7594 The Furniture Bible

contents foreword by martha stewart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART 1:

meet your furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART 2:

finishing school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART 3:

prep school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART 4:

techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART 5:

tool school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART 6:

the care and feeding of your furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

298

acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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THE FURNITURE BIBLE

types of sandpaper

WET AND DRY: The advantage is ver-

satility; use this sandpaper dry or dip it into water or oil for lubrication.

sanding When I was grounded as a teenager, I spent many an afternoon sanding furniture in my father’s atelier.

OPEN CUT: Another type commonly

used for fine furniture, its surface is coated with a little lubricant for a smoother sanding.

Sanding is not the most glamorous phase of refinishing, and it’s certainly the dustiest. But any artisan will tell you that great preparation is the key to eventual beauty, and sanding is an essential part of that process. You cannot achieve refined results without a refined surface.

Sanding is the base of your finish, creating a clean, level canvas in anticipation of a new treatment. Embrace it

GARNET: Unless you start with very

coarse wood that’s been barely planed, do not use this ubiquitous hardware-store variety. The texture is too scratchy and not uniform enough for fine cabinetmaking and finishing.

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as a contemplative exercise!

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Prep School

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The purpose of sanding is to make the wood as smooth and uniform as possible, bringing it to the level specifically required by the finish you’ll be executing and ensuring even absorption of stains or other finishing products. The more you sand, the smoother and more microscopically even the wood surface becomes.

GRITS Sandpapers come numbered according to their degree of roughness: the lower the grit number, the coarser the abrasive (generally sand and/or glass particles) and the more wood it removes. Higher-grit sandpaper, meanwhile, is better at removing more minute surface asperities. When sanding a piece, you typically start with a low grade and progress upward, following the numbers consecutively. Although you can sand all the way to 20,000 grit—used to polish cars—you’ll generally stop at 220, which creates the perfect wood texture for stain to bond with.

Commonly Used Grits GRIT

USE

50–100

Do not use on fine furniture.

120, 150

Should be reserved only for something really rustic and exceptionally damaged.

180

Start here for fine furniture.

220

Stop here if you plan to stain the wood. A finer grit will tighten the grain and burnish the wood, impairing even penetration of the stain—especially if you plan to go dark.

320, 360, 400

Stop here if you plan to French polish or if you won’t be staining the piece.

500, 600

Use for scuff-sanding (see below) in between coats.

SCUFF-SANDING Scuff-sanding is the term used to describe light sanding executed between coats to remove any fine dust marring your finish. You don’t want to abrade the finish in the process or rub through coats; you simply want to remove slight imperfections and dust caught on the wet finish. Using only the weight of your hand, go over the piece just once—30 seconds and you’re done. Be sure to use very, very fine sandpaper— never less than 400 grit, and more like 500 or 600 if you’ve already built up a finish.

I suggest starting with 500, and if that doesn’t remove the schmutz, go lower.

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THE FURNITURE BIBLE

HOW TO FOLD SANDPAPER

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2

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scratchy side out.

is why you keep the pieces small: to save paper.)

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2

3

but you can also use a small block sized to wrap a quarter-sheet of sandpaper around.

block more forgiving.

CUT A SHEET OF PAPER INTO SIXTHS OR EIGHTHS by folding it

FOLD A SECTION INTO THIRDS,

a few times and slicing it with a ruler (not your scissors—you could damage the blades).

USE ONCE AND THEN TOSS. (This

HOW TO WRAP A BLOCK

I PREFER A SANDING SPONGE,

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CUT A SMALL PIECE OF CORK TO SIZE. This soft layer will make the

AFFIX TO THE BLOCK. Press firmly.

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Prep School

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HOW TO WRAP A SANDING SPONGE

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2

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CUT THE SANDPAPER INTO QUARTERS.

WRAP THE SANDPAPER AROUND THE BLOCK. The cork goes on

WRAP A PIECE OF SANDPAPER AROUND THE SPONGE.

MAKE SURE THE PAPER IS TIGHT.

THE SPRINGINESS OF THE SPONGE IS SOFTER AND MORE FORGIVING ON WOOD.

READY TO USE!

the bottom.

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Tool School

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if you have a drawer Keep things simple with high-quality tools and products in small quantities.

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1

1

ASSORTED CLOTHS: heesecloth, tack c

15 WHITE AND GREEN

cloth, cotton, and a fine-dusting cloth (reserved exclusively for this use) 2

RUBBER MIXING BOWL: easy to clean

3

SPECIAL SOAP to

14 COLOR WHEEL

PACKING TAPE

2

16 STORAGE CONTAINER

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17 A FEW OTHER NICE-

QUALITY TOOLS

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18 SMALL CLAMPS:

always buy in pairs

clean tools and fine brushes 4

PLASTIC TARP AND ZIPLOC BAGS

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NITRILE GLOVES

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GREAT -QUALITY SCISSORS

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19 SMALL JAPANESE SAW

21 SMALL HAMMER

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5

22 GUIDING SCREW

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TOOL graduated in both

imperial and metric systems

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STEEL WOOL: only the

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finest grades 9

23 TAPE MEASURE

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CLEAR WAX: you can

color it as needed 8

20 4-IN-1 SCREWDRIVER

18 17

7

BUFFING BRUSH

24 STEEL RULER:

choose a nice, heavy

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graduated one

10 GLUE BRUSH

25 A FEW HIGH-QUALITY

BRUSHES

11 TOUCH-UP CRAYONS

AND FELT PENS

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26 ONLY A FEW COLORS:

10 25

12 WOOD GLUE 13 LIGHT-COLORED

sienna, ochre, umber,

black, white 27 SOLVENTS AND

FILLER

LIQUIDS s tored in

small bottles

26 11 27 12

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THE FURNITURE BIBLE

if you have a shelf Supplies from the drawer will have a place on the shelf as you expand; you only need to add, not replace or upgrade, tools. Consider an adjustable metal shelf unit, which will last longer.

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A SECOND SET OF CLAMPS, longer

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and stronger 2

3

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A SECOND JAPANESE SAW: l onger and more flexible (for A NICE SET OF CHISELS

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A NICE BLOCK PLANE, which

pigments, etc.

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13 AN EXPANDED SELECTION OF WOOD FILLER, WAXES, ETC. i n

different colors and hues

A STOCKPILE OF SPECIFIC FINISHING PRODUCTS ( here:

14 A FEW CLEANING PRODUCTS evoted to studio use, always at d

shellac, mixed and ready to use)

(they’ll last you a lifetime) 5

12 AN EXPANDED COLOR SELECTION: o il, acrylic, dry

oesn’t take up much room and d suits many tasks

making longer cuts and flush cuts) 4

tung oil, ready to use)

you mix, the more leftovers you’ll have

SET OF METAL SPATULAS, STICKS, AND VARIOUS PICKS to

clean, apply, carve, etc.

11 OIL STAIN ( here, mixed with

MORE CANS FOR STORING SOLIDS AND LIQUIDS— the more

10 SANDING SPONGES: g ood for

A GOOD RUBBER OR WOOD MALLET

the ready

wrapping sandpaper around and for cleaning, too

15 A NICE NATURAL-BRISTLE BRUSH WITH A LONG HANDLE (and soft bristles)

MULTIPLE BRUSH SHAPES AND TYPES— use the right one

for each task and label them

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2

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