Forum topic by Matt | posted 07-26-2018 02:42 PM | 2845 views | 0 times favorited | 5 replies | ![]() |
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07-26-2018 02:42 PM |
I recently took an interest in wood working and decided that as my first project I would make a live edge coffee table. I used an Ambrosia Maple Slab. I removed the bark and sanded it down. I used 60 girt, 120 grit, and finished with 220 grit. I then finished with 3 coats of clear oil-based polyurethane with a satin finish, because I did not want the overly glossy or bar-top look that an epoxy would give the wood. I sanded gently with 220 grit paper in between coats of poly. I was between doing that and using a steel wool, but ultimately went with the 220 grit sandpaper. My slab has a large crack running about 2/3 of the length of the slab. Since I was not confident enough in my bow tie making skills, I stabilized the crack with 5 metal brackets and wood screws on the table’s underside. I then attached some hairpin legs. It came out great, in my opinion, for my first stab at working with wood, but it did leave me with a few questions. Question 1: While applying the first coat of poly, I (stupidly) wiped off the excess with a paper towel. In some of the rougher patches of the wood, some of the paper towel fibers got caught up and now there is a white residue present from the paper towel. What is the best way to get rid of this? Should I sand the affected areas and maybe apply some mineral spirits and then more poly? Should I do that to the whole thing? Question 2: Since the smoothness of the wood varies because of the knots and grain, some spots on the tabletop are not as smooth as others. Is there a way to fix this? Similar to question 1, should I sand more and apply more poly? Is mineral spirits needed at all? Will mineral spirits remove the poly completely? Question 3: Is it okay that I used screws and metal brackets to stabilize the cracks? This was just the easiest way for me to do it given my experience level. Thanks for giving this a look! I look forward to any and all responses! -- Matt |