woodburnbob
>Jim, that lid wood is gorgeous, the underside perhaps even more so than the top. What a perfect gift for someone. Photographs of wood never really come off that well, so it must be magnificent in real life.

Could you explain your thinking behind shellac over oil. I think Danish oil is oil and a resin, I can't remember which resin, perhaps alkyd, with the resin drying by evaporation of solvent, and the oil drying perpetually via oxidation. Quick drying (hours) shellac over oil should have the risk of crackling, perhaps making it look aged as the peice matures. It would make your lap desk all the more handsome, to me. Is this how you are thinking about it; or, am I all wet with the fat over lean principle here?