I finally finished the hall table that my wife "commissioned" as the first project for my new shop. Curly maple and sapelle with a bloodwood accent stripe. She wanted a glossy finish - I lost count of the number of number of coats of poly and sandings but the top came out glass smooth. I love the Klingspor 600 grit paper!
I think I need to find a good finishing course after COVID.
My "How to improve your finishing' class was a few years ago in a NCWW spray finishing hands on class hosted at Phil's. It got me started on the journey of spray finishing, and I am happier with my results since then. I am not typically aiming for super glossy though, and I keep most finishes to the minimal amount, but it is much easier than you might think.
One piece of advice I recall reading is to pick a finish and get good at it; using consistent materials and method, with practice / repetition. Adding another one or two finishes after that one you mastered and you have a few decent options. For example on tables that I expect to get a lot of drinks or spills I use a conversion varnish, other lighter duty tables (like a desk) I have just sprayed lacquer. I just use water based stuff from Target, and all the ones I have tried have worked very well for a novice spray finisher. This has proven it self as a worthy investment and my finishing is much more consistent and predictable in both the process and time required.
And after all that, a beautiful result, nicely done.
