What have you made lately?

Finishing

Epoxy is activated by mixing 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener — Penetrating epoxy has been used for years to seal and repair wooden parts on boats but it also has value in protecting outdoor wooden furniture from the elements. It’s designed to be applied to bare wood where it soaks into the wood, filling the small gaps in the wood surface and creating an impenetrable moisture barrier. […]

Penetrating Epoxy

This entry was posted in Finishing on June 28, 2016 by Bill Kovalick

Sewing machine table — What to do with an old sewing machine that is too far gone to economically restore as a sewing machine? Well, when I came across this beat-up old Singer sewing machine in the garage attic, I immediately thought what a great little table it would make. The decorative iron base was still in good condition […]

Vintage Sewing Machine Side Table

This entry was posted in Finishing Projects Restoration on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Mission Style Rocking Chair

This entry was posted in Finishing Projects Restoration on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Maple floor clock — This is a floor clock, also called a longcase clock, tall-case clock, or grandfather clock (technically, I suppose it’s a grandmother rather than a grandfather clock because it’s just under 6 feet tall). I’ve dubbed this clock the “Pop Clock” in honor of my dad who built the clock many years ago (early 1980’s I […]

Pop Clock

This entry was posted in Finishing Projects Restoration on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Shellac Blushing

This entry was posted in Finishing Restoration on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

This chart compares sandpaper grits using three different grading systems: 1) Coated Abrasives manufacturer’s Institute (CAMI), 2) Federation of European Producers Association (FEPA), and 3) the “0” or “ought” grade system. CAMI and FEPA are the two most common grading systems in use today. CAMI is used primarily in North America whereas FEPA is used […]

Sandpaper Grit Chart

This entry was posted in Finishing on December 23, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Home-made sanding block — Sanding is not the most pleasant woodworking task but it goes a lot smoother (pun intended) if you have a system in place for choosing sandpaper grits. That is: what grit to start with, what grit to end with, and what grits to use in between. This process is sometimes referred to as a sanding […]

Going Through the Grits

This entry was posted in Finishing on December 21, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Oscillating spindle sander — I’ve accumulated several different types of sanding tools over the years, some of which are used much more frequently than others but all have their place. My sanding arsenal includes hand-held tools: a sheet sander, a random orbital sander, a belt sander, sanding blocks, a detail sander, and a cabinet scraper, as well as stationary tools: […]

An Assortment of Wood Sanding Tools

This entry was posted in Finishing on December 19, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Sanding isn’t fundamentally difficult but its still easy to make mistakes. This is often due to carelessness, such as over sanding the edges of a table top, but can also be due to procedural screw-ups such as not using the right tool or type of sandpaper for the job. Or sanding against the grain. Laziness […]

Common Sanding Mistakes

This entry was posted in Finishing on December 19, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Shellac flakes + alcohol = shellac finish — Shellac is a multi-talented finishing material: Not only does it provide a beautiful top finish but it’s also an effective sanding sealer and functions well as a barrier coat between dissimilar finishes. It also dries quickly, is easily repairable, and is non-toxic when dry. Why don’t we use this stuff more often?? The thing with […]

Mixing Shellac

This entry was posted in Finishing on November 27, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

It’s a pain reaching for a paintbrush only to discover that the bristles are a hardened mass because you didn’t properly clean the brush after the last use. Then it’s off to the store to buy yet another new brush. Fortunately, cleaning a paintbrush isn’t rocket science. It just takes a little diligence. Think of […]