Finishing of Jarrah Table

[shapes]

I have built a square jarrah dining table with natural bark edge on all sides and would like some advice/opinions on how to finish the table top.

Most of the threads here talk about the 3 in 1 mix, polyurathene or oil but i am not sure what is best for the results i want. First off the timber has really nice grain in it so i want a clear non glossy finish that wont take away from this. Secondly, there are obviously joins in the table top, so do certain finishes show glued joins more than others as i want to minimise the visibility of the joins. Have heard that some finishes cause the glue to show up white, so is putty or resin in the joins the way to go or is glue ok?

I have also heard that oil finishes require recoating on a regular basis, which i dont like the sound of, so is this the case as i would like a long lasting durable finish that can handle everyday things like hot plates and cups etc.

Naturally i assume that the finish that goes on the top is suitable for the base of the table but also need to know what is best for the bark edge. Also obviously depending on the finish is spray or brush the best application?

Any advice/opinions would be much appreciated as i am a newbie to the forums.

Cheers

[upsidedown]

hello shapes,
have had quite a bit to do with jarrah and finishes and the best by far that ive found has been a spray on laquor. have used a wattyl brand which wasnt to bad, but now use a sherwood which seems good. 30% is a pretty good mix.
couple things that ive learnt the hard way....
you cant spray if its to cold as the laquor turns white on your project
and you must spray both sides of the project ie top and bottom of table top, otherwise it will encourage warping and moisture to penatrate the joins, pushing the laquor up.
this by far has been the best method i have found, cant really go wrong, dont need a real expensive gun, a reasonable one and spray at around 200 KPa.
other things that i have tried are floor varnish for floor boards, was ok but very shiney - can be brushed on. other methods that ive tried are different varnishes, but their downside is that when you look at the top with the light on the surface, you can see brush strokes and patches everywhere..
Have visited jarrah table galleries and asked them what they used, it was something similar, laquor that is but it was heaps expensive because it could take the heat from a hot plate / coffe cup etc, i dont know if i would be game doing that with this laquor mentioned above......
Im sure that other members would have a few more ideas to add or change!!
best of luck

[orraloon]

Hi Shapes and welcome to the forum.
I am no expert at finishing but one thing I have discovered over the years is the more shine the more the defects show up. This is not always a disaster and in the case of a natural bark edged table some joints between the boards can be used as a feature rather than try and hide them with filler. A picture of the table top would give the people a better idea of the way to go. My first task would be to apply CA glue (superglue) all along the edge where the bark joins the wood. Watch it soak in all along the edge top and bottom then leave it a day. This will attach and harden up the bark. Do this before the final sanding of the top. The sanding is what the finish is based on so I would be working down the grit sises to at least 400 but the more the merrier. Take care with the bark edge and sand over it towards the wood and not the other way. My choice would be Danish oil for an indoors situation. It is a simple thing to touch up later from time to time to keep it looking good. For a hard waring surface then use one of the floor poly finishes. There are satin finish ones if you do not want high gloss. Whatever you use follow the instructions. Finishing is about attention to detail and shortcuts will show.

Regards
John