2109 Maple Burl.

Odie, you get wonderful finishes from your method. What brand of Danish oil, how many coats, how do you apply, etc. How and how much does the buffing change the appearance? Admiring minds want to know.

Dean Center said:

Odie, you get wonderful finishes from your method. What brand of Danish oil, how many coats, how do you apply, etc. How and how much does the buffing change the appearance? Admiring minds want to know.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Dean.....

There really is no secret here, as it's a very simple finish.....but the process is very thorough. It's a single application of Watco Danish oil natural. The Danish oil is applied several times over a period of about 1/2 hour......soaked very liberally. I always sand to 600gt, and sometimes go to 1500gt.....so, surface preparation prior to the DO is important. Almost every time, I need to touch up the sanding after the application of DO, because nearly always there are sanding scratch spots that show up that I never saw prior to the DO. There are three inspections prior to the Beall 3-step buff step, and most bowls need additional 600/1500gt sanding at all of these three steps. These three steps are done off the lathe, in a handheld random orbit fashion. I've found that since the DO penetrates the surface of the wood, that coming in afterward with 600/1500 grits does not effect the DO. (If I felt additional DO was necessary, I have the option of touching up, or re-applying the DO at any of the three inspection steps......but, this is almost never needed.)

Even though the information available on the Beall 3-step buffing says that it will eliminate sanding scratches.......I've found that if it's a sanding scratch that you can see with your own eyes, the Tripoli will not eliminate it. Eliminating any visible sanding scratches must absolutely be removed prior to the
Beall buff method. The Tripoli and White diamond compounds do continue to refine the surface, and this is visually confirmed while using the Beall method. The Tripoli and White Diamond steps are necessary elements of the Beall process.

As with anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it......and, little improvements will come. Nothing concerning lathe turning is instant gratification.....the learning process is a process that gets better, the more you do it.....and, the more observant you are of what does and doesn't work!

From the time the bowl is finished on the lathe, but the waste block is already attached, there are six final steps prior to when the bowl gets to the buffing stage. There are twelve bowls in this queue, and they are moved through these six steps, two at a time. All of these steps are logged into a card file, and each bowl has it's own inventory index card with all the individual data noted on the card.

-----odie-----

Odie,
In 40 years of flat woodworking I came to think of DO as "the lazy person's finish," and in many cases it is. I only used it on shop fixtures, tool handles and utilitarian things like canes. But after seeing your work and that of others on the forum I've come to respect DO a lot more. I've recently started using it on some of my turnings and am beginning to get presentable results. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Richard Morgan said:

Odie,
In 40 years of flat woodworking I came to think of DO as "the lazy person's finish," and in many cases it is. I only used it on shop fixtures, tool handles and utilitarian things like canes. But after seeing your work and that of others on the forum I've come to respect DO a lot more. I've recently started using it on some of my turnings and am beginning to get presentable results. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Richard......

I think most woodworkers tend to think as you do about DO....

I've been using DO forever, and began using it for the wooden toys I made prior to turning on the lathe. My main concern back then, was to get a finish that was non toxic to young babies that might chew on the toys. The Watco DO is non-toxic after it cures, and that's the key. I already had the Watco DO on hand when I turned my first bowls in 1982, so it was the obvious choice for me. I initially power buffed while the bowl was on the lathe, and went through several methods of bowl buffing. I knew that power buffing + wax was the way to make the DO work well on bowls, and that may be the difference between flat work with DO, and lathe turnings with DO. Eventually, I became aware of the Beall 3-step buffing method, and I instantly knew the combination of DO and Beall had great potential. The key to any good finish is preparation of the wood prior to the finishing method, and the Tripoli, plus White Diamond buffing compounds continue to refine the surface, prior to applying the Carnauba wax. I've been using this combination of methods for most of this century, and by refining my lathe work, as well as refining my methods of using the Beall method, I've been able to improve the overall effect I've been able to get. Most turners probably won't get the same results as I do on the first attempt......but, as with anything......the more you do it, the better you will get at it!

Have a good day, Richard....and a great new year!

-----odie-----