What's the best finish for a study desk?

[Katie L]

I'm restoring an old table I found on the side of the road, to give it a new life as a study desk for my daughter. It's quite an unusual design. I'm not sure of the type of wood - all I know is that it's light-coloured and fine-grained, with dark circular marks from (possibly) an over-vigorous orbital sander at some point in its history. I'm pretty sure the previous finish involved wax, which has darkened over the years. There was some discolouration on one side - maybe a burn or water damage.

I've been trying to strip it back to clear wood using a mouse sander and a scraper. The mouse sander isn't working very well, because it keeps clogging up with wax (or whatever the residue is), which is why I'm alternating between sanding and scraping.

I'm nearly done with the sanding anyway, but would very much appreciate some advice from this forum on a good choice for finishing it. My first thought was oil then wax, but I'm not sure if that would be durable enough for a teenager who is probably going to spill coffee on it. I have several other products at home - various varnishes (water or oil-based), resins, French polish, shellac, oils, waxes. I'm also happy to go and buy something new. My dad suggested marine-grade varnish, which probably would be teenager-resistant, but possibly overkill. I'm generally not very keen on varnish. Any other suggestions? Many thanks.

[mic-d]

I can highly recommend Fiddes Hard Wax Oil for its ease of application, durability and ease of repair