Sanding and finishing a Jarrah side table

[Fusilier]

Hello all,

I have searched many threads here and am piecing together an approach and want to check in with the more learned here! I am a novice.

I have a Festool Rotex 125 random orbital sander and Festool Midi dust extraction too. Table is jarrah 1800 x 450.

QUESTION: Should I just sand up through the grades with the Rotex until around 400 grit?

My wife wants a marine varnish look. Table will be used by kids as a computer table so doesn't I think warrant the one third ratio application of oil products I have read about on the finishing forum posts. Not seeking an heirloom finish I guess.

I have wire wool and was thinking about using it to apply a poly euruthane finish but don't know if this will work.

Any suggestions welcomed please.

[mark david]

Hi fusilier,
Yes by all means sand down to 400 grade, what grade you start at depends how good the timber is to start with.
Generally starting at 120 or 180 if you have a reasonable finish to start with then 240/320/400

Many people advocate tantric sanding to rediculously fine grades but personally think you are just wasting time going beyond 400 on jarrah.

Under no circumstance apply any finish to bare timber with steel wool
And forget any kind of gloss finish it will look cheap.

A good option is a satin finish wipe-on poly, either Minwax or Feast & Watson.
It is esy to apply with a foam brush, quite hard wearing.

[Master Splinter]

Realistically, 120-180 is as far as you need to go with a film forming finish - you do your fine sanding in the film, not the wood.

However this depends on things such as the equipment you have available for applying the finish, and the actual finish itself; some varnishes are nice and flexible...meaning they don't sand as well as some of the others, which dry harder.

If I want a piano gloss type of finish, I use car acrylics as they dry both quickly and hard, and they can be compounded to any level of gloss desired.

If you want a high gloss polly, the best approach is to apply it by spray; using a wipe on may not get you your desired gloss level without a lot of work.

[Fusilier]

A good option is a satin finish wipe-on poly, either Minwax or Feast & Watson.
It is esy to apply with a foam brush, quite hard wearing.

Thanks for the advice. How many coats should I apply of the wipe on poly and do I need or should wax it afterwards?

[Master Splinter]

Wax on top of poly will just be messy. It's essentially putting wax onto plastic.

[mark david]

Hi,2-3 coats should be fine.
You can wax over the top, but very lightly and applied with 000 or 0000 steel wool and buff off with soft lint free cloth.

[Fusilier]

Hi,2-3 coats should be fine.

Thanks guys for the help. I sanded with the Rotex up to 320 grit with it on polish mode however at some points regardless of the speed setting it seemed to want to get away from me with vibrations so I stopped before I did any damage to the surface and went for wire wool which came up well. I then used a damp cloth to wipe down and raise the fibres which it did. I then re wire wooled and block sanded by hand with a 320 block and dry brushed and compressed air dusted down. I applied Feast Watson poly per instructions with an old clean tee shirt and the fisrt coat looks good. I will rub back lightly with a clean new 320 block between coats waiting 12 hours between each one.

[Fusilier]

Hi guys, thanks again for the help. The first coat has come up great.

Jarrah Table Top - one coat of Feast Watson Poly 2.jpgJarrah Table Top - one coat of Feast Watson Poly.jpg