I am building a cherry blanket chest with 3 small drawers under the main chest. Any suggestions on finishing the inside of the chest, the inside of the drawer carcass, and the drawers? No finish on areas that are not seen? The same finish as the outside on everything?
It will be very difficult to put a good finish on the inside of the drawer carcass, especially if it involves sanding and rubbing out.
Appreciate any thoughts.
Paul
Replies
I use shellac on the inside of case pieces ( if I use any finish at all), since it does not introduce any odor. If you pre- finish the inside before assembly, it will make it much easier to get a good finish. I do this with drawers, including waxing, taking care not to get the shellac or wax on any of the glue surfaces.
Rob Millard
Don't finish with anything that is going to have an odor (e.g. oil stains, polyurethanes, or other oil based finishes). I understand shellac will not leave a lingering odor, and paste waxes should be fairly benign. I built a chest not too long ago and pre-finished the pieces before assembly. I stained everything before I thought things through and ended up with a finished interior to the chest. We put on a coat of shellac into the interior in an attempt to "seal in" the odors. After it dried we let it air out for a week or two. Still has a lingering odor, but it isn't too bad. It's usable anyway.
I generally seal with shellac also. On some pieces I use an alkyd paint of muted color, sand and over coat with shellac. Depens on whether it's a drawer interior or a visible cabinet inside. Actually whatever I feel looks good and is in keeping with the design of the piece.
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