When I started the project I intended to hand finish the piece. I tried hand staining the interior walls of the base as a test and showed my handy work to Dorsey, Jack’s finish guy. Dorsey looked over the pieces I had stained and said, in the measured tones of an experienced craftsman…” that sucks.” There I had it. Dorsey’s unvarnished assessment of my finishing abilities. But frankly, they did look bad. Hand finishing wood is a specialty craft that takes lots of practice to be even moderately good.
Workshop Wisdom: If it aint right, say so. Dorsey could have been polite, could have said well that looks pretty good. He could have said well if that is the look you are going for blah, blah, blah. But he didn’t. He gave me his straight up assessment based on the quality standards to which he held himself. And that was great. I knew with certainty hand finishing the piece was not going to work the way I wanted it to.
So, after the other guys in the shop pulled Dorsey and me apart, I had a choice. I could do something different and try to create the piece I wanted, one with a fine finish, or I could stay the course and have my piece fall well short of the finish I had originally envisioned.
After the quick formation of a bi-partisan finish study group, I (being the Armoire decider) decided to glaze the piece. Glazing is where you spray multiple coats of lacquer on a piece to achieve the desired color. It’s easier to get right with limited experience and easier to correct mistakes. And, I called in the cavalry. Finishing the Armoire was really a team effort. I sprayed on the first coat. Dorsey sprayed the major color coat. Bruce (another one of Jack’s finish guys) and I touched up the color, where needed, with a final coat. This may sound easy but do not be fooled. Trying to make the finish on 30 component pieces similar and leave enough transparency to see the grain in the wood is hard.
Workshop Wisdom: Sometimes there is no substitute for experience. Finishing wood is a skill position. It’s not like playing defensive tackle or running a table router with a fence (fancy workshop lingo for a guide). It takes practice, practice, practice. If you don’t have the experience but want a pro finish, call in the pros.
The finish is a good place to end. There you have it, how I built my Armoire. The full picture of the completed piece is below. It was a great way to spend the time off.
Workshop Wisdom: If it aint right, say so. Dorsey could have been polite, could have said well that looks pretty good. He could have said well if that is the look you are going for blah, blah, blah. But he didn’t. He gave me his straight up assessment based on the quality standards to which he held himself. And that was great. I knew with certainty hand finishing the piece was not going to work the way I wanted it to.
So, after the other guys in the shop pulled Dorsey and me apart, I had a choice. I could do something different and try to create the piece I wanted, one with a fine finish, or I could stay the course and have my piece fall well short of the finish I had originally envisioned.
After the quick formation of a bi-partisan finish study group, I (being the Armoire decider) decided to glaze the piece. Glazing is where you spray multiple coats of lacquer on a piece to achieve the desired color. It’s easier to get right with limited experience and easier to correct mistakes. And, I called in the cavalry. Finishing the Armoire was really a team effort. I sprayed on the first coat. Dorsey sprayed the major color coat. Bruce (another one of Jack’s finish guys) and I touched up the color, where needed, with a final coat. This may sound easy but do not be fooled. Trying to make the finish on 30 component pieces similar and leave enough transparency to see the grain in the wood is hard.
Workshop Wisdom: Sometimes there is no substitute for experience. Finishing wood is a skill position. It’s not like playing defensive tackle or running a table router with a fence (fancy workshop lingo for a guide). It takes practice, practice, practice. If you don’t have the experience but want a pro finish, call in the pros.
The finish is a good place to end. There you have it, how I built my Armoire. The full picture of the completed piece is below. It was a great way to spend the time off.
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