It's a whole different ball game. I've really only dipped my toes in the water. I was asked to refinish a veneered dining table and that was a pretty steep learning curve. When you look at French polishing there are lots of new materials and techniques that most joiners or carpenters might not be focussed on.
When you use an random orbital sander on wood you create a million little scratches running across the grain. Impossible to get rid of at a very fine level even with a very fine grade of sandpaper. You end up sanding with the grain and using something called grain filler before varnishing/oiling.
I am a bit crazy about this though, I once planed an entire bedroom floor and waxed it. You could slide from one end to the other in socks. That's when I learnt to handle a plane!
It's a whole different ball game. I've really only dipped my toes in the water. I was asked to refinish a veneered dining table and that was a pretty steep learning curve. When you look at French polishing there are lots of new materials and techniques that most joiners or carpenters might not be focussed on.
When you use an random orbital sander on wood you create a million little scratches running across the grain. Impossible to get rid of at a very fine level even with a very fine grade of sandpaper. You end up sanding with the grain and using something called grain filler before varnishing/oiling.
I am a bit crazy about this though, I once planed an entire bedroom floor and waxed it. You could slide from one end to the other in socks. That's when I learnt to handle a plane!