Sapele Chest Lid

After gluing up and planing and sanding this panel for a lid, I noticed the outside 9" (3 boards) are quite a bit darker than the rest of the lid. I'm planning on using waterlox on the top of the lid and shellac on the inside of the ( same as I did on the chest). What would be the best way to keep the lid uniform in color?


And also on the other side of the lid are 2 uniform crossgrain streaks 4" apart, that no matter what I do, I can't get rid of them. I've tried handplane, scraper, and 60 grit sandpaper.
Thanks for any input!!




Jim

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Originally Posted by Jim Gallo

[COLOR=#454545][FONT=.SF UI Display][FONT=.SFUIDisplay]...on the other side of the lid are 2 uniform crossgrain streaks 4" apart, that no matter what I do, I can't get rid of them. I've tried handplane, scraper, and 60 grit sandpaper.

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It looks like those narrow streaks are just the way the tree grew.

The lighter section of the top side needs to be stained to bring the colour into line with the darker boards. The cross grain lines on the other side are how the tree grew. The only thing to do is avoid it in the first place or put up with it. Cheers

I agree that those appear to be naturally occurring elements, that is; part of the material itself.

1) Carefully applied dyes if you are trying to even out color between the boards. However unless you can test things on off-cuts of both of the original boards, this is risky. A spit coat of blonde shellac before applying the waterlox may give just enough sealing to the oil to minimize color differences.

2) That looks to be in the wood. A small pin knot or similar that has been cut through. Looking closely, I can see the grain as it runs left to right (or right to left) rising into and then falling away from the "defect". Unless you thin out the board and get past the remains of the pin knot, you will always see this.

If it were me, I wouldn't worry about the color differences or those streaks. Just sand it well, and finish it well. It will look natural and beautiful.

Thank you all for the responses!! I dont know how I didnt notice those marks when I was milling those boards. I did notice the color difference and figure I can get them close. I do have cut offs to use for testing. I think I will first try to sand the darker area to a higher grit and seen if that works. If not, I will try to put a very light cut of shellac on the darker boards. If that doesn't work, I will try to dye the lighter boards, but I'm really afraid to go down that road, as I don't have very much confidence in my ability to match with dye or stain.

Thanks again!!!

Jim