So, I wanted to talk about this Tommy Lawrence technique I picked up. It wasn’t from some fancy course or anything. I actually stumbled upon it while digging through some old woodworking forums late one night. Someone mentioned this old timer, Tommy Lawrence, and his specific way of finishing pine wood to make it look less… well, cheap.
Getting Started
First thing I did was gather up the supplies he supposedly used. Nothing too crazy, mostly stuff I already had lying around the workshop. Shellac, some denatured alcohol, fine steel wool (0000 grade), and a few specific oil-based stains. The instructions I found were kinda vague, like notes scribbled on a napkin, but the core idea was layering.
- Got myself a scrap piece of pine board. Didn’t want to ruin a real project right off the bat.
- Sanded it down smooth. Started with 120 grit, then 220. Just basic prep work.
- Mixed up a thin coat of shellac, maybe a 1-pound cut. Brushed it on as a sealer coat. This was supposed to stop the pine from getting all blotchy when stained.
The Messy Part
Okay, here’s where Tommy’s method seemed a bit different. After the shellac dried, which didn’t take long, I lightly buffed it with that super fine steel wool. Just enough to knock off the shine, make it smooth.
Then came the stain. The forum post mentioned using two different colors, one dark walnut and one lighter, like golden oak. The trick, apparently, was to apply the dark stain first, wiping most of it off quickly, just leaving it in the grain and deeper parts. Let that dry for a good while. Patience was key, something I’m not always great at. My workshop started smelling pretty strong of stain fumes, had to open the windows wide.
Next day, I applied the lighter golden oak stain over the whole thing. Wiped it back again, but less aggressively. The idea was to blend the colors, give it some depth. It looked… interesting. Kinda muddy at first, I wasn’t sure if I’d messed it up.
Finishing Up
After letting the second stain cure properly (waited a full 24 hours, just to be safe), I applied another thin coat of shellac. Let it dry, buffed it gently with steel wool again. Repeated this shellac-dry-buff step maybe two or three times. It builds up a really smooth, kinda warm-looking finish.
Finally, the last step mentioned was a light wax polish. Used a simple paste wax, buffed it out with a soft cloth.
The Result?
You know what? It actually worked pretty well. The pine didn’t look blotchy, and the color had more character than just slapping on a single stain. It looked richer, older somehow. It wasn’t magic, still looked like pine, but definitely an improvement. It takes way more time than my usual methods, though. Lots of waiting for stuff to dry.
Do I use it all the time? Nah. Too fussy for quick projects. But for something special, where I really want to elevate simple pine? Yeah, I keep Tommy Lawrence’s layering trick in my back pocket. It’s a solid technique, learned from some random corner of the internet, tested right here in my own dusty workshop. Good stuff.
