would be traditional, but for a table that is going to be actually used as a table, a couple coats of satin polyurethane over the shellac is a worthwhile modern addition. The Watco will do a particularly good job of highlighting the ray fleck of the quarter sawn oak you are paying so much for.

[Roger Feeley]

Do you have something I could reference (photo) to see how that works? Seems to be a pretty square deal on this machine for $175 but then again I might be mistaken.

Ryan, before you bite on the mortiser, look closely at the chisels and bits. If you see color where it should be shiny steel, the bit has overheated and the hardness is suspect. Those chisels and bits are probably half the value of that benchtop mortiser.