Soft-cover Book and DVD package. - $24.95

First Place Winner!  2005 Golden Hammer award for best How-To Book

Published by Taunton Press, the hardcover book, "Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing" has over 300 pages and 800 color photos and is the most up-to-date, comprehensive book on finishing wood ever published. This book covers both tried and true techniques like French Polishing right alongside more modern techniques such as spraying polyester and conversion varnish. You'll learn about all the latest products and the tools to apply them, and techniques like toning, shading, sun-bursting, creative grain filling, and applying finishes, both by hand as well as spray. The book is organized for quick access which makes it easy to find each technique or topic.  Hardcover $39.95

From the Introduction by the author  "Finishing. It’s the aptly named final detail to making furniture. Finishes not only protect wood from stains, water damage and other mishaps, they also make it look richer, deeper and add dimension and luster. For me, finishing is the most enjoyable part of working wood, because it’s where everything comes together. Whether it’s the tingly feeling from wiping a coat of oil or shellac on highly figured curly maple or the excitement from matching an old finish, finishing is the reward of making things from wood.

Yet I’ll wager that for most of you finishing isn’t fun or has been an unpleasant experience. Sadly, most woodworkers find out the hard way that Murphy’s Law’s of everything that could possibly go wrong begins with the introduction of a finish to wood. Just think of the phrases used to describe finishing problems: “fish-eyes”, “wrinkling”, “splotching”, “bleeding” or “orange-peel”. You want that on your furniture?

This book will guide you through the finishing process and make it as exciting for you as it is for me. I learned finishing by making mistakes, lots of them, and you probably have neither the time nor the furniture to practice on the way I did. I’ll guide you through the tools, the products and the techniques for gaining control over the process, which is the point at which finishing becomes fun. You won’t find a dogmatic style or preachy opinions in these pages; I’ll show you proven, classic ways of doing things along side of new techniques using modern materials."

  Taunton's "Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking" will help woodworkers of all levels choose the right method and tools to bring great results, pleasure and satisfaction to working wood.  Woodworking is a craft that has evolved over millennia. And there are many methods to accomplish all the tasks woodworkers perform, from the low tech approach of handtools to the speed and efficiency of sophisticated machines.  Andy Rae, Lonnie Bird, Gary Rogowski, Tom Lie-Nielsen and Jeff Jewitt combine their expertise to bring you one of the most authoritative overviews on woodworking in print.   Hardcover $29.95

Great Wood Finishes - A Step-by-step Guide to 
Beautiful Results
Taunton 2000

third Place Winner!  2001 Golden Hammer award for best How-To Book         

       Click here to read reviews of Great Wood Finishes

This book was designed to make finishing easy. In this book you'll get pro-level advise presented in a clear and concise format with plenty of clear, four-color photographs. You'll get advice on the best equipment to buy, and then you'll be shown how to use it. Included are helpful hints on each page to avoid the most common pitfalls and troubleshooting charts. The heart of this book is the Specialty Finishes Section, in which 14 finishes are detailed in a step-by-step format. You'll see how to do:

Also learn how to choose and use spray equipment, build and set up a portable spray booth. Matching finishes, using glazes, toning and shading are discussed in detail. All finishes are done using commonly available finishing products.   Softcover $22.95

Author comments   "This book is the culmination of what I thought the perfect finishing book should be. Written and photographed over a two year period, we took 14 pieces of unfinished furniture and my photographer Randy took photos while I finished these pieces. There's no trick photography, no studio or posed shots. We worked on real furniture in real settings similar to those that amateur and novice woodworkers would have. Randy puts you over my shoulder and in the front row so you can see the nuances of coloring, finishing and rubbing out this furniture. It's as close as you can get to private instruction". 

 

 The Hand-Applied Finishes DVD combines the two videos, Coloring Wood and Applying Topcoats that were originally released as separate tapes as a companion to Hand Applied Finishes in 1997. Applying Topcoats won the Golden Hammer that year for Best How-To Video. In this 80 minute jam-packed DVD you will learn the complete finishing process, from preparing the wood to rubbing out the finish and doing minor repairs. Learn how to French Polish, use stains and glazes, brush different finishes and much more. Every major topic in Finishing is covered and there's no other video like on the market.  It's like taking a 2 day seminar from Jeff and paying less than 20.00.   DVD $19.95

Hand-Applied Finishes
Taunton 1997

second Place Winner!  1997 Golden Hammer award for best How-To Book

"Absolutely the best book I've ever read on finishing"  Robert Whitley, Philadelphia, PA
Robert Whitley is one of America's most well-respected furniture makers, and is known for his impeccable finishes. To learn more about this amazing craftsman, click here.

This book is for anyone who wants to create extraordinary finishes by hand. A step-by-step discussion of traditional hand-applied finishes is presented with clear, concise text and photos. Included are French Polishing, padding shellac, brushing all types of finishes, oil finishes and milk paint. Also included are discussions on staining with traditional (pigment and dye) stains as well as chemical stains. Rubbing out and repairs are also covered in detail. Softcover $16.95

You'll also learn: