Replies

1. 
   peter28 | Feb 27, 2008 04:17pm | #1

   A sleigh bed is an impressive project. It is also an interesting way to cut your teeth on finishing.

   Obviously you have been giving it a lot of thought and have some good questions.

   Concerning conversion varnish;

   If you were to oil it, I strongly recommend you let it dry well before proceeding. A week is not too long. I would seal that with a vinyl sealer that is the same brand as your topcoat.

   On staining;

   You'll need to make samples to determine that. You should have enough stock leftover to make these. Samples are very important. You don't want to use the bed as your experiment.

   If you were planning on staining, you may consider a dye first to give the color another dimension. Yellows and golden browns will enrich the visual impact of any stain.

   Shellac will give you an excellent and durable finish. It does take a little practice to achieve a formal look. I have a tiger maple bed that I finished in shellac and added a wax at the end.

   You said finishing is your weak point. There are two ways to look at this. One, you'll get one hell of an education finishing this bed. As the old saying goes you'll know what you're doing by the time you are done.

   Have you done any reading on the subject? It will be time well spent prior to getting your hands dirty.

   The other consideration; have someone with experience do the finish. That may not be as palatable in a financial or pride mode though.

   Whatever you do, don't guess at it.

   Take the time to plan your finish, just like you planned the joinery, and then work that plan.

   Finishing like any skill has a learning curve. You are certainly a talented person to be able to make this bed. Take that same talent level, read, practice on samples and use common sense.

   All of the above takes time, a fair amount of time. However, it takes a lot less time than possibly having to refinish something you don't like.

    Keep me posted on progress.

   Peter

    

1. 
   jcrum | Feb 28, 2008 03:52am | #2

   Thanks  for the speedy reply and good advise Peter. Been a woodworker for a long time but this project has put me to the test. It si a belated weeding gift for our son and daughter in law. I'm building it from a picture of a bed they sent. The head and foot boards are S shaped form bent plywood laminations that will be veneered and sort of f shaped corner posts. I've been holding my breath at every stage, so finishing is the final obstacle.  Not exactly a straight forward project.  Learned a lot though. Thanks again for the advise and encouragement. I'll let you know how it works out

   Jim