Finishing Advice Requested

[Warren White]

It will soon be time to put a finish on my daughter's blanket chest, and I am soliciting advice and counsel.

The chest is constructed of two slabs of cherry wood with figured maple inserted between the cherry. More precisely, sides, top, front and back are edge joined cherry (8.5"), maple (3"), cherry (7.25"). I will wrap the front and sides of the top with 3/4" walnut.

My daughter wants a natural finish on the cherry. I did some sample pieces; one with Deft spray laquer (out of a can), one with Zinsser clear coat followed by clear poly, and one with several coats of poly. (The poly was Minwax.) She liked the spray laquer the best because it emphasized the contrast between the woods.

I am open to all suggestions. I will either wipe or brush on the finish, and I want this to last her for a long time. At first, I was considering using a blond shellac primarily because I have never used shellac and thought I would give it a try on this piece. I have heard, however, that shellac might not be the most durable finish.

I have attached a snapshot of the wood dampened with mineral spirits to give you a glimpse of what I am working with. (I hope this works because I sometimes get too small a picture to give the detail I am looking for.)

Thanks to all!!! I am confident I will get lots of suggestions, and I do appreciate them all.

Warren

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Warren, personally I like an oil type finish on Cherry. Tung Oil would be my choice. You can apply several coats to build the finish you think looks the best. It will give a natural appearance that your daughter likes, and will offer protection as well. It is not as durable as say Polyurethane, but usually blanket chests are not subjected to the abuse and wear like a table would be. There are other choices for an Oil type finish too, but Tung would be my preference. Wonderful wood choice Warren....................cherry is beautiful and makes a spectacular Blanket Chest. (If your daughter was happy with the way the lacquer popped the grain and contrast, maybe that would be the finish of choice for the chest.) I would like to see a picture of the finished product, whatever you decide to finish it with.

[Steven Wilson]

Your original idea of using shellac is a great idea. A blanket chest is not a bar top and it doesn't need poly. Shellac, varnish, lacquer are all good choices. Shellac would, has been and continues to be, my first choice for a finish. Besides, if the finish is damaged it is easily repaired, unlike poly which is a pain.

[Jack Young]

Warren-

You have your answer. Oil is great, but needs renewing along the way. Poly, as already suggested, is overkill for a chest. Shellac is fine, but turns darker over time, which will add to the natural darkening of the cherry. But the lacquer is what is liked already, is a great finish when sprayed, and can be equally great also if skillfully brushed on. I vote for lacquer, which is already the winner by your jury, which has seen the evidence. Don't mess with a jury's verdict.

Jack

[Greg Tatum]

Hey Warren....why not try both shellac and lacquer..as long as you use dewaxed shellac, I think anything will go over it.

Test it on the inside of the chest to see how it looks....I'm sure you should finish the inside anyway to help prevent wood movement. Shellac also makes a great sealer. It desolves into itself(its solvent is alcohol) so is easy to repair. It can really pop the grain on the maple, too.

But, whatever you deside, it must envolve pictures ;)

Greg

[Mark Singer]

I like the oil finish....I would use Tried and True.

[Ken Wright]

by its nature can by itself make one's work look good. But just as french fries are made only from potatoes, grease, salt and catsup ... cherry, IMHO, needs only step sanding to 600 grit and Briwax Danish Oil. 4-5 coats with a light 000 steel wool buffing between coats will pop the grain beautifully and produce a shine like you see on store bought stuff. It is important to do a good job of initial sanding and I'll use a rag dampened with water to raise the grain a couple of times before applying the Danish.

[Larry Harman]

I have been told to NEVER put any oil based finish, especially poly(which is a varnish) or laquer on the INSIDE of a chest that will store clothes. The closed lid, and the nature of the finish will impart an "off" odor that will never go away, and will permeate whatever fabric is stored in the chest. So, maybe test on a scrap piece, but not on the inside of the chest.

In order to prevent seasonal movement, brush or wipe a 1 lb. cut of shellac on the interior panels. It's base is de-natured alcohol, which will not leave any odor inside the chest after it cures.

You may want to "line" the bottom with cedar-you can buy tongue and groove panels that are sold to line cedar closets--about $20.00 at Sutherlands or HD-enough for panels to line 3 chests...DON'T put any finish on the cedar or you will lose the cedar smell. Don't glue the cedar--just cut to size and put a brad every so often along the outside boards--

The outside would be beautiful(IMHO) with a simple rubbing of BLO or Danish Oil, followed by a coat of 2lb shellac. Danish Oil is simply BLO, Mineral spirits and Varnish mixed 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. Buy it , or make your own for 1/3 the cost. The cherry will darken with age.

NEVER shake any varnish product. Always stir carefully and avoid extra introduction of air into your finish. Use a good natural bristle brush, ($20.00 plus) or make a wiping varnish by thinning 30 to 50 % with mineral spirits. You will apply 3 wiping coats to one brushed coat--but you can apply the 2nd and 3d coats as soon as the coat is tack-free--about 2 hours. Then apply the last coat either full strength or thinned 20%. The instructions to "Never thin" are there to satisfy Fed regulations that deal with the environment.

