Understanding Wood Finishing

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.