Best way to bring out figure.

[Nathan Palenski]

I'm about to start on a new bedroom set for the Mrs. This will be the first really nice furniture project for me. I've got some really nicely figured cherry I'd like to use for the drawer front. I'm looking for the best technique to really make it pop out. Whats the best way to make that happen?

I've got a straight blade planer, straight blade jointer and drum sander at my disposal.

[John Coloccia]

Depends what you're trying to do. Are you going to stain it? If you're staining it, you can use a stain that's a little darker than you want, and then sand it off. Then stain the color you really want. The figure and non-figured wood will absorb at different rates and enhance the figure. You need to experiment with this on some scrap. I usually use something like a brownish/greyish stain, sand lightly, and then stain with my desired color.

If you don't want to stain, an oil finish usually works well. BLO, Danish oil....something like that.

Again, this is just my opinion. Always try it on some scrap to be sure you get the effect you're after.

[Ben Hatcher]

...an oil finish usually works well. BLO, Danish oil....something like that.

BLO being short for Boiled Linseed Oil. Tung oil will pop the grain equally well on cherry.

Search the project finishing forum for hundreds of threads on grain popping and finishing schedules for cherry.

[Lee Schierer]

Personally I like the way the grain pops on cherry or maple with Deft Clear wood finish. Both projects below were finished exclusively with Deft Clear wood finish.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~us71na/emilyjewel2.jpghttp://www.home.earthlink.net/~us71na/maplebox.jpg

[Nathan Palenski]

Great looking projects and advice. I was looking more for how to prep the surface before I apply finish. I should have probably made that more clear. Do you end up with better results from a planed edge or sanded? I haven't worked much with figured wood in the past so this is all new to me. I have been told to never block sand figured wood. Is this true or an old wives tale?

[Chris Friesen]

Personally I think that if you're going to use a film finish there isn't much difference between a planed surface and a well-sanded one.

For an in-the-wood oil or wax finish I think a planed surface is often superior.

[Lee Schierer]

Great looking projects and advice. I was looking more for how to prep the surface before I apply finish. I should have probably made that more clear. Do you end up with better results from a planed edge or sanded? I haven't worked much with figured wood in the past so this is all new to me. I have been told to never block sand figured wood. Is this true or an old wives tale?

The projects you saw were sanded to 220 grit and the finish was applied. Planers tend to leave very small ripple marks in the surface, so I would think sanding would provide a flatter or at least more even surface.

[Frank Drew]

Surface prep is critical to the best finish; if you can get there by planing, even in figured wood, go for it. Otherwise, a careful sanding, going through the grits up to at least 220 will leave a very nice surface ready for whatever finish you choose. I've never seen any value in going to much higher grits on bare wood; polishing out a cured finish is different, of course, and requires higher grits and finer polishing compounds.

A word on the finishing itself: It's been my experience that less is more when it comes to coloring; cherry, in particular, ages beautifully under a clear finish (and it can require at least an extra step to stain successfully without blotching in any case). Lee's stunning examples show figured timbers at their best, IMO.

[Greg Portland]

Get the surface prepared using your method of choice (sander, hand tools, etc.). A method that has worked for me is:

1) Seal the wood with a light coat of thinned shellac.
2) Use a tinted grain filler. Experiment to determine the tint that looks best for your wood. This step will also result in a very smooth surface.
3) Finish with your oil finish of choice (2-3 coats). I like Waterlox because it dries more quickly than a pure oil.
4) Buff / polish with wax.

It goes without saying that you should test this on scrap first. In particular, the grain filler will require some test scraps before you get the hang of it.

[Nathan Palenski]

Ok great info. I've got a pretty good test piece that was cut to remove the live edge off one end of the board. I should be able to get 5 or 6 different finishes on it. I'd guess the best way to do it is to cut it up first and finish the chunks.

This should probably go in the other forum but since I'm here; should I bother with wood conditioner?

[Frank Drew]

2) Use a tinted grain filler. Experiment to determine the tint that looks best for your wood. This step will also result in a very smooth surface.
In particular, the grain filler will require some test scraps before you get the hang of it.

Do you use grain filler with closed pore woods like cherry or maple?

[Kent A Bathurst]

my 2 cents:

very light coat of BLO followed by extra-pale or ultra-pale shellac.

brings out the grain; easy to apply; easy to take shellac to any level of rubbing out you want; stop before rottenstone and wax it and it looks great.

[Prashun Patel]

On furniture that's going to get touched or dinged a lot, I wouldn't use shellac. I'd just use an oil based wiping varnish on the raw wood. For me, anything with an amber color (Waterlox, amber shellac, BLO) will pop the grain.

For me, the biggest thing is making sure the surface is flat and smooth. If it's not both of these things, you won't be able to rub it out, which is how the depth and texture is really revealed (for me, at least).

If it were me, I wouldn't bother with a grain filler. The top coat will be enough to fill any tiny pores in woods like cherry & maple.

[Van Huskey]

When I want to really pop grain I "cheat"

Use a dye like transtint and apply a light coat, let it sit just a little bit then wipe back. The dye does not have to be far from the natural color at all. The difference in the grain will cause higher absorption in the figured areas. The fiinsh with an oil finish of your choice that fits the use of the piece.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Ask 100 woodworkers the "best" way to finish "X", and you'll get 101 opinions.... LOL SO, I'll toss in my $0.02. I like tung oil blends. You can patch/repair easily. They hold up to wear well enough. Water resistant, somewhat. BLO and PURE tung oils take too long to dry for me. An old time trick I learned is to wipe down your sanded surface with a clean rag and water. This raises the nap of the grain, and sand again. Oh, wiping also gets off that invisible dust that a dry rag won't get off. I go to 400 grit after the water. Wiping with water sometimes shows those small sanding scratches too. Just another opinion. The water, of course, works with any finish :D.

[Nathan Palenski]

It sounds like pretty much everyone agrees on plane, sand, finish.

I'm swinging by lowes tomorrow to pickup some BLO, Deft Clear, Tung, waterlox and maybe some shellac.

I have to be careful with the waterlox or it'll be useless after I open it, right?

[Neal Clayton]

unless the can is full, yeah. if you buy a gallon, break it down into quarts and use one quart at a time. if you start with a quart, break it down into small mason jars or something, just a matter of keeping the can full.

[Scott Holmes]

On cherry, BLO or tung oil will pop the grain. Linseed oil a bit more than the tung oil, cost less too.

My preferred finish on cherry furniture is a light coat of dewaxed garnet shellac, then a top coat... PLEASE don't use poly! Waterlox or some other HARD varnish wil be far superior. Poly is tough; but not very hard.