General Finishes

This project was conceived in order to demonstrate segmented turning on a small scale. This was the most complicated piece I had ever made at the time. Because of this I decided that it deserved a fantastic finish. I opted for a high gloss polyurethane to bring out the beauty of the wood. Before finishing I sanded up to 600 grit and burnished with steel wool. The first three coats I used were a mix of 50% boiled linseed oil and 50% High gloss Polyurethane. I wiped it on which brought out the brilliance of the Sapele, the richness of the Walnut, the vibrancy of the Padauk and the sweetness of the Maple. I went on to wipe on 5 coats of the polyurethane while the lathe was slowly spinning. After the fifth coat I sanded with 320 grit sandpaper so that all of the imperfections were removed. I then proceeded to put 1 coat of 60% Poly and 40% mineral spirits on for a final coat which laid out perfectly over the 507 pieces that make up the ornament!!