Tough Exterior Finish For Plywood?

[lupinsea]

Wow, Squatchout, the table looks great and I'm digg'n your tool box. It's nicely dinged up, if you don't mind me saying.

My theory is that no matter what finish I put on the chuck box will get dinged, dented, scratched, and dirtied over it's life as it gets used regardless of how tough the finish. I don't want to abuse the thing but it's a piece of camping equipment that'll get hauled in and out of vehicles, stored in my shed, and then set up at campsites which will probably mean it'll get set on the ground. So given that, I'd rather have a finish that doesn't show said scratches and blemishes as well and is then also easy to "repair".

The tung oil sounds like a good way to go, too.

And don't worry, I'll post up pix when I'm finish with the chuck box. Probably in it's own thread but I can link to that thread here.

Last night I got everything sanded down. I also got the recesses for the piano hinges routered in (so they'll be flush with the top of the plywood). And a door attached (counter sunk machines screws with t-nut threaded inserts instead of wood screws). It's looking pretty good so far but there is only so much that can be done with ACX plywood. I'm just trying to keep the joints tight and even.

[Squatchout]

Thanks, Can't wait to see the chuck box. I like Tung oil for many uses. The repairability is a big thing for me. I even wipe it on the heads of my axes to keep them from rusting. Most of that stuff has a good bit of varnish resins in it so it drys well. As with any finish I'd do a test on a piece of scrap and make sure it gives you the results you want before commiting to it. You may have to use a brush to work it into the edge grain of the plywood to get a good seal.

[lupinsea]

Cool. Thanks. I've never used tung oil before so I'm very unfamiliar with it.

I have used a Spar varnish on the cargo deck and it didn't last longer than the first item I set on the cargo deck before it scratched up like you wouldn't believe. I sort of wish I had topped the cargo deck with a piece of plastic laminate (like Formica counter top surface) but oh well. I do know I'd like to steer clear of a varnish or other build-up coating that is soft and easily scratchable.

Say, does the tung oil harden the wood fibers at all? Would you suggest I put down a sealer or some other product that would do that before the tung oil?

Oh, and it's hard not to post some preliminary pix of the chuck box. I'm really jazzed about how this is coming together.

The basic chuck box and base is now assembled. Doors are on and the flip top panels are on, too. I still need to source the latches to keep the doors closed and finish the wood. . . I'm leaning towards tung oil unless someone has other suggestions.

I've been salting the forums here with a enough pix and I was not going to post any more pictures until the project is done and I do a write-up but . . . I can't help posting these progress photos:

I was playing around with this after I got it screwed together. It takes about
15 second get it set up and ready for use. Very smooth and easy.




Here it is next to the cargo deck table. As you can see, both the
chuck box and table are the same height.




Not too bad. . . 6 1/2 ft of stable, usable kitchen counter top
space when out camping.




Finally, all folded up and in its position on the cargo deck. Note, the cargo
deck sits between the wheel wells in the back of the Jeep. While this is
perhaps a little bulkier than I would have liked it's not too bad.

[Squatchout]

When you go to the Home center you will likely find several brands of Tung oil. They are actually Tung oil finish. Pure Tung oil is hard to come by and expensive. The Finishes will have a fair amount of varnish resins in it. It's part oil finish part varnish. So it soaks into the wood and hardens/drys. This is your sealer. Some folks will even thin the 1st coat a little to make it soak in better. I don't think that is needed. Like I said try a sample 1st. Do a couple of coats. The base wood makes a big difference in how tough the coating is. Plywood is soft. Given time it'll look like my toolbox. That table is called Parawood or Malaysian Oak. It's made from rubber trees. That stuff is so hard and heavy you have to sand it to get it to take stain. It glossed up a lot more than a soft wood will.

Your box looks great. I like how it fits into the base. Nice and modular design.

[Papa]

That is very clever and nicely executed.

[whitewatersully]

That is a great design and excellent work. Where did you find the design or did you come up with the design and if so would you be willing to share?

[lupinsea]

Thanks for the extra info on the tung oil, Squatchout.

Whitewatersully: it's my own design. Once I'm finished with the project in a few weeks I'll be putting together a plan set and cut layout documents. There has been enough interest here on ExPo that I think it makes sense.