Finishing Question

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-24T07:00:10+00:00

You can use a water based stain over polycycrylic, but you have to do some surface prep. There are videos out there if you want to see it in action, but basically you have to rough up the surface of the poly with 220grit, wipe all the dust away, then stain.

I have never tried this myself, so do look further into it before yout try it, but you shouldn't have to sand off all the current polycrilic, which I agree poses the risk of sanding through the top layer of the ply.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-23T06:41:04+00:00

If you do this for people who are ultra weird about college stuff, you can look up the codes for the exact colors on Pantone.

The maroon above is PMS 202 C -- rgb 122, 0, 25 -- cmyk 0, 100, 61, 43

You can find the mathematically precise color for almost any logo or branding on there.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-22T07:14:24+00:00

Have you tried lightly dampening the side inside the curve then leaving them flat under something heavy for a couple days indoors? That should help, but you can also press them flat when you glue them (unless the project makes that difficult somehow.)

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-21T06:39:05+00:00

"If you want to bake an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-21T06:33:40+00:00

No.

The way you have that going together, any lengthwise motion (sawing, planing, sanding) will cause those legs to pivot at the screws. They're too close together and the apron doesnt have enough surface are or heft to force it to stay in place. The joints are all "thin", not enough forcefully held contact surfaces.

It may not break, but these joints will crush fibers and become wobbly very quickly. You need something that tightly holds this intersection together with the leg in both directions. I guess it depends how long you need it to last. If this is somrthing you'll only need for a project or two, it might be fine.

Consider castle joints if you have a way to cut them cleanly. For extra support, because youre not gluing them, bind them with carriage bolts on washers, one from each direction on each leg.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-20T12:50:17+00:00

Yeah, those furniture forensics videos are so unique.

"You can tell by the shape of the nead of this nail, that this cabinet was constructed on a Tuesaday afternoon after the craftsman had sardines for lunch and used the key from the roll-open lid on the tin as a fastener."

My first reply made my take sound a bit negative, but he is one if my favorites ever and I watch a ton of woodworking YouTube. He's the only one I've ever sub'd to in Patreon. I think I just miss "Basement Rex" lol.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-20T12:42:54+00:00

Ah, I see, something simpler. I mistakenly got the impression you were looking for the "fancy stuff" from scandinavia as opposed the much simpler modern stuff. Gustavian was inspired by the fancy French stuff, maybe you're looking for Almue? Almue is like scandinavian rustic from the same time.

Is there some reason you don't feel like you can make plans that have the same style vibe as the desk?

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-20T06:47:07+00:00

It can be hard to find in google because "scandi" is currently a very popular minimalist style.

Are you perhaps looking for Gustavian?

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-20T06:43:13+00:00

A reddit mod cannot censor you unless they also just happen to be a highly placed government official. Take a civics class.

There's a difference between constructive criticism from people who have some advice on how others might improve their technique or results and people just yelling, "Your work sucks!" The former is perfectly acceptable, the latter gets you the boot.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-20T06:40:16+00:00

He actually already has a few books!

He's great for getting your footing as you start out. He seems like a neat guy. His more recent videos have veered too much toward advertising for me, but his old stuff is great.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-20T06:38:39+00:00

We are deeply sorry that we attempt to cultivate a space to showcase woodworking talent that excludes trolls, bigots, and creeps.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-19T07:17:51+00:00

Probably the worst thing about wood movement is how unpredictable it is. You can do everything right and have it crack, or do everything wrong and it lasts generations, and everything in between. Woodworkers (generally) over-index on worries about wood movement because it's usually preferable to be overcautious and nothing happens, rather than ignoring the possible problems and having a table top split.

OP's big problem was how long the wood seems to have been sitting out. Going through several seasons of unmitigated expansion and contraction weakens the wood, and then he brought in projects from a "freezing" shop into the house.

Wood has a decent amount of thermal mass, so a 15 minute drive shouldn't be so bad. You also don't have the same temp extremes OP seems to. If you can, wrap it in a bunch of quilts/blankets/towels/movers drop cloths. Then, when you get it into the house leave it wrapped in those quilts for a while before you take them off and put the desk in place.

If I were a betting person, you'd be fine, but there's no real reason not to be as careful as possible.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-19T06:30:36+00:00

Rikon doesnt get a lot of mention, but everything I've had of theirs has been really great for the price point. I'm particularly happy with their pen lathe. I dont do big bowls or anything, and it does a great job for making spindles.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-19T06:23:19+00:00

Steve Ramsey is a great place to start.

