Finishing the Dresser Chest

From  my Journal Tuesday 7th February 2017

Finishing the Dresser Chest of Drawers

Applying the finish for many woodworkers is often a daunting task ahead but with the right brush and technique it need not be. With the video series concluded and posted we made a finishing video for everyone to follow to conclude the series at the end with.

It was good to conclude the dresser. I know if I don’t say which brush I used people might not realise how special the one I used and recommend is. Brushes are at their best after they have been used for a while it’s true, but these brushes arrive near perfect right from the start and because shellac is such a forgiving finish once you understand how it works, if an odd hair does escape from the mass, it doesn’t present much of a problem as I might with say polyurethane. Shellac become brittle once cured and the hair usually pops right off with a fingernail edge. A few years ago, perhaps 2007, I bought some brushes for instrument finishing from Joel and Tools for working wood. Not cheap but the very best.

I used them for the special varnish we use for violins and cellos. I also keep this 2” one for shellac. It knows no equal—so soft yet thickly stocked—it loads well and distributes beautifully because of it fineness. It feathers out the finish flawlessly.

I hope Joel forgives me and that he has a goodly stock of them because every furniture maker should own at least one of these 2” brushes.