Building the table, pt 2

The title isn't completely accurate. The table is built. It isn't finished yet, but it will be soon. The construction phase is done and some of that was previously posted. I skipped over the sanding phase because even though I consider it the most important part of a project, it's boring. In a thread somewhere I mentioned that I don't believe in over sanding. True to that philosophy, I stopped sanding at 150-grit. When this table is done and sitting in my kitchen, I defy anyone to tell me they can feel the difference between 150 and...say, 320. Truth be told, I had considered sanding to 220, but it's 96° in my garage and I didn't feel like it. And, as mentioned, no one would have been able to tell. Some day I may explain why that much sanding is unnecessary, and actually undesirable, but I digress. The nice, rich deep red of Jatoba tends to go away as a result of the sanding process, due to removing the surface patina of the stock. Since that's the color I wanted, and I didn't want to wait a year or so for it to come back naturally, I'm applying a light brown mahogany wiping stain to the bare wood. When that is done, I'll apply two or three coats of a solvent based polyurethane. Some wood snobs think polyurethane is for hacks who don't know any better but in my opinion, the only thing that would provide a comparable level of protection is lacquer. Lacquer is next to impossible to apply evenly in this heat without spraying equipment, which I don't have and don't want to buy. My preferred finish is shellac, but that isn't suitable for table legs, which means this table will be finished with polyurethane. At any rate, here is the table, standing on the top of my table saw.



Application of the polyurethane will darken the color slightly, but nature is going to do that too, so I don't want it too dark at this point.