Construction/finishing quandary

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

I've come to make it a regular practice to stain and even finish parts before assembly.......I think I'm getting better results with this approach.......note, I'm hand finishing.......I'm not spraying a finish......if I were spraying, pre-finishing would not be the best approach IMHO.

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

This is all hand finishing, it would have been anyway since I’m not set up for spraying, nor do I have any experience.  The varnish is Waterlox, which I like a lot but the odor remains for a long time.

Thanks, Roger.

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

I am thinking if you are using water based dye, doing that before gluing will not be a problem. That would make any errant glue (who was praising Norm Abrams earlier today??) unable to mess with color absorption.

I would leave the conditioner off anything that needed glue just in case.

I made a kayak stand a few years ago to sit outside year round. I put on a beautious glossy Waterlox finish on it after assembly. The problem was I did not do any sealing of the joints where water would and did infiltrate. The stands were drawbored 4x4 douglas fir that would hold a ton but when I move them last week the foot fell off. The tenon had turned into shredded wheat.

Obviously, the total exposure of the piece has to be accounted for. When I saw the shoulders of these tenons shedding finish I knew it was uptake of water into the shoulders. It sounds like the joints will be dry but getting the color on prior to glue might be a good thing.

Good luck.

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

I’ve kept surfaces to be glued free of the conditioner, I was concerned about the possibility of it interfering with glue.  

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

I did wish you luck

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

I often stain and finish before assembly, to include spraying (which I acknowledge you are not doing).  I use blue tape to mask the joints so the adhesive will make a good bond.

Re: Construction/finishing quandary

The blue tape tip is a good one. I’d forgotten about it.  Thanks.

Rocking chair finished.

Thanks to all who replied.  The rocker is done, and the decision to pre-finish the parts was an important one.  It turned out that this birch was much harder to stain and finish than I had ever imagined.  It splotched horribly.  After trying several combinations of splotch control (Minwax wood conditioner, shellac wash coat and Neil’s wood conditioner) and stains and dyes, I settled on a combination of the Neil conditioner and Old Masters fast dry stain.  It allowed me to deal with the splotches as well as match color differences in adjoining pieces of wood of slightly different colors.  I put on two coats of shellac before assembly and that made cleaning the errant glue much easier.

Anyway, here’s the final product:

Re: Rocking chair finished.

Now there's a comfortable looking chair, and splotch-free! Glad it worked out so well for you. Happy rocking...

Re: Rocking chair finished.

Thanks, Ellis.  The original design is by one of your neighbors. Robert Whitley.

Re: Rocking chair finished.

Wow, Bob Whitley. I was sorry to hear he passed away three years ago. Here's a tribute to him written by another friend and former neighbor of mine, Craig Bentzley, a master craftsman in his own right and a contributing editor to Woodcraft Magazine. I miss the amazing woodworking scene in

I haven't lived in Bucks County since 2017, so I'm a bit out of touch. I recall several interactions with Whitley back in the old days. We both had pieces in a show at the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia in 1984, which was when I first met him. I almost bought a bandsaw from him at one point, and I visited his amazing shop on several occasions. He was a real master, and quite a character. I recall the piece he had on display in that museum show. It was one of his earliest "forest console" tables. He was always stirring the pot. The copy of the Resolute Desk he did for the Kennedy library was probably his best-known work.

Anyhow, you selected well, and did a nice job with that rocker. If it sits as well as Whitley's, you'll be real comfy for a long time.

Take care.

Ellis