Without putting any undo emphasis on what method I use (since I use several, depending on my mood), I suggest a read of Russ F's "Secrets" which is located at http://www.woodcentral.com/russ/russ3.shtml . From what I understand, Russ is updating this, but until the update comes out, I haven't found any better discussion of the pros and cons of each finish material and process. (Although I hope the update will indicate that water-borne lacquers have made huge strides recently.) [8D]