finish on inside of jewelry box?

[George Pell]

Hello,
I know that when you build something you normally want to finish the inside and outside, but is it necessary for something small like a jewelry box? I prefer the look of unfinished wood on the inside, but don't want to invite any problems by not finishing it. The woods I normally use are mahogany, maple, walnut, and qs sycamore, and I'm planning to use either Watco, BLO, or shellac, depending on the wood. Thanks.
George

[Mark Valsi]

Just use a nice wax on the inside !

[Pete Lamberty]

One of the problems that occur with some finishes on the inside of containers is that the finish will smell for a long time. From what I have read, shellac is the best for this purpose because the smell is a "fresh" smell and not at all offensive. Hope this helps.

[Michael Ballent]

Have you ever tried Suede-Tex flocking. You use a colored adhesive and spray fibers into the wet adhesive and it looks like you have lined the interior with felt. Pretty cool stuff. Lee Valley carries it and I think that Rockler and Woodcraft as well.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=2&page=44669&category=1,250,43298,43300

Good luck :D

[Bob Winkler]

No finish is necessary on the inside. On small pieces, warping and splitting are not a problem. I usually shellac then wax the insides to get the feel silky smooth. Naked wood on the inside is more an aesthetic decision.


Bob

[Ellen Benkin]

I would think you have to put some kind of finish on the wood or it will not be possible to clean off the dirt that will accumulate with use. Whether it is shellac or wax or something else is not important, but you want to put a protective finish on raw wood. I try to do this before glue up and usually don't put as many coats of finish inside as I would outside.