I'm wondering what I should do for the finishing on my 3-way towers. Its veneered with Tasmaian Oak, what should I put over that? Some sort of lacquer? In the past thats basically what I've done with veneers, but perhaps theres something better I can do. Any advice welcomed!

Here is the veneered MDF, the one with masking tape around it (although you cant really see the grain on the veneer properly in the pic):

Thanks!
Adrian

• Adire Tempest Construction Pictures

I like the way your speakers are looking. It will be a great set up when your done. The stripes and grain in that oak should really come to life and show some vivid color contrast too. As suggested, the tung oil is nice finish. It will get into the wood and the protection will be in the surface fiber of the wood. The oil penetrates and then cures. The film finishes don't penetrate but instead form a protective film that covers the wood. Both can bring out the grain in the wood and make your speakers look alive. If you have spray equipment then lacquer is a great finish. As Bill suggested you need some special things to be safe while spraying. A mask is a must and you need to have exhaust fans that don't pollute with filters as well as explosion proof lights. If the weather is nice and your neighbors don't mind you can work outside. Thinners and thinning is temperature and climate dependant. If you don't want to spray but still want a film finish I suggest Varnish. Spar varnish is very nice and water proof. If your interested I can tell you how I apply lacquer or varnish.

Bill

Adrian

I'm no wood finishing expert but I prefer natural Watco Danish oil and a hand rubbed wax finish. There are lots of techniques for applying this stuff and they all require a fair bit elbow grease & time but it's foolproof - just what a fool like me needs.

For my speakers (behind amps in pic, cherry veneer), I rubbed in about 6 coats of oil by wet sanding - starting with 200 grit and working up to 800. I soaked the wood and kept the paper clean and wet, let dry for maybe 20 minutes, rubbed off the access and let dry overnight before the next coat. To seal things a little I rubbed in a few coats of Watco's satin finishing wax.

On the amp bases (South American mahogany) I used the same oil technique but tried Goddards furniture polish for the final finish - a little glossier and really brought out the depth of the grain. One thing to point out here, the Watco natural oil color has an orangey hue on some woods and may not be to your liking - definitely try it on some scrap first to make sure you don't make a very large mistake.

Billfort

That looks really great as well. Looks like there are quite a lot of options for me to choose from! Since I really like the look of yours and also that Tempest sub finished in Tung oil, price may become a deciding factor too as they both look very nice.

Adrian