A video for Youtube #shorts. Exploring Early 19th c. Finishing Methods. A selection from Peter Nicholson's 1826 book "Practical carpentry, joinery, and cabinet-making".


Cleaning off Wood-Work


The finishing the surface of wood-work is sometimes called polishing; but, to avoid using the same word in two senses, we shall apply the ordinary term of cleaning off. The mode of commencing this operation depends on whether it be a veneered or a solid surface that is to be cleaned off. In solid wood the surface is rendered as even as possible ; first, by a finely-set smoothing-plane, and then by a steel scraper, to remove the marks of the plane. The surface is afterwards rubbed with glass-paper, finishing with the finest kind, so as to render the surface as smooth as possible.


If the wood should not be very compact, the surface thus obtained will become spongy and rough on being moistened with oil or other matter used for polishing. This roughness is what is termed the rising of the grain. To prevent this rising of the grain, as soon as the surface of the wood has been smoothed with glass-paper as before directed, let it be uniformly wetted with a wet sponge ; and, on its being dry, rub it a second time with glass-paper till the surface has the proper degree of smoothness.

(Book 3, Chapter 5, p.25)



This book is currently in the public domain and can be accessed by visiting archive.org/details/practicalcarpent00nich/page/n7…