Thread: finish for oregon table top

On a table the softer the timber the tougher the finish needs to be. One of the epoxies or failing that a polyurethane would be my choice.

Yeah I did an outdoor (but always undercover) oregon table for someone earlier in the year. I used 6 coats of outdoor poly which I could only get in gloss so followed with two coats satin poly to bring the sheen off at clients request. Has held up well so far. As aldav said, softer timber, harder finish.

So what about that wipe-on poly stuff? Would that do the job? Any point in putting a tung oil finish under it?

Yeah it will. I use a roller I find I get a better end result but brush or wipe on may work best for you. No point in tung oil underneath I do not think. Could always do a test piece too. I usually test the finish I want to use on an offcut first.

The way I normally use a wipe on poly is with very light coats, I think the product is even designed that way. For me it would take a lot more coats to get a hardier finish. I would look at a brush on coat of poly or even use a roller as suggest above.

Have you got the Latin proper name for what you call "Oregon?"
If it is Douglas-fir = Pseudotsuga menziesii, there is a trick, based on the wood anatomy.

In the middle (S2) layer of the wood cell wall, there is a spiral thickening.
This twists when wetted so that cut surface cells stick up through the finish.

The coarsest steel wool that you can buy has flat strands, not round.
For this, fine and very fine steel wool is useless.

Use a pad of XXX coarse like a thousand chisels to cut off those fibers.
Then more coats of finish for a smooth surface.

D-fir is one of the hardest of the conifer woods.
Still the hardest finish will help to prevent denting.