I've been trying to finish a woodturned project made from Red Oak and Oak, but I noticed that the boiled linseed oil I'm using doesn't seem to work well—it looks dull and just not right. I even compared it to a mahogany piece, which looked beautiful with the same finish. Is there a reason that oak absorbs the oil poorly, and what are some good alternatives to oil for finishing oak?
1 Answer
Oak tends to have a more open grain than mahogany, which might be why it's soaking up the finish and looking dull. Mahogany naturally shines more, especially based on how you prepared the surface. Also, have you tried buffing the linseed oil with steel wool after applying it? That can really help boost the shine. But if you’re not into that, you might want to switch to something like a wipe-on poly for a better finish!
I haven’t buffed after applying oil, but I’ll give that a go next time. I was thinking of just using a wipe-on poly too!