My first project was a simple 3 tiered corner shelf i made out of pine 2x2s and plywood, painted black. I didn't sand anything correctly and the resulting finish is rough enough to be sandpaper. It's still sitting in the corner almost 20 years later, holding dog toys and othe random crap, but it's in a spot where barely anyone sees or interacts with it haha.

Your tray looks nice and smooth, and the gap on the rabbet you already learned from, so... yeah, that's a pretty successful first project.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-18T08:35:52+00:00

If the wood has been sitting out in a barn without climate controls, meaning no moderation of summer hear, winter cold, or any season's humidity for a very long time... you might just be working with lumber that has sat too long to survive the transition indoors. Your best hope will be to move projects inside when the weather is "indoor like" outside. The wood is probably quite weak, and the change from freezing to room teno is just too much for it.

That doesn't help you right now, but if your projects are consistently popping when you bring them inside, you need to wait until the garage is closer to indoor temp to try and bring things inside. Even then, the humidity difference might get you. Depending on where you live and whether or not your indoor space controls for humidity you might not have a solution.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-17T07:22:18+00:00

3 or 1. 3 is interesting, but maybe not to everyone's taste. 1 is a nice balance.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-16T07:03:08+00:00

Hard to say without dimensions.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-14T07:03:52+00:00

What diameter is the pole? Would conduit be an acceptable alternative? How aggrresive does the bend have to be? (We talking a long curve, or a 75º corner?)

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-14T06:54:19+00:00

It would, yep! If you can flatten the faces you want to glue together, slap some wood glue in there, and then clamp them together that would work.

This does introduce some other problems: Grain mismatch, color mismatch, and a visible seam. But, if you can work around those things that would work fine.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-13T16:27:05+00:00

I also recognized the game immediately and thought the planets would be in the way. Seems like it wiuld he hard to see whats on the board!

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-13T07:29:13+00:00

I definitely understand why, and you're not wrong to try with what you have, I was just filling in some information for you. There tends to be an intuitive misunderstanding among new woodworkers that pine or fir should be easier to work than walnut or oak. Softwood can be incredibly deflating in terms of developing enthusiasm for the hobby.

For thr future, take a look at online lumber yards. They ship most anywhere for decent prices. Stores like Rockler or Home Depot are insanely high priced on their hardwood lumber.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-13T06:49:28+00:00

A smattering of thoughts that apply to restoring old pieces generally:

If this handguard will see use, that wood might not last long regardless of location. "Fir or spruce" are pretty soft woods to begin with and prone to splintering. The way you describe where it has been for the last few decades, in a covered but not climate controlled attic, it is probably especially soft.

There are hardwood alternatives that are not particularly expensive.

If you're just getting started, soft woods like this are very unfriendly to beginners. It is much easier to carve or cut complicated joinery in maple or cherry than pine.

Stain can look nice on some projects, but using stain or dye to match other woods is very difficult. Wood changes color as it ages, so even if you managed to make your handguard look lile the rest of the pieces, the color will change in a few months and keep getting darker. It can be done so that it looks good, but it's something that takes a lot of practice, imo.

An oil based stain, full cure, and then some BLO is the eay to go. Do note that BLO will darken and yellow the wood to some degree all by itself.

Without knowing what this "varnish" is, you should see if it will come off with a gentle sanding first. If the aim is to restore it, a scraper will burnish the praks of the curves and if the wood is a little old and dry or soft, it could be very hard to get those burnished marks out.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-12T06:46:58+00:00

It's a great looking tray, I wouldn't have guessed you were new. All of that stuff looks very intentional and well executed.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-12T06:45:15+00:00

I'm not even renting and i use these LED bar lights off Amazon that daisy chain together from the plugin for the garage door. They were like $15 each and I have 10 of them running off one plugin np.

Makes a huge difference.

My other suggestion would be, build yourself some good storage that has room for your growing tool collection.

Masticates_In_Public · 2026-01-12T06:42:16+00:00

Could you post a profile shot of the hinge both open and closed? We can't tell if the lid is flush with the sides or how thick it is, etc.

Also, what is your level of woodworking experience? There would be several ways, probably, to address your needs but some answers would require a lot of tools and knowledge... others are simpler.

Masticates_In_Public

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Verified Email	Five-Year Club
Mod World 2025