Believe me, I understand, because I didn’t formulate that rule from theory!

David,

I’d like to go into that more in a future post. In general, I like gel varnish a lot (Bartley’s clear satin). I use General HP waterbase satin when I want to avoid a color change or oiled look, such as for ash, cedar, spalted maple. I like shellac (flake or Zinsser’s dewaxed blonde = “Sealcoat”) diluted to about a one pound cut, with wax over it, for certain pieces and woods. Sometimes I like an oil-varnish mix. It really depends on what I’m trying to achieve for a given wood in a given piece. I virtually never use stains or dyes, except for black accents or applied beading.

Those are just my preferences. Explore, experiment, and appreciate to find yours. Happy woodworking and thanks for reading.

Rob

What finishe do you use more often? Do you some time uses on wax?
Thank you!
David

I made a small box with three different vg fir boards to store sandpaper in my shop. I had to laugh when I put linseed oil on it – it looked like a zebra.

You’re right, test first!