We have a lot of Red Oak in our Michigan home with a white pickled finish. It has always looked quite ‘clear’ with a minimun of strong grain pattern. It is not quartersawn.
I had a commission to build two oak bookcases, so I chose Red Oak and, for the first time, purchased from Niagara lumber on the internet. (VERY quick delivery by UPS; more waste than I anticipated but I was able to salvage enough usable material;) I dye/stained with TransTint, then applied three coats of General WB Poly and buffef up with Abralon to 4,000 grit, then with cloth wheel and Tripoli, finally a soft felt pad. Very good sheen – but the “grain” is a lot more prominent than I expected.
Is NY Red Oak different than MI Red Oak, or was it the TransTint that accentuated the grain excessively?
Jerry
Replies
It's the dye. There is a very good article in the most recent issue of FWW that talks about this, specifically the difference between dyes and glazes and the effect on grain.
I'll look up that story. Must have missed it.I just purchased the 1/4" Red Oak plywood for the back. I'll see if that finishes-up differently.Thanks for the responses.Jerry
They may have used a sanding sealer, too. That would accentuate the grain less.
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