Depends on what you're after.

For a dry item bowl - shellac or urethane are my favorites. They'll take
wiping with a damp cloth and be bright afterward. For a salad bowl, I
either run a thinned urethane seal, minimum surface, or walnut oil. Use
will moot my finish anyway, so all I'm interested in is slowing the
accumulation of dressing fixin's.

Popcorn is a definite walnut oil, because surface finishes would be
blistered by the unpopped kernels, and, once again, the oil on the contents
is the ultimate finish.

Note, no wax yet!

For looking pieces - things like ornaments or candy dishes, shellac has to
be as easy as it gets. Wax now becomes an option, but I'm a polisher, so
it's not really necessary. Some folks like just wax on this kind of thing,
but it's harder stuff than Minwax, and no solvents. There's no such thing
as several coats of wax, because the solvent dissolves, buffing removes all
but the least amount.

I personally buff the finish, not the wood. The sparkle comes from the
differential refraction in and around the pores, and I don't care to stuff
'em with sanding or buffing slurry. That stuff leaves a smooth surface, but
it has no life. I don't use satin finishes or scuff the surface to scatter
light for the same reason,- don't care to have the finish hide or obscure
the wood.

Then there are folks who just run something like boiled linseed or tung oil
in. Most I've seen are "I do art" types, even if the pieces are pedestrian.
I think they're just lazy.


"Keith Young" wrote in message
...
George

What are your reccommendations for a finish.