How to remove varnish?

[Stargirl92]

Good Morning,

I have a coffee table made from reclaimed scaffold boards and it was originally varnished in a dark stain but I would like to remove this varnish as I'd like to have a more natural, light-coloured wood.

Can someone please advise on the best way to do this myself at home? I live in a flat so I don't have a garden or shed so I need to try and do it in the least messy and non-toxic way. I do have room on my balcony though if it needs to be done outside.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[DiyNutJob]

Sand it.

 

[Odds]

Sand it.

with what would she sand it,
dear nutty, dear nutty,
with what should she sand it,
dear nutty: with what?

 

[Munroast]

A wood scraper, a much forgotten tool in these modern times of USB plug in devices, but once an important tool of the cabinet maker.

A correctly sharpened one can give a wonderful finish, (can better than sandpaper , esp on hardwoods). They make little to no dust and the scrapeings stay local to where you are working, so yes with a little care you could use one in your living room.

I make my own from old hand saws, but they can be purchased - and they don't need to be sync'd with an app on an iPhone.

here is an inlaid table top that I have just completed and the entire top was levelled with a scraper, because of cross grain issues it didn't see any sandpaper, just wire wool when oiling.

If I was doing what you are in the OP, I would start off with a hand plane then finish with a scraper - no power tools or sand paper needed.

 

[Odds]

A wood scraper, a much forgotten tool in these modern times of USB plug in devices, but once an important tool of the cabinet maker.

A correctly sharpened one can give a wonderful finish, (can better than sandpaper , esp on hardwoods). They make little to no dust and the scrapeings stay local to where you are working, so yes with a little care you could use one in your living room.

I make my own from old hand saws, but they can be purchased - and they don't need to be sync'd with an app on an iPhone.

here is an inlaid table top that I have just completed and the entire top was levelled with a scraper, because of cross grain issues it didn't see any sandpaper, just wire wool when oiling.

If I was doing what you are in the OP, I would start off with a hand plane then finish with a scraper - no power tools or sand paper needed.

That table's a thing of beauty. Nice job.
How long did it take?

 

[DiyNutJob]

with what would she sand it,
dear nutty, dear nutty,
with what should she sand it,
dear nutty: with what?

With a sander. Here's mine. I use it on windows, doors, walls, you nameit's. The dust stays close to the sander.

Here's one of my current work pieces for wood repair/adaptor. I need one end to be 1 micron thick. Impossible with 40 grit, but I try.

 

[Munroast]

its a bit of a cheat - I have acess to a laser cutter, so I can do the outline for the inlay with the laser, then use a router to finish the recess out to a precise depth (3.5mm) Then cut the segments with the laser cutter for a good tight fit, then finish off with a scaper. creating 4mm thick board to cut the segments out of is one of the most awkward bits

That table top is out of the back of a skip, off cut of 8x2 flooring joist (it was nice joiner grade timber, soft wood though) that I cut into boards and laminated, and the dark wood is a scrapped bit of Teak garden furniture. It was as much time creating the teak edged top as doing the inlays. I was at it most nights for a week, 20 hours ?

 

[foxhole]

That does not appear to have been stained, maybe dyed making removing potentially impossible ( stain isn’t varnish and it looks unvarnished)?

 

[Munroast]

That does not appear to have been stained, maybe dyed making removing potentially impossible ( stain isn’t varnish and it looks unvarnished)?

end grain looks the same shade as the surface, may be it has just had a bit of wax rubbed into it

what type of wood is your guess ? I'm thinking soft, maybe poor quality plain sawn douglas fir ?
one of the knots looks like it is not far off being loose and the third board is cupped and split.

it could still look OK if plained, scraped, sanded, danish oil, and buffed up after a month or two.

 

[foxhole]

end grain looks the same shade as the surface, may be it has just had a bit of wax rubbed into it

what type of wood is your guess ? I'm thinking soft, maybe poor quality plain sawn douglas fir ?
one of the knots looks like it is not far off being loose and the third board is cupped and split.

it could still look OK if plained, scraped, sanded, danish oil, and buffed up after a month or two.

She states reclaimed scaffold boards so probably spruce .

 

[opps]

They don't look like scaffold boards to me. They are often 38mm thick and and 225mm wide.