I talked to Jeff Watson at Woodcraft about finishes. He had some great information. We decided that shellace would be the best option. It doesn't yellow, is easy to repair, and is attractive to boot. I bought a can of spray for the edges--they are so rough that I could never brush them. But the spray isn't very good for the finish on the flat areas. It could end up with an orange peel unless you spray with a sprayer. Two options are available for hand-applying the finish to the flats: (1) brush, and (2) I think he called it patting. The patting option sounded a bit complicated, so I am going to brush it. Shellac is a natural resin mixed with alcohol.. and dries very fast. I may practice on something else first. He also sold me some synthetic steel wool to rough it up a bit after the first coat and to knock the gloss down on the final coat if I choose to do that. Jeff thought that the plant idea was great (I am not convinced). He also said that if I go with a table, black wrought iron legs would be his choice. See my earlier post with options. All in all, a good visit... Thanks for the help, Jeff.
