# Barn beam/rough cut finish options, opinions??



## Long Knife (Feb 19, 2012)

Hi guys, new member here just registered today. I'm relatively new to woodworking in a sense that I haven't built too many projects recently but have always tinkered with things over the years.

However, I recently took a bit of time off work and decided it was a good time to tackle a rustic bed frame project I have been thinking about for awhile. It's been a bit of a learning process but as I approach the end, I'm really stuck on what finish to put on it.

I'm fairly sure I want to go with just an oil finish as the barn beams have unbfortunately dried and checked fairly heavily and some of the cracks have opened up to well over half an inch wide. So I don't really want to do a finish that forms a film or what not like a polyurethane. I hsd though about an epoxy finish thta would actually fill in the cracks and encase the wood, but I'm thinking that is a little beyond my skill level and I worry about bubbles. Just from what I've researched, I was thinking I would go with a polymerized tung oil but it seems quite expensive, although that's not a show stopper. I just don't want to spend a bunch of money on a product and then decided to not use it. What about the tung oil "finishes" with a bit of poly? Durability is not really a concern, but it would be nice to able to freshen it up years down the road and fixz up any scratches with jsut another application of oil.


The posts are hand hewn barn beams I salvaged from a neighbours barn. I cleaned them up witha chisel, knife and Osbourne brush. The headboard is a harder species, not sure which, but the foot board posts are fir or spruce I'm thinking. Both have substantial cracks in them and various nail holes, mortises and knots. The footboard cross boards are rough cut oak or ash that we salvaged from a renovation on the farmhouse. I softened them up and smoothed them with the Osbourne brush. I'm think the headboard boards are pine, and were again salvaged and cleaned up. The head and footboard will be filled in with salvaged tongue and groove pine, rough cut side out. They were smoothed up with the Osbourned brush as well. The mattress 'stringers' are just new lumber I left rough cut from the sawmill (band type). The mortise and tenons will be pegged with (new) 1" poplar dowels. 

I really like the colouring of the wood as it is now and just want something that make the grain and distressing 'pop' and maybe darken up the old oak/ash a little as it's somewhat bland. I really don't want to yellow it much more... just give it a little more vibrance. The old, black weathering is still showing on some of the beams, and I'd like to let that still show through and as well enhance the rough cut lumber by darkening/blackening the tooling marks?

Anyway, I'd really appreciate any opinions or suggestions you guys might have as I'd like to tie this project up as it's been really chewing into my time and i'd love to see it done. i'm almost at a standstill now until I decide on a finish. I really don't know what direction to go in.

THANKS!


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

one problem, i - we, can't tell what the color will be once wetted with whatever you may use to finish with. please get back with a couple of pics where its wet with water/mineral spirits/alcohol/ or what ever is handy and present ok? much more can be given then as to what your saying your looking for,:yes: 

PS: wet "all" of the woods not just the pine ok?

sincerely, 

chemmy


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

We got two longknifes here On wood talk.


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

Dominick said:


> We got two longknifes her. On wood talk.


Then that would be two "longknives" the "her" i'm not sure about, lol:laughing:


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

chemmy said:


> Then that would be two "longknives" the "her" i'm not sure about, lol:laughing:


There is no her. Here chemmy. Come on get it together. Lol.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

By the way. Very nice bed frame.


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

Dominick said:


> There is no her. Here chemmy. Come on get it together. Lol.


:blink::huh::shifty::icon_cool::laughing::yes:


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## Long Knife (Feb 19, 2012)

chemmy said:


> one problem, i - we, can't tell what the color will be once wetted with whatever you may use to finish with. please get back with a couple of pics where its wet with water/mineral spirits/alcohol/ or what ever is handy and present ok? much more can be given then as to what your saying your looking for,:yes:
> 
> PS: wet "all" of the woods not just the pine ok?
> 
> ...


Thanks. I should be heading to the shop to cut the dados into the rails for the t&g pine tommorow and I'll try wetting down some of the wood.

The more I read, the more I'm leaning towards tung oil.... other than the price. I'm not too far from Lee Valley tools up here, but it runs about $40 a liter (1/4 gallon).

As far as the name Long Knife... wehn it wouldn't let me enter "Longknife" as a nickname I thought that surely there couldn't be another one on here... guess I was wrong.

Once the bed is done I'll try and post a project documentation thread (if you guys have something like that here).


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## chemmy (Dec 13, 2011)

Long Knife said:


> Thanks. I should be heading to the shop to cut the dados into the rails for the t&g pine tommorow and I'll try wetting down some of the wood.
> 
> The more I read, the more I'm leaning towards tung oil.... other than the price. I'm not too far from Lee Valley tools up here, but it runs about $40 a liter (1/4 gallon).
> 
> ...


Thanks longknife:thumbsup:


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