Finishing mahogany

You’ll gain more knowledge from others on the site than me but I happened to ask the same question just recently. I’m finishing the mahogany chair I’m building with two coats of Watco oil, then a shellac, and finally poly on the arms only for protection.

The watco will bring out any glue marks or scratches that you’ll need to clean up.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

I would practice on a scrap piece….try a couple of different methods….also you may want to try a wood filler paste. mahogony has an open grain i found using a dark colored paste smoothed the surface very well an a laquer finish looked great. i forget the brand i used but it is not to be confused with regular wood filler that you might find at HD

Surface preparation is key. Those dark spots sound like residual glue so you might want to go at ‘em again. I like to wait till the glue just hardens a bit and can be scraped off instead of spreading it around with water. Best to avoid most squeeze out by taping off joint or pre-finishing so glue can not adhere.

If you sanded with orbital sander think about going over it by hand in the last grit you used. Swirl marks caused by a sander are depressing when applying finish.

Take your project into a bright area and inspect it carefully. Also a raking light helps. That is: Shine a bright light at an angle and get down and close and look for scratches.

Danish oil is a simple finish for your first time. Nearly fool proof. Just follow the directions on the can.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne