blotchy maple help

[doug barr]

I am working on some small boxes and am trying to keep the maple light/white. I tried just Danish oil and it has darkened the wood too much and is very blotchy. Should I have used just shellack or use it as a sealer? What if I want to do a glossy finish? Poly? I tried just water based poly and after 3 coats am still not happy with the results. Any help/ideas thanks

[Rich Enders]

Years ago Michael Dresdner suggested lacquer (acrylic, CAB) to have the best shot at "whiteness". More recently I have used Polycrylic. It has a somewhat bluish caste, but you can tint it if it seems too "cold" to you.

My experience was all with alder on a sofa table, and a series of small boxes. On the boxes I bleached them first to remove inherent color.