Varnish or Lacquer for Armoire?

[walker_tr9]

This is not arcade related, but is a good wood working question.  I have tried googling this, but have not found a good clear description of what to do.

How do the furniture guys get that super-smooth finish?  I have brushed on varnish, and it looks fine but it doesn't quite have that nice finish.  Is this a spray thing?  I'm going to make an armoire, and I'm not looking forward to varnishing it.  (Note: this is a lingering project I'm doing so that I can justify buying tools; that way when I build the arcade cabinet, I don't need to include the cost of the tools!)

Anyway, spray seems faster, but I don't want to buy some fancy sprayer for it.  If I do it with a can, I guess I should be outside because of fumes?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Bobwiley]

Don't know what the "furniture guys" will say, but I have had great success with Polycrylic. Brush on w/4" brush as slowly as you can go. Light sanding between coats. I did about 5 coats on my pinball playfield and it turned out awesome (I did a final buff out with Novus 2, then a couple coats of a good canuba wax.
Anyway, might not be the best method and I know little, but maybe an alternative. Have fun or you're not doing it right.

[knave]

I did the wood trim in my bathroom many years ago and I just brushed it on and sanded with increasingly high grit paper in between coats. I think I did three. It came out pretty close.

[kahlid74]

You have to do multiple coats.  To get the smooth rubbery/plastic feel on my workbench it took 3-4 coats and sanding in between.  The brush method is the best IMO because you have a "feel" for how it's going on.  With sprays I often times feel disconnected and can't quite get it right.

[yaksplat]

I only use tung oil with steel wool in between coats.  Maxing out at 0000 steel wool.

The finish i put on the bed is more of a satin finish, but you can get gloss.  This is only 4 coats but it's a beautiful finish.

[walker_tr9]

That bed looks pretty good!  So how much sanding is necessary?  What I have done before is use steel wool 0000 after each coat for 3-4 coats.  Should I be using rougher sand paper at first?

[yaksplat]

I believe that i sanded it to 300+ before the tung oil and steel wool process.  Between coats, make sure that you remove all steel wool and dust remnants.  I found that pressurized air works quite well.  Wear a dust mask.  Inhaling steel wool is not advised

[walker_tr9]

So I found this page:

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Painting/Painting-Techniques/how-to-get-a-smooth-polyurethane-finish

And I think I may use this technique for a TV cabinet I just finished staining.  But I have only applied poly with brushes before.  Has anyone else used this paint roller method?  Does it work well?