finishing for cedar

[Karl Card]

I love cedar and am making some small boxes out of cedar and will soon be doing some cedar chest and then also my wife and my bedroom suite. I love the look of cedar with with very clear shiny lacquer but I also finished some with BLO and like it also. I was telling an old timer this in a regular discussion and was warned that with cedar sometimes the oil in the cedar will work its way back up to the top and cause bubbles or boils in the lacquer finsih. I am looking for others input to see if this is the norm, an isolated case or ????
Also are there any longivity cons or pros using lacquer vs. BLO or Danish oil.

Thanks for the help.

[Casey Gooding]

I've always preferred clear finishes like shellac or lacquer on cedar. Personally, I don't care for the way oil looks on cedar. I've never heard of oil seeping through the wood. I guess it could happen, though.

[Tony Bilello]

I have seen some pretty old (70 + years) cedar chests where sections of the cedar were coated with lacquer. The lacuer was worn out from time and abrasion but no signs of bubbles, boils or lifting.

[Jim Finn]

I make a LOT of cedar trunks and small boxes and I find the best high gloss finish on the cedar is a clear acrilic spray finish. Krylon from Wallmart about $3 a can. Two or three coats on the bare wood does the trick.

[Karl Card]

I have never used shellac as a final finish yet. I have used some shellac that had a warm amber tint to it as a layer before the final finish. Might have to do some experiementing soon.. Thanks for the info.