Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish

By Bob Flexner

Book Overview

This best-selling resource on wood finishing has long been admired by wood technology professors, magazine editors, professional cabinetmakers, and other industry leaders since its original... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762106212
• ISBN13: 9780762106219
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Reader's Digest Association
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 3.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.8" x 11.4"

Customer Reviews

One of Those Books You Should Have Read Years Ago

Back in the dark ages when I thought my worst problem in woodworking was finishing I bought about 5 books on the subject. Of course, once I had developed some effective finishing strategies (and realized I had a few other problems), they all went on the shelf, never to be read again. Problems come in circles, and now I needed to understand a bit more about shellac and polyurethane, and Understanding Wood Finishing was the book I grabbed first. Bob Flexner has written a surprisingly interesting book about the mysteries of getting wood to look like something else besides lumber. While there's plenty of material on various techniques, it's the time he spends on how finishes actually work that is really the outstanding value to this book. This is a great place to start figuring out the why's as well as the how's. The style is straightforward, as it takes you from preparing surfaces through all the variant finishes (oil, stain, film, water-based. Conversion, etc., etc., etc.). At each step we find out exact what the finish does and use that knowledge to determine the best way to go about the job. There's a long chapter on finishing different woods that I found very useful. And, coming fill circle, there's even a chapter on stripping finishes. Whether you're a beginner or heading out into parts unknown, this is an excellent addition to the woodworking library you would want with you if you were stranded in a woodshop on an island forest.