Cleverness requested - how to finish both sides of a panel efficiently

[Greg Guarino]

Same panel doors, same novice "craftsman".

I'll be attempting to finish two panel doors today. I plan to install two hooks in each door (in the locations where the hinges will eventually attach) in order to be able to hang them up between coats. I thought that was a pretty clever idea, but I realize now that it will be a pain to rub on the finish (Waterlox) with the pieces swinging in midair.

So firstly, if I rub the finish on, is there anything problematic about hanging the doors vertically? I'm thinking there won't be enough liquid for it to "run", but my thinking has been wrong before.

Assuming that's OK, how would you finish both sides without waiting for one side to dry in-between? My current plan is to apply the Waterlox to the fronts of the doors in the standard way, with them laying on the bench, then hang up the doors and do the backs while holding onto a bottom corner. I'll go over that corner last somehow.

That seems awkward though. I'm certain there's a better way (no points for suggesting a sprayer. I don't have the necessary equipment, and I'm certain the world is better for it that I don't).

An ancillary question: How much time between coats? I don't expect to complete the process in one day, but I'd like to get at as much done as possible.

[tiredofspam]

[Larry Jaques]

It may run during the rubbing-in (application) but not after you get it rubbed out evenly.

When I have more than one door to do, I lean them on the wall, do the first side, flip them, then do the second side and both edges. I brush the ends afterward, taking care to avoid the faces.

-- Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice. -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

[HeyBub]

Make a "T" out of 2, 6ft, 1x4s. Then make another.

Nail these to the top and bottom of the door.

[Twayne]

I do a side at a time & let it dry the recommended time before flippingh it over on cotton cloth & doing the other side. But I have: Put

4 nail pins each corner to keep it off the bench. Do that side first, flip over, and do the other side. When done, remove pins & touchup is needed but t's not usually needed. Put the nail pin on the inside surfact of the door.

Time between coats? Jeez man, read the container. It varies all over the map.

HTH,

Twayne`

[dadiOH]

Put nails through a couple of piees of 1x2 and put the nail tips where you were going to put hooks.

[Cliff Hartle]

Put two nails in the top, two in the bottom.

Put down two 2x4's and set the nails on the 2x4's. Do one side, flip do other side.

[Queenoffalling]

At the time I was ready to start the finishing, there were no responses here as yet. What did you all do, sleep in?

I went with my original idea, although once I put the hooks in some variations on the theme of "support the doors on something tiny, like nails or nail points" came to mind. The hooks (eyescrews, actually) themselves held most of the "back" side off the bench. I laid the doors front face down and finished almost the whole back, except for the stile that would have touched the bench. Then I flipped it over and did the whole front and three of the edges. Lastly I hung the door...

Like this:

did the back and edge of the last stile. (The yellow hooks in the picture are not what was used to hold the doors)

It worked quite nicely. I think I'll use the same method for the next couple of coats as well.

[Dave]

On Sun, 4 Dec 2011 18:30:22 -0800 (PST), [e-mail]

Well, we didn't think you had any discretionary funds for these:

the accessories that go with them:

[Greg Guarino]

Looks like I once again posted from Google Groups with the wrong log-in.

things that might work nearly as well, things I have around the house.

I think I'll forgo the lazy susan.

[Leon]

If you use a gel varnish the surface is ready to be propped up almost immediately. I can easily get 3 coats of gel varnish laid down in a day.

[Larry]

Greg Guarino wrote in news:jbijue$h2q$ [e-mail]:

Depending on the hinge you use Rockler has 2 types of hooks to hang the door from while finishing them. Navigate to their website and search for "sure hook".

Larry

[Larry Jaques]

They do look handy, don't they? Who here is using them now and how do they fare? When is Lee Valley's next free shipping event?

Here, these are a lot cheaper and you can put a hunk of MDF over one to replicate the pricy model.

every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice. -- Oprah Winfrey

[Greg Guarino]

There was a movie whose name might have been "Moscow on the Hudson"; Robin Williams is a Russian saxophonist who defects in a NY department store. The one scene I remember best is where, overwhelmed by the myriad choices in an American supermarket and unable to choose, he faints. I feel that way in the Cold Remedies aisle these days, and when contemplating the various wood-finishing choices.

Gel varnish? Maybe if I hit the kind of lottery that awards you the economy of a mid-sized nation I'll go out and buy all of the various finishing products and spend a year testing them.

I mean no reproach here; I'm grateful for the advice. But finishing often seems to be Cape and Pointy Hat territory. Bubble, bubble, OIL and trouble...

[Leon]

Gel varnish application is a no brainer. You wipe it on, you wipe it off, immediately. Dust is no problem as it is dry to the touch in 2~3 minutes. No drips no runs.

[Father Haskell]

Regular varnish cut 50% works the same.

[Leon]

Maybe as a result but gel varnishes do not drip or run regardless of how much you put down.

[Gordon Shumway]

Attach one or more hinges to the doors and then connect two doors together with the hinge pins. Then arrange the doors so they can stand alone. Happy finishing.

[Doug White]

Leon wrote in news:duednSnj [e-mail]:

I hadn't even heard of gel varnish until I got a small can along with a maple bench top from Grizzly. I needed to be able to touch up some areas where I made some special cutouts.

In the past, I've always used Watco Danish Oil on most projects. This is pretty easy to use, but it still takes a while to apply.

The gel stuff is really pretty amazing. Wipe it on, wait a few minutes & wipe it off. It WILL take several coats to get any significant film thickness, so if you need serious protection, you are probably better off with a brush on varnish. However, if all you need is a nice sealed finish with minimum fuss & no chance of drips or sags, it's just the ticket.

Doug White

[Father Haskell]

Same as "Danish" oil, without the oil portion. Wipe back until almost dry to the touch, and the varnish won't run. Gel's fine, until you can't find it.