On Tue, 28 Sep 1999, DuPrie, James wrote:

>about the wear factor though - shellac seems like it'd be a little soft for
>the shelves - the library sees a lot of use, and many of those books are
>large.

I've often wondered about this logic.  I've yet to see a finish that'll
really stand up to abuse, except maybe encasing the piece in acrylic
bartop varnish (liquid plastic) or fiber glass resin.  Every finish is
going to need to be repaired eventually.  In my opinion, shellac wears
better than a varnish, it seems to abrade rather than chip and scratch
like a varnish does.  And when the time comes for refinishing, shellac
wins hands down for simplicity.  Personally, I'd reserve the varnish for a
project that'll see little abuse.  But then again, maybe my logic is
backwards :)

aaron