Some advice before I start

[Harry R]

I'll be finishing a long-standing project, a cot, in the next few weeks. It's made from tassie oak and, after reading A Polisher's Handbook, here's how I plan to finish it:

1) 2-3 brushed-on coats of hard shellac & talc to fill the grain (sanding with 800 grit between coats).

2) 2-3 coats of hard shellac applied with with cotton wad (sanding between coats).

3) final polish with Shellawax cream.

I chose shellac & the shellawax for safety reasons. My aim is to achieve a highly polished, smooth finish.

This is my first serious woodworking project, so I'd appreciate any feedback/suggestions/improvements on my plan.

[Tex B]

Probably only need one coat of the shellac/talc mix.

Are you finishing on a lathe? If not, the traditional wax may be a better choice than the shellawax.

Tex

[Harry R]

Tex, I won't be finishing on a lathe. I was planning to polish with a lambswool pad on a drill or random orbital sander. The main reason for selecting the shellawax is that it's safe to use on food containers. I've since also checked out the ubeaut website and found that the traditional wax also is child-safe, so I might just go with your suggestion.

[rsser]

If going the lambswood pad on a drill route, just apply the min of wax; it's very easy otherwise to get a hard build up of the stuff.

btw, the shellac/talc mix will obscure any figure in the wood. Experiment first. You don't need talc to fill the grain; the shellac will do that.