Here’s a really open ended question: What’s a good finish for cherry? I’d like to retain as much of the wood’s natural color as possible while bringing out the grain. The piece will be similar to a small blanket chest, and the top will likely be used as a seat. How about shellac?
Another question: I’ve been working on a table (maple) and finished it with shellac. I’m pleased with the results, but was wondering: can shellac be sanded and rubbed to a fine finish with good results or is it too soft and prone to gumming? As it is, I’ve applied multiple coats, sanding with 220 grit paper between each.
Thank you.
Replies
Can't give you any real details on finishing cherry, but can suggest right at the get-go that you buy enough to have some pieces to experiment with finishing before you apply finish to your carefully crafted piece. I think cherry is one of the woods that can be blotchy if you're not careful, and you'll not want that to happen after you've done all that work!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks!
As it happens, I'll have a few scrap pieces to experiment on.
This is a good thing! Here's a link to one of the results that came up when I did a quick search in "Finishing" for 'cherry' -- look like some good stuff here.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-knots&msg=6757.1&search=y
Also, you might want to take a look at http://www.homesteadfinishing.comNavigate around, I think there's a forum there you could probably search. Jeff Jewitt is the founder of Homestead, he writes some great finishing books (one of which is called, "Great Wood Finishes" LOL).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Personally, I use an oil/varnish finish on cherry. Instant aging, highlights the grain and you don't really have to worry about blotching. I've never used shellac on cherry but I hear it can be very nice. I've used shellac on walnut and mahagony and have rubbed it out to a nice, smooth finish. Just let the shellac dry for a while before doing the final rub out. I'll let the experts tell you how long as I've sometimes done it too quick.
I use cherry a lot (and as it happens, finished a blanket chest for my wife recently). I have best luck either with wipe-on poly if you want a high level of durability, or use General Seal-a-Cell wipe on oil varnish. I usually do 4-5 coats, let each dry and lightly dry-sand in between coats with 240 grit. After the last coat (give it an extra day or two to make sure its dry), I use 0000 steel wool witha good paste wax, and end up with a very nice, deep finish. I haven't tried any of the techniques for staining/coloration, but 1) I have an aversion to staining any wood, especialy cherry, and 2) if I'm careful in selecting boards, I can usually avoid coloration problems (avoid the light stuff unless you like contrast - it doesn't darken!). You also have to be patient - depending on how much light the finished piece is exposed to, it can take 6 months+ to develop the rich, dark cherry color. So if it seems too light to you finished naturally, be patient!
There are three good choices to highlight the natural grain and characteristics of wood - shellac, oil-base varnish (including a good quality polyurethane and oil/varnish mixtures, and lacquer (including the selection of more durable conversion type lacquers and other finishes used by some finish shops).
If the blanket chest will be used as a seat, I'd use a finish with more durability than shellac. Varnish would be a good choice for this application - it is more durable than shellac and will bring out the natural beauty of cherry very nicely. On 28 July, there was a post "Define Varnish" - in the replies to the post there are a number of links to articles that provide a wide variety of info on choosing a finish and varnish specifically - these articles may be of some help.
Question #2 - Shellac is a hard finish that can be rubbed to a high gloss.
Paul
F'burg, VA
If you want to keep it simple why not try Watco Danish Oil. Looks great on cherry and there is never any worry about how the surface will turn out. If you are actually going to store blankets or other fabric in the chest you might want to use something else inside. I am not sure if the oil will not stain a fabric after continuous contact, and in an enclosed chest the contents may pick up the finishes rather funky scent.
GPASEWICZ,
Not only can shellac be "sanded and rubbed to a fine finish," there are many workers who consider shellac to be the most beautiful finish that can ever be applied to wood. Nothing brings out the "fire" in the figure like shellac. It can be a very durable finish. It can be brittle, though and does not stand up to solvents in which it dissolves like alcohol and laquer thinner. It reaches it's pinnacle of beauty as a finish in a technique called "French Polishing" which is a tedious technique of applying shellac and a fine abrasive. A good approximation of it is "padding laquer" which is really shellac applied in a very thin film using a pad.
Welcome to the appreciation of shellac.
Rich
if you have spray equipment, I've had excellent results using pre-catalysed lacquer and then rubbing it out after 3-4 weeks. Good luck, Art
I use a lot of cherry. It is my favorite. I use watco natural color oil, let dry for at least a week or until it has no smell, then cover with a spar poly. Four coats will do. Then rub out. I like to use pumice for this, rubbing with a felt pad. If the piece has a top such as a chest or table I'll go down to rottenstone. You have to let the poly cure for at least a month before rubbing out. This is very durable.
Good luck
TDF
Just read all your replys and was surprised that noone reccomended using analine dye. I do a lot of work in cherry and found thru experience that analine dye mixed with water works fine. It takes care of the blotching and blends the heart wood with the sap wood and I can tune it to the color I like. A finial finish of poly uretheane works fine if you want a durable finish. Good luck.....
May be because the initial post stated "I'd like to retain as much of the wood's natural color as possible." I'll keep the analine dye thought in mind though, as I'm going to have some alder to finish and it's supposed to present many of the same problems cherry does vis a vis stains, and the natural color of alder isn't quite that wonderful.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Just to throw my 2-cents into the mix: For this particular application, I'd probably use shellac on the interior of the blanket chest and top (to seal it and help balance moisture loss/retention without causing an almost-permanent odor), a "natural" colored oil/varnish blend on the exterior (Watco or Minwax Antique Oil, for example), finished with paste wax on the sides and a few coats of clear polyurethane on the top, for durability (I've used Zar Poly and Bartleys Gel Varnish in the past).
I've done this on several blanket chests now (of primarily cherry, walnut and maple) and have been thoroughly satisfied. I've never stained cherry, so I've never experienced blotching.
DavidHmmm... the garden or the workshop today?
"the natural color of alder isn't quite that wonderful."
puh..lease. You might want to check your wood supplier and make certain you are properly identifying and purchasing Alder. It is one of my favorites. Easy to work with, durable as a low end hard wood, good tight grain, nice heartwood, affordable, and it takes a finsh better than maple. And yep, I particularly like the color.
Len
I think cherry looks great with a sealer coat of thinned poly then several coats of furniture paste wax applied with 0000 steel wool. Machine buff between applications of wax. However, usage might dictate other methods of finishing.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
PlaneWood
Jeff Jewitt describes a process in his latest book using boiled linseed oil and then shellac. I've tried it a few times and it certainly gives you that old-distinguished- expensive-antique look - if that's what you want. I love it but my wife hates the orange-tint of the shellac I used. I've had to use gel-stain and traditional ployu since (which is a good combo also). It's all in what YOU like - experiment!
This is really a response to everyone: Thanks for all the help. I'm probably going to go with shellac and there are some intriguing variations on the theme that will take some sorting through.
I should make one clarification--it's not technically a blanket chest, but a smaller piece that sort of looks like a blanket chest. A person dear to my heart approached me and said "Make me one of these," pointing to a Tristan Cube in the Pottery Barn catalog, "I'll pay for the materials." So that's what she'll be getting for Christmas. A far cry from the popsicle stick and fingerpaint picture frames of decades past, but the sentiment's the same.
I've also tried the linseed oil/shellac combination. The grain of the cherry was a little wild, so it looked a bit blotchy for the first year or two (much better now, but still there). I also did not like the orange tint, and would recommend blond shellac.
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