Aromatic Red Cedar

[Larry Whitted]

Hello everyone, this is my first post and let me assure you I am definitely only a novice woodworker. I am almost finished with a blanket chest of red cedar and was wandering what the best finish would be. I have som dewaxed shellac and I also would really prefer a glossy type finish. Any suggestions will definitely be appreciated.:)

[Todd Burch]

Hi Larry - welcome to the Creek.

Blanket chests are typically left unfinished on the inside - especially if they are aromatic red cedar.

For the outside, your dewaxed shellac would work great, as would waxed shellac.

You can get a glossy finish with shellac, it just takes more coats and more elbow grease in the polishing department.

Todd

[Steve Schoene]

I agree with Todd. Shellac gives a very good gloss finish that can be rubbed out to just about as high a gloss as you could want. Shellac is easier to rub out than varnish, too.