Fxguy Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Hello everyone, I am a complete amateur newbie when it comes to finishing anything and would like to humbly ask for advice and a step by step guide to finishing projects. For example, I just built an adirondack chair for my son out of scrap lumber (mostly pine and poplar and perhaps two pieces of red cedar) but I haven't the slightest idea what to do to finish it. I mean even sanding it smooth, do I need an orbital sander? Belt sander? Disc Sander? What about grits? I have been reluctant to finish anything because I hate sanding. It is such a mess! I tried to build a downdraft table and purchased a wall mount dust collector, but so far the table isn't finished being built and the dust collector needs adapters to size down from the 4" port to the 2.5" port on my Ryobi Orbital Sander (which is about the only sander I have besides a Ryobi palm sander that comes to a point for getting into corners) so I really can use help and advice about how to finish projects and get a smooth splinter free finish with the least amount of dust and effort (my garage is a sauna so that makes sanding that much more miserable! ) Then we can talk about actual finishes and techniques. Also anyone have a good book they recommend? Any opinions on the Tauton Publishing Complete Guide to Finishes? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missioninwood Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 First of all welcome. I would use an oil finish for the (I am assuming outdoor) chair, like Watco Exterior. Easy to apply and renew. Stay away from any film finish. As far as sanding, try to prepare the surfaces as much as possible prior to assembly and take care to not over sand. Learn about Cabinet Scrapers, Block and Smoothing planes as alternatives to sanding. Good quality ROS and detail sanders will always come in handy. I built a small down-draft table but never use it. Local duct collection is best anyway. Look for a tool that promotes duct collection into it's design and not thrown in out of necessity. Festool, Mirka, etc. Any book from Taunton, Flexner, or Jewitt will not steer you wrong. Have fun with it. And seek your answers here. Often you will hear back x10 what you need to hear. miw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Marc has a great book on finishing. It's a well written - easy to understand book using simple techniques. I'd highly recommend buying it. Marc is actually having a Christmas in July sale for one day only - July 8th. Great time to buy something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Welcome to the forum. If you use the search bar at the top, you may find some great advice that has already been posted. If you want a step by step tutorial on interior finishing with wipe on poly, check out season three of www.startwoodworking.com It's a fool proof method, and requires nothing but some rags and wet/dry sandpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Mosher Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 With your choice of wood I think the best bet would be a quality exterior paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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