So I decided to finally tackle something I've been dreading for a long time, the bed wood. I bought my kit a few years ago and it's been sitting in the garage. However, it looks I will finally be needing it in the near future. The kit I bought is from Mar-k. I went with the oak kit with stainless trim and hardware. I chose oak for its durability and better looking grain.
If you've been following along with my build, you probably saw the few samples that I worked with, trying to decide on my finish. Those samples were the first time I had ever done anything with wood like this. So, I tried to follow Mar-k's instructions as best I could. First step was blocking the board with 120 grit in both directions. I sanded both sides first, then the ends and sides. Last, I rounded all the edges 1/8".
Next step was blocking the board with 220 in both directions. Again, I sanded both sides first, then the ends and sides. Last, I rounded all the edges 1/16".
The last step was using a blow tool to blow all of the dust out of the grain. I used a heavy concentration of air, slowly blowing both directions, from end to end. This opens the grain up really deep. Once the board was dust free, I used a lint-free cloth to burnish the surface. This smooths the board a bit more and knocks off any wood splinters that raised up while using the blow tool. This grain is popping now!
It's kind of disappointing that it takes so little time to tell you about the process compared to how long it actually took to do it.
