Thanks Steve, I've watched both the videos you linked. I'll give the iron a try as I've invested heavily in them over the years so it's time they paid me back. ;)

It is.. but If I hope to ever make any money selling these, I can't let one out the door with a flawed finish..

The resin is self leveling to a point.. you can achieve a flat finish by adding more layers of resin... but that is costly..So the smoother and more even the surface is when you start, the better..

This particular type of wood was really thirsty and in some areas the resin disappeared into the grain while there were other areas it stayed as placed..

The end grain of the Elm took a lot of resin

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726262943.jpg

The table I made from Black Walnut took minimal prep to achieve a very nice finish..


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726263079.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726263393.jpg

Black Walnut serving platter/charcuterie board


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726263079.jpg

The all seeing digital camera can still make out the stain, but for all practical purposes the naked eye can't detect where it was. She's happy it doesn't look like it did.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726266014.JPG
Thanks for the help!SmileWavy

Outstanding, and I learned 2 new things today. For many/some careful application of heat works. And for some, alcohol is likely a good fix.

Good job. Did you use a towel and a clothes iron? That's my go to for removing water stains. If the result is less than satisfactory then I break out the sanders and refinish which is what I had to do with this coffee table I made years ago. I call it a coffee table because it's where I make my coffee 😃 20" deep and 7' long plank of Tiger Woodhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726268585.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726268585.jpg

Woodworking you guys don't do. But thought you might find this guy's skills interesting.
Yes, full splice cues are highly prized, even in today's carbon fiber cues craze. An artist here...calls himself a beginner. 11 minutes.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cXIT2zbD-Es" title="Making a Full-Splice Pool Cue from Scratch (No Talking, just Woodworking)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That guy's awesome. I've watched him build all sorts of stuff. One of my favorites is when he builds a folding chair out of a single piece of wood, and when he's done, the chair is still "one piece," because he never separated any of the bits of the chair from each other.

The Japanese do amazing joinery, especially when making traditional wooden homes. But I think this guy may be Chinese.

Thanks!
I used an old tee shirt rag and this iron:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726275041.JPG

Nowhere near level of craftsmanship on these pages, but a few weeks ago my granddaughter expressed a desire for a desk for her room. She is on the autism spectrum and is aware of her challenges so requires a quiet spot for homework. It is sized for the corner of her room. She is a southpaw so the file drawers are on the left. The bits underneath are the components of some quarter round corner shelves which will be mounted on the left side of the shelves. She will be doing the sanding and painting. I have an idea it will be cream, to match her bed, but knowing her, I'm not placing any bets.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726335236.jpg

I'm not a fast carpenter, I'm not a slow carpenter. I'm a half fast carpenter. ;)

Best
Les

Nice. Looks good and functional. I'm sure that she'll love it.

I hope you don't mind me posting a thought about it. It looks like the shelves that are sitting on top has a gap between the shelfback and the desktop, and in the photo it looks uneven (which may be an optical illusion based on light from the window behind it). I'm not sure if/how the shelf is attached to the desk. But you could maybe run a little shoe or cove molding down that gap That way there's no chance of anything slipping under/behind the shelves (papers, pennies, paper clips, etc...).

Hey Steve!
When I took that pic to show my granddaughter ( who was stuck in 5he house with a stomach upset) I hadn't yet engineered the bracket to secure the shelves to the desk and close that gap.
Good catch.

Best
Les

I kind of figured, but thought I'd mention it just in case.

The drawer fronts are knotty pine pieces from 43 years ago. Gary had a backyard saw mill and took my order for the lumber for the initial construction of our house. Before he delivered the load, he advised me: "In order to get the 15 foot long 2x10 spruce you needed for the floor joists, I had to cut a pine tree to reach the big spruce. I milled out some of the pine and threw it on the load. I hope you don't mind. "
11 and12 inch wide pine? I think I can live with that. I have finally used up the last of it.

Best
Les

Very cool!

The single biggest expenditure on this project was the three sets of drawer guides. The desk itself is a single sheet of 3/4" birch ply which was damaged on one corner and was half price. The rest was made of left over scraps in my shop.
I suppose the perfect conclusion would be to use up all the hoarded bits and pieces on the last project.
Yeah right!

Best
Les

You might research milk paint if you aren't already familiar with it. My wife found a make your own recipe on the web. We refinished a bedroom suit that my daughter had as a young girl. It had flower motif on the headboard and other areas. We stripped the dresser top and stained it - but all the other pieces got the milk paint treatment. Then to protect the paint my wife used spray polyurethane. The milk paint is very forgiving which would probably be great for your granddaughter to apply.

This is frustrating, I bought the piece at KD around 7%

Its been manipulated, machined, flattened, clamped into a mold, the resin is well cured

And the wood is still moving, which is odd, besides being KD it been enveloped in epoxy resin for a few weeks now... hermetically sealed..

Edit: Something is causing this piece to cup..

1/2in in 24in..




http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1726524001.jpg

Hmmm, I'm thinking it is the top layers of epoxy shrinking with lower layers being already to size. Give it more time or possibly clamp it flat and try warming the surface?

Wow, that's surprising! Good luck!

Done, stick a fork in it.

Though I saw a few dust motes, and an effing cat hair... I'll color sand and compound it mount the legs.. and have some people over for dinner to immediately scratch it up :-P

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1727303819.jpg