james33":ibd98mbr said:
hi all. what's the best way to stop the edges 'furring' up ... cannot get a smooth finish on the cut edges.
There are a few tricks you can try, and most involve filling the exposed edges. Some swear by painting on thinned out PVA glue. I like to take water based wood stopping, thin it to a slop, and rub it hard into the edges. I've also done a similar technique using plaster based products, eg, Polyfilla wall repair stuff. It's coarser and grittier than wood stopper, but it does work.
Other people I know like to use the flammable solvent based wood fillers, but I find they dry too fast to get worked into the voids properly, and that's why I stick to the water based stuff. I haven't ever had a problem with the edge pooching up fat because of the water causing the wood fibres to swell. Some people say they've experienced this, but I haven't.
Take your pick from any of the above solutions and give it a go. One should work for you if you do it right.
Anyway, whichever means you use to choke the voids in the edge, once you've got that accomplished you sand it smooth using something like, 100, 120, 150 or 180 grit paper, depending how smooth a surface you need. Next apply you primer and top coats. This generally works fine for brushed or rolled paint finishes, but isn't so good for clear wood finishes. For this there are MDF primers that can be brushed or sprayed on, but they're not relevant to your question.
And now I've just noticed this question was posed several weeks ago, so my suggestions are probably useless james, but maybe somone else might find these tricks helpful. Slainte.
