RayV wrote:
On Jan 11, 1:32 am, "m. scott veach" wrote:
I'm a stone-cold amateur at woodworking. Doing my very first project
of any kind: making a simple desk out of some plywood and electrical
conduits for legs.


To add to Swingman's advice you can get it as smooth or smother than
the Borg stuff. Between each coat of Poly or after the first couple
hit the surface with #00 steel wool (Only if using oil-based poly).
Then a few weeks after the finish has cured you can buff it out with
#0000 steel wool.

I would also rig up a way for the top to be vertical while applying
the finish. This will decrease the amount of dust that settles on the
surface. Simply hanging it by the conduit brackets is OK but it will
be tough to apply finish on a swinging target, BTDT.

I understood what you said, and why, and agree with why you said it.
But it needs a clarification, IMO and leaves out way too much for a
newbie.
To coat something vertical you just about have no choice but to use a
wipe-on method of application, not a brush of any kind, for a table-top
smooth finish. Foam, bristles, etc. are very likely, almost sure, to
result in runs, especially for a neophyte. Wiping the finish on can be
tedious and isn't for the first timer with his final product.

Urethanes et al are "self levelling", meaning that they are forgiving
for brush marks, overlaps, etc. because they will let gravity smooth
them out when they're applied to a horizontal surface per the
instructions that come with them. With a good brush and a new can of
urethane, it's possible to get a very smooth, professional looking
finish IFF the dust can be kept under control.
Several thin coats are also much better than one thick coat. I
usually use 3 coats, sometimes 4, depending on what it is and how deep I
want the gloss, if I'm doing a glossy. Personally I like semi-gloss
better but that's a matter of preference.
For dust control I have a celing fan with a furnace filter attached
to it. I turn it on a couple hours before I start and leave it on
during the application. Then I avoid creating more dust with other
projects during the setup times and my last coat comes out perfect for
me. Horizontal storage during the setup time is easier too since they
can just be placed flat on various surfaces. Once the material sets up,
usually about an hour, it's OK to store them in any position as long as
painted edges etc. are kep from touching anything.

Everything you said made good sense; it's just the missing info that I
wanted to add.

Regards,

Twayne


Forget the brushes foam or otherwise, use old t-shirts or buy a bag of
cut-offs.

Welcome aboard!

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