school me: making my own coffee table

[Ferra]

Originally Posted by tiger_handheld

thanks guys. very good info here.

i'm planning to stain mine this weekend. I'll be staining using TEAK OIL from home depot. As it's suppose to dry into the color i want. Anyone used this?

then apply some clear coat next weekend. Any suggestions on what the product i need to buy for this clear coat is?
How many coats can one can/jug give?

I believe teak oil is not a stain. It is a varnish / coating.
A lot of oil based coating will darken / amber the wood color, so if you like the color, you can just apply the teak oil without other coating on top.
I've never used teak oil before so can't say how well it works..I used danish oil and tung oil before. Both give the wood a very matte, natural look. (Something i like personally)
As with most rub on oil finish, they get shinier when you start doing multiple coats. (e.g. 1st coat = matte, 2nd = satin, 3rd-4th = semi-gloss, 5+ high gloss)

If you are just finishing a coffee table, a typical quart should be more than enough to do 5-10 coats.
Always test your coating on a piece of the same wood first.
FYI if you are using Pine wood like the other 2 posters, just an oil finish will give it a blonde, slight amber tone with very little color on it.
(certain wood like teak and cherry will darken a lot once you rub an oil finish on it, but on wood like pine and maple, they dont' change the color that much)

[N.V.M.]

just buy a live edge slab and all you'll have to deal with(mostly) is the legs(support). its really popular lately and more and more customers are asking for it. here's an example, a one sided bench i've done recently.


slb1 by N.V.M., on Flickr

slb2 by N.V.M., on Flickr