Replies

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 26, 2003 01:08am | #1

   Do a search of this forum looking for "Old Masters Cherry Penetrating Stain".

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
   PlaneWood

1. 
   md | Jan 26, 2003 06:06pm | #6

   Thanks Mike I will conduct the search.

2. 
   forestgirl | Jan 26, 2003 06:03am | #2

   If you're investing a significant amount of time and money (which it definitely sounds like you are!), I'd suggest you pick up a copy of Jeff Jewitt's book Great Wood Finishes" ISBN 1-56158-288-3.  He details 3 methods for finishing cherry and provies color plates for illustration.  This is an excellent book, and the section on cherry alone is worth the price.

   When researching how to finish Alder, I was following the threads on cherry since the two woods subject us to similar challenges with regard to finishing.  Determined that anything I make with either of these woods will require lots of testing and practicing on scraps before taking the big leap on the workpiece.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   md | Jan 26, 2003 06:09pm | #7

   Thanks for the feedback. I will pick up the book today.

3. 
   garth | Jan 26, 2003 07:29am | #3

   Cherry happens to be one of my favorite woods, but I never use stain. I put a coat of dewaxed 2# cut of garnett shellac and about 3 or 4 coats of wipe on varnish. From there I let nature take care of the rest, cherry will darken on its own with in a year or so continuing to darken for at least a couple of years.

   Scott T.

1. 
   Gene10 | Jan 27, 2003 06:08pm | #11

   Hello,

   I read your message to md concerning staining cherry and I have a question.

   Are the coats of wipe on varnish intended to change the color of the cherry or for the toughness of the film.

   Gene

   Edited 1/27/2003 10:10:14 AM ET by Gene

1. 
   garth | Jan 27, 2003 07:33pm | #12

   For me it is just the protection it provides, shellac is not a finish for a piece that may see adult drinks, it also will show water rings from glass that may be set on it. I use the garnett shellac for the small amount of color that it gives the cherry.

   Scott T.

1. 
   Gene10 | Jan 28, 2003 02:46pm | #13

   Thanks for the answer. 

   Gene                                                       

4. 
   DennisS | Jan 26, 2003 08:28am | #4

   Forest Girl said it best: Practice on test pieces. Take each piece throught the entire finishing process. Every step of sanding, sealing, staining, etc. whichever approach you take.

   I'm about to embark on a major cabinet fabrication project in a few months. I'm in the same boat you are - I want to use cherry for parts of the project. I intend to try out a number of finishes as I've described to see how they turn out. After a few disasters of the first order what with finishing various woods without such testing, I've learned ... the hard way .... you need to explore if you aren't familiar with the terrain in order to arrive at your destination.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   md | Jan 26, 2003 06:04pm | #5

   Dennis, that is good advice.  I am going to finish the wood before building the unit - so I am anxious to get it finished. Testing different finishes will be time well spent.

5. 
   jjwalters | Jan 26, 2003 09:31pm | #8

   I never stain cherry, rather I sit it in the sun for awhile after it's scraped or sanded to finish. I use high gloss varnish mixed with a small amount of thinner. Wipe on-wipe off . . . three times at least. Then when dry buff with a brown paper sack. It turns out better than anything I've tried including all the spraying stuff. High gloss is important because it doesn't hide the grain like satin etc. does. 

   There are fast carpenters who care..... there are slow carpenters who care more.....there are half fast carpenters who could care less......

   http://www.finewood-n-things.com

6. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jan 27, 2003 01:03am | #9

   md - I also like cherry a lot and have experimented with a variety of finishes. There are some stains that do an excellent job on cherry - very even coloring, no blotching, the grain is nicely enhanced, and the wood still has a "shimmering" effect when rotated in the light (especially the light and medium colors). Other coloring techniques that produce nice results include dying the wood, and applying a colored finish (called a toner) over a coat of clear finish.

   I'm not familiar with the stains from Deft, so I don't know how well they might work on cherry. Deft makes a lacquer that I've used, and I can say that lacquer is a very nice finish on any wood - cherry included.

   I've collected some samples of different finishes I've tried and put them together at this link - http://www.boomspeed.com/firstfinish/CherryFinishes01a.htm . The link may load slowly because of the pictures. If you want to use one of these finishes, I'll give you the steps to do it.

   Paul

   F'burg, VA

1. 
   BertJ | Jan 28, 2003 06:28pm | #14

   Paul,

   Just wanted to express my appreciation for the beautiful job you did in preparing this web resource and making it available to the sawdust crowd. The photos are wonderful, as is the presentation. Can't wait for other wood samples!

   Bert

7. 
   noone51 | Jan 27, 2003 06:32am | #10

   md, Scott's response is correct. I have seen some folks try to rush cherry to its natural tan with a brown stain/dye but in my opinion it is best to let the wood take its natural course. This is one wood that will not disappoint you!