Quote Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT View Post
Another option is to go natural and use linseed oil or tung oil (the real stuff, not the chemical cocktails).
+1 its hard to beat a hand rubbed oil finish. It will bring even plain looking woods to life. A little tip, depending on the wood your working with, some have large pores and an easy way to fill them is to apply th first one or two coats of oil with fine sand paper, 320 or 400 grit. Wipe any excess off across the grain. It will make a slurry and fill the pores nicely.

100% tung is good
Pure boiled linseed oil is too, but takes forever to cure
A good natural mix is boiled linseed oil/beeswax/turpentine in a 1:1:1 ratio.

Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil is a good alternative that dries quickly.

Linspeed oil works well too.

Shellac is nice but doesn't like water very much.

Let us know which wood you want to use and we can walk you through it, best finish, etc.

-Xander