An interesting reader's survey of products & methods used.  I can see I'm clearly in a minority (not to my surprise)

 

You Can Add All the Thinner You Want _ Popular Woodworking Magazine.pdf

I'd still like to see someone explain the difference between "polyurethane" and varnish. They are listed separately on the initial list.

Polyurethane is one type of varnish.   It's a resin that is cooked with oil (typically linseed) and the result is a varnish.  Other resins, less commonly used, are alkyd and phenolic.   Phenolic is used in Waterlox (with the oil being tung oil instead of linseed).   Pratt & Lambert #38 and Sherwin-Williams (non-poly) varnishes use alkyd.  Cabot 8000 series used to, but I think it's been discontinued with all the mergers and acquisitions, if not before.

 

Finishing is rife with misleading names and labels.   Waterlox, for example, talks about their "tung oil" this and that and in one obscure place they mention that they made a varnish only.   And then there's "Water based lacquer" that is really an acrylic type finish and the only resemblance to lacquer is I don't know what -- it has a different solvent, different chemistry and different curing.  Tung Oil "Finishes" that can be anything and might not contain any tung oil.  Danish Oil, likewise.

 

In other disciplines, it's illegal to name something it's not.  For example, you cannot call something "a silky fiber" if it's not actually silk from silk worms.

 

 

Why is Finishing So Difficult_ _ Popular Woodworking Magazine.pdf

Yes, Cabot 8000 series is no longer available.  I confirmed with their tech support.  But then they told me it had been replaced with Minwax, "who only makes poly varnishes."
 

 

I've read mixed signals on this, but it appears that P&L 38 has disappeared as well.

On 9/2/2020 at 6:34 AM, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I've read mixed signals on this, but it appears that P&L 38 has disappeared as well.

I got a response from them (after two weeks) that it is discontinued with no replacement available from them.  Polyoneverythane!!

 And the response e-mail address indicates it is now part of Sherwin-Williams.
 

The way things are going, they (SW) will be the only finishing manufacturer left in the US.

At least somebody is still here.

On 9/19/2020 at 7:26 AM, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

The way things are going, they (SW) will be the only finishing manufacturer left in the US.

Yes, I used to be a Guardsman franchisee (and did a lot of work for them until I retired).   Originally, Guardsman was independent, then bought by Lilly, that was bought by Valspar, that was bought by Sherwin-Williams, then Guardsman services was spun off to another company.  Not sure where their products ended up.

 

 

S-W, PPG, RPM, Azko-Nobel are some of the mega-finishing conglomerates.  They all have numerous sub-brands.  https://www.marketresearchreports.com/blog/2019/09/19/worlds-top-10-paints-and-coating-companies