I agree--you don't need Poly--Poly is a varnish made with urethane. Varnish can be made with resins instead, which give more depth to the finish and doesn't look like plastic. (again--IMHO) Try Pratt and Lambert #38.

Contrary to wive's tales, shellac is a very durable finish when cured and will resist even an adult beverage placed on top. (experience talking here) Plus, you don't "build" coats with shellac-just one topcoat is sufficient-instead, you decide at the beginning--use a 1, or 2, or 3 lb cut--all that has to do with is the ratio of denatured alcohol to shellac flakes. It's best (and cheaper) to buy flakes and dissolve your own shellac,--(only make what you will need) but you can buy it pre-mixed-"Zissner" is a brand name-check the date for how old it is. Supposed to be good for 3 years, but I would n't risk it.

There is a "finishing expert" named Steve Mickley who has a website called "John Jacob Mickley Wood shop"---you can find his website directly on the "WOOD" magazine forums site. By clicking on his icon at the bottom of his posts, you go directly to his site. From there, you can access several pages of the proper way to brush or wipe shellac, or if you prefer, varnish.

Follow his suggestions and I'll bet you'll be happy--remember--NO OIL, Varnish, Poly ,Laquer, etc. on the inside!!!!

Sorry for the long answer--would hate to see you put something inside that would cause the blankets to smell like the "finishing" room forever...
Good Luck! Larry

[Tom Scott]

My vote also goes for the oil, shellac (and for me) wax option.
I made 3 cherry blanket chests last Christmas and used this combo. They turned out great, and should only get better with age.
Finally in strong support of Larry, don't use any type of oil on the insides. A spit coat of shellac is fine.

[Ken Wright]

obviously with my post on Briway Danish on Cherry and that's fine ... to each his own way ... that's what I'm espouting.

I've made 5 blanket chests in the past 14 months and have used the Danish to finish the interior of each chest. Yes ... there is a smell initially, but that diminishes almost daily. I just check one of those that I finished a couple of months ago that we kept for our use ... opened it up and out came the strong odor .. not of Danish .. but of the red cedar bottom.

[Warren White]

Thank you to all who replied!
Kevin: I will try some Tung Oil on a sample. I have heard good things about Tung Oil, but never tried it so that will be interesting. I will post pictures, but it will be a while. My 'shop' (garage) has been taken over by my son's stuff for a few months.

Steven: Thanks for the information on the positive side of shellac.

Jack: You are right, of course. She liked the lacquer, but her parting words were "You have to do it, do what you like." Dang, it is hard to please some people...

Greg: I will try the shellac/lacquer combon on a sample. Larry made the same suggestion regarding the inside of the chest.

Mark: I have a can of Tried and True (Original Wood Finish), and I did try it on a sample. Looks OK, but I only put one coat on. Does it buff out well as a final coat?

Ken: WoW! Five in 14 months. My daughter asked for this when she was in Junior High School; she is 27 this September. I didn't have the experience to tackle it until now. I will get a can of the Briwax and give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion. (And if this was a simple process, there would only be one 'right' answer. It is obviously complex and there are MANY right answers, so thanks for stepping up and defending your choice.)

Larry: Thank you for taking the time for your reply. You made several excellent suggestions which will guide my final product. I have already found the T&G cedar and planned on using that for the bottom. Thanks for the guidance regarding attaching it. I plan on using a piece of 1/2" ply, dovetailed in, with a small ledger below for the bottom. On that, I will tack the cedar. Your comments regarding BLO echo what I have heard before, but when I tried it on a sample of wood out of whick I built a desk, the result was a horrible blotching. Any thoughts as to why that happened? I went to Steven Mickley's site and it was quite good. Thanks for the tip.

Tom: Can't fight experience! I can't even get one done (and I am sure it will end up being a Christmas present). I appreciate the advice given by multiple people to just 'spit coat' the inside with shellac.

To all: My deep thanks for each suggestion. Have any of you seen the June issue of Fine Woodworking? They used Waterlox on the chest of drawers on the cover. Any experience with this product? Looks like an option as well. BOY IS THIS CONFUSING.

Thanks again to all. You folks are great.

[Jim Becker]

Your comments regarding BLO echo what I have heard before, but when I tried it on a sample of wood out of whick I built a desk, the result was a horrible blotching. Any thoughts as to why that happened?
"Blotching" is a funny term...any oil and sometimes other finishes, will be absorbed unevenly by the changes in the grain of the wood. Highly figured stock will exhibit the effect more than straight-grained material. So, for some of us, that effect is just an enhancement of the beautiful grain; for others, it's an undesirable effect. There have long been heated arguments about this in the forums, etc! The bottom line is, if you don't like this effect, than don't use an oil finish.

BTW, you will be hard pressed to see ANY difference between Tung Oil (the real stuff) and BLO...and the latter is considerably less expensive and cures a lot quicker.

[Donnie Raines]

I would second(...or third or fourth) the NOT to use an oil base product on the inside. The smell will linger forever...almost. I would also suggest the shellac route. I would also mix my own and would select a garnet color. This would be a very appropriate finish for this project. It will draw out the figure and grain, without running you awau with the smell from an oil base product.