Finishing Tip #5: Roll on the Oil

"Rollers are for houses...brushes are for furniture."  Despite nearly forty years of woodworking I am still basically ingrained in this mindset.  Even when creating this massive "three story" wall system I used a brush, albeit a large one, to apply the oil:  Solid Cherry Wall System.   However, when a fellow woodworker asked for some help in the final assembly of a 21-piece bunk bed staircase of Pacific madrone and black walnut, I offered to complete the job with a coat of oil.  The side slabs of solid madrone, some 5 feet high by five feet deep, called out for roller application.  With a four inch roller I could hit all the corners of the risers and treads, and a short extension allowed me  to reach through the windows of this a.k.a. children's fort and coat the interior as well.  Not only incredibly faster, the roller also yields a much more even coating, in this case 50% linseed oil and 50% Natural WATCO.  I don't even bother with a roller tray, but just dip the roller part way into the bucket of oil.  And, of course, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!