You can spend hours turning a beautiful piece, get the shape just right, sand it through to 400 grit — and then wreck it with a bad finish. Or worse, leave it unfinished because you’re not sure what to use. Finishing is where a lot of turners get stuck, and it took me a few years to settle on a handful of approaches that I actually trust.

Here’s what I’ve learned, mostly through trial and error, about the finishes that work well for turned pieces.

Oil Finishes

Oil is the simplest finish and in many cases the best. It soaks into the timber, enhances the natural colour and figure, and doesn’t build up a surface film that can chip or peel.

Danish oil is my go-to for anything that needs a durable, low-sheen finish. It’s a blend of oil and varnish that cures hard, offering some protection against moisture and handling. Apply it with a cloth while the piece is stationary (never wrap a cloth around a spinning piece — that’s how you lose fingers). Two or three coats, sanded lightly with 600 grit between coats, gives a lovely result.

Tung oil is a pure drying oil that gives a slightly warmer tone. It takes longer to cure — sometimes a week between coats — but the final result is gorgeous on darker timbers like walnut or blackwood. Pure tung oil is food-safe once cured, which makes it a solid choice for bowls that will hold fruit or bread.

Raw linseed oil is the traditional choice, but I rarely use it anymore. It takes forever to dry, stays tacky in humid weather (and Sydney humidity is no joke), and can go rancid if not fully cured. For most purposes, Danish or tung oil does the job better.

Wax Finishes

Wax gives a soft, tactile finish that’s beautiful on decorative pieces. It’s not durable for functional items, but for display pieces, it’s hard to beat.

Carnauba wax applied on the lathe gives a high-gloss burnished finish. Hold a stick of carnauba against the spinning piece, then buff with a soft cloth at high speed. It looks fantastic but wears off over time, so it’s best for pieces that live on a shelf.

Beeswax and oil blends are a middle ground. Mix beeswax with a drying oil like walnut oil, warm it gently until the wax melts, and apply with a cloth. I use this a lot on smaller items — bottle stoppers, spinning tops, egg cups.

Microcrystalline wax (sometimes sold as Renaissance wax) is excellent for protecting against moisture and fingerprints without adding much sheen. I use it over other finishes as a final protective coat, especially on pieces made from oily timbers like camphor laurel.

Lacquer and Film Finishes

Film finishes sit on top of the wood surface rather than soaking in. They build up a visible coating that can range from satin to high gloss.

Friction polish (shellac-based) is the classic lathe finish. Apply it to the spinning piece with a cloth pad, and the friction generates heat that sets the shellac almost instantly. The result is a glossy, glass-like surface. It looks impressive, but it’s not very durable — alcohol, water, and heat will damage it.

Spray lacquer gives a more durable film. Apply it off the lathe in thin coats, sanding lightly between each one. Three to four coats gives a professional-looking finish, but you need a well-ventilated space.

Matching Finish to Purpose

Here’s my rough guide:

• Functional bowls and platters: Tung oil or Danish oil. Food-safe, durable, easy to reapply.
• Decorative bowls and hollow forms: Danish oil followed by microcrystalline wax.
• Lidded boxes: Friction polish on the outside, wax on the lid seating surfaces.
• Pens and small items: CA (cyanoacrylate) glue finish or friction polish.
• Natural-edge pieces: Oil only. Film finishes look strange on natural edges.

Preparation Matters More Than Product

The honest truth is that any finish will look terrible over poor preparation. If you’ve got torn grain from a dull gouge, sanding won’t fix it. Get the best surface you can off the tool before you start sanding, sand through the grits without skipping (180, 240, 320 minimum), and remove all sanding dust before applying finish.

Raise the grain between sanding grits by wiping with a damp cloth. This lifts the fibres so they stand up and get cut off cleanly on the next pass. It adds time, but the difference in the final surface is remarkable.

I keep a box of offcuts from various species, and whenever I try a new finish, I test it on an offcut first. Different timbers react differently — what looks brilliant on Huon pine might look muddy on red gum. Test first, commit second.