Filling pores in mahogany ply

[radhak]

I am making a small table top with mahogany ply, and wish to finish it to a very smooth surface.

FineWoodworking has a bunch of articles on filling up open pores in Mahogany, but they all give varied opinions : one says use Rottenstone, another (by same author Jeff Jewitt!) says Pumice stone or Plaster of Paris ( ! ), and another simply says paste filler (what is that?).

Of note is that they all worked with hardwood, while I have plywood. Will that make a difference? Any opinion on what would work best for ply?

My plan is to use some dark dye to stain after it filling the pores.

[cabinetman]

Mahogany is a very porous wood, solid wood more so than the plywood, but the plywood will benefit from using a paste wood filler. That should be used first, before any staining or dyeing. As for what to use to darken Mahogany, a non grain raising methanol based aniline dye works very well.

Depending on how much finish you want to apply, or how much gloss you want, there are several film finishes that can be used, such as acetone based (lacquer thinner) lacquer. That product should not be confused with what's called "water based lacquer", which is a waterbased polyurethane.

Oil based polyurethane, or oil based interior varnish can also be used. Or, a waterbased polyurethane can be used.The basics are that sufficient coats have to be applied in order to sand to a very high grit, with wet-or-dry silicone carbide sandpaper and water, preferably to around 2000x with water. Then rubbed with a smooth pumice, and then rottenstone buffed to bring out the shine. Automotive rubbing compounds can also be used in progressively smoother grits rubbed with water, to buff out the finish. You can get that "piano" finish look if that's what you're after.
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[wardprobst]

Cabinetman is spot on. I'd just add that paste wood filler comes in two flavors- oil base and water base. The oil base takes quite a while to dry out but is easier to apply if the surface is large. The water base dries quickly and very hard but is a little trickier to apply on a large area. Oil base mixes with stain better IMO but YMMV.
DP

[dbhost]

Haven't done a lot with Mahogany, but have been involved with a friends mahogany project, he used regular paste filler for mahogany. I think it was Minwax or Elmers or something like that. Not super fancy, but the results were nice...

No clue about Mahogany ply. Had no idea they made plywood with that stuff...

[radhak]

Thanks CM! That's a mini-tutorial right there. I will try the best I can to get as close to a piano finish...might go with water filler; my table is only 24x36.

dp - i got that ply from a lumberyard; not that expensive either - $62 for a 4'x8'. very good quality.

I found Ace is selling this 'Wood Filler' :


will this work too, or will it be too dry for my purposes?

[cabinetman]

I found Ace is selling this 'Wood Filler' :


will this work too, or will it be too dry for my purposes?

That stuff is not the same as "paste wood filler" AKA "grain filler". What you show is just a wood putty for filling holes and voids. It will not do what you want.
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[radhak]

That stuff is not the same as "paste wood filler" AKA "grain filler". What you show is just a wood putty for filling holes and voids. It will not do what you want.
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Thank you!!!

No wonder I did not get this right in the past - that's what I used once and then gave up !

Shall make a trip to Constantines today...

[cabinetman]

Shall make a trip to Constantines today...

So, did you score at Constantines? I love that store. Been going there for years. Have you been to the Woodcraft in Pompano?
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[radhak]

Yes, I got to Constantines for a very pleasant couple (!) of hours yesterday, and got all I wanted. I got the filler and the dye (brown mahogany), and some BLO and rottenstone.

It's a real pleasure to find everything you want in the same store, and as a bonus, have somebody actually knowledgable at your side tell you exactly the what and wherefore .

I have been to the Woodcraft more than I have been to Constantines, and both have their own charm. Wish I did not have to drive almost 30 miles to get to them - would visit more often. (of course, that's good too ).