Shopsmith Forums

Hey guys, I'm building an exact-fit dado jig, similar to this one by Marc Spagnuolo, The Wood Whisperer.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... j4vGS4HY-8[/youtube]

My materials are 3/4" baltic birch plywood, and some solid oak edging for the fences where the router bushing rides. I don't normally put a finish on shop-made jigs. But it's a bit of work getting good straight edges on the fences of this jig, and so I'm inclined to apply some sort of protective finish.

Any recommendations?

I use tung oil (boiled linseed oil) on all my shop jigs. It is cheap, easy to apply and easy to refresh as it it wears off.

I use Watco or Waterlox oils. Very easy to apply and renew.

I don't use any finish on my jigs. But, I don't make any critical fit jigs from plywood. I use maple hardwood. With just a bit of sanding on the edges, maple gives a crisp sharp edge.

I use whatever is on hand, but wipe on poly is easiest for me. It also helps seal the wood from moisture so wood movement is lessened.

I use Watco when I do seal them but most of the time I just leave them bare.
Paul

masonsailor2 wrote:I use Watco when I do seal them but most of the time I just leave them bare.
Paul

Sehast mentioned Watco as well. Are you guys talking about their "Danish Oil" products? I see that the Watco brand includes a bunch of different products, including tung oil and wipe-on poly.

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catal ... nds/watco/

I keep a couple of cans of spray shellac and on something nice I use that so it stays clean. I have also been known to paint some items thinly to seal it. Most are left plain and they don't really matter much since such things tend to sink out of sight and vanish anyway...


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I usually use spray on shellac then a light sanding and then Polly. It stabilizes the material and keeps it clean.

BuckeyeDennis wrote:

masonsailor2 wrote:I use Watco when I do seal them but most of the time I just leave them bare.
Paul

Sehast mentioned Watco as well. Are you guys talking about their "Danish Oil" products? I see that the Watco brand includes a bunch of different products, including tung oil and wipe-on poly.

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catal ... nds/watco/

The only Watco Danish oil I know of and use just has ‘Danish Oil’ on the front. Not sure of varieties of any Watco Danish oil, but a quart lasts me a long time and I think the last I bought was four or five years ago. It cures very hard and adds very little surface depth if you are concerned with tight tolerances. Some have complained that it has flaked, but I’ve never had any flake, though I did have a minwax wipeon poly, flake after a couple of years. I’d attribute that to operator application error before blaming the product.
My best results were with a foam brush.
All the jigs I had were coated in Danish oil, but I think that was more out of habit and the oil was on hand.
Not sure any of that helps, but for me, often the old tried and true beats trying new products, though I’m certain there are newer products that offer better results.

Be well,
Ben