I started a thread under ‘finishing’ about this table that I am refinishing. I am almost certain that it is birch, although I originally thought it was maple, mainly because it is an original Heywood Westfield art deco piece (probably from the 50’s or 60’s). The company folded and was bought in the 90’s to start making pieces again. Their diningroom tables are made of birch now and they look simiar. http://www.heywood-wakefield.com/detail.cgi?m789g-m799g?dining
The grain appears blotchy and I wonder what you guys would suggest as far as finishing it. You’ll notice the ‘blotches’ in the pics with mineral spirits on it. The piece was stained by my mother in the 80’s and it never really seemed blotchy to me. I stripped and sanded it and it appears that maybe some of the stain is still in the grain. Maybe? Some of the boards would be good character boards but there are too many ‘blotchy’ ones for my taste.
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Looks like birch to me. I don't think I'm seeing stain, just the typical grain characteristics of the species. Some peoples blotchyness is anothers chatoyancy.
Just saying Hi
Greetings
I just joined the forum and felt I would say hi.
Just saying Hi
Greetings
I just joined the forum and felt I would say hi.
Hello There
Welcome to the forum Whackilla.
What kinds of woodworking are you interested in? For example, carving, turning bowls or other things, cabinet making, boat building, finish work.
you can try a wash coat of dewaxed shellac under the topcoat of your choice to reduce though not eliminate blotching. Or use a gel stain/varnish which tends to sit on top of the wood and also blotches less than an oil or typical varnish. Or try both. If you can, experiment on the bottom! Good luck,
Michael
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