Seeking Advice, First project with cherry

[Brian Hale]

Hi all!

I've been commissioned to build a small oval dinning table (36 wide x 48 long plus 2 12" leaves)from solid cherry and i've got a few questions. I purchased ~110 bd ft 6/4 boards (almost twice what i'd need :rolleyes: ) from Hicksville Planning Mill this past weekend and i'm just starting to lay it out.

Some of these boards have some white sap wood on the edges, will this darken on its own or should i cut it out?

I like the smallgum pocketss but do i need to seal or fill them before finishing?

The room the table goes in has very little natural light so i'm considering setting the parts outside on a sunny day before finishing to let it darken some. Any problem with this? (other than bird do do) Will the change is moisture content be a problem?

I'm looking for a close-to-the-wood finish like you get with hand rubbed oil but i also want the protection of a durable film finish. Normally i'd spray lacquer, either NC orwater basedd, but i'm not sure that's the look i'm after. Suggestions?

Is there a way to pop the grain on cherry?

Thanks in advance for your advice! ! !

Brian :)

[Jason Beam]

Brian,

I built two end tables out of cherry and I did as much as I could to hide the sapwood. It won't darken to match the heartwood, though it will darken some over time. It'll always have that contrast, though.

The sap/gum pockets posed very little issue for me. I did fill any deep divots with CA glue, though. That was mostly for my own peace of mind and for a smoother top surface, though.

The finish I used actually surprised me on this one. I started out wiping on satin poly thinned WAY down. Like 10 coats of the stuff. Then I realized it was satin and not the gloss i was after. Two coats of 50/50 thinned gloss and the chatoyance of the cherry was incredible. I've never seen this with Poly before, and I was pretty surprised. I don't know if it was the satin or the number of coats or what, but it really gave the surface a nice shimmer. I'm a horrible finisher, though, so don't take any of my advice without trying it on scraps first :)

[Don Bullock]

Hi all!

I've been commissioned to build a small oval dinning table (36 wide x 48 long plus 2 12" leaves)from solid cherry and i've got a few questions. I purchased ~110 bd ft 6/4 boards (almost twice what i'd need :rolleyes: ) from Hicksville Planning Mill this past weekend and i'm just starting to lay it out.

Some of these boards have some white sap wood on the edges, will this darken on its own or should i cut it out?

No, they will not darken to match the rest of the wood.


I like the smallgum pocketss but do i need to seal or fill them before finishing?

I too like the pockets. They add character to the piece. As was stated in the first response, you can fill them with CA glue (super glue).


The room the table goes in has very little natural light so i'm considering setting the parts outside on a sunny day before finishing to let it darken some. Any problem with this? (other than bird do do) Will the change is moisture content be a problem?

Unless the humidity in the air is high this should not be a problem.


I'm looking for a close-to-the-wood finish like you get with hand rubbed oil but i also want the protection of a durable film finish. Normally i'd spray lacquer, either NC orwater basedd, but i'm not sure that's the look i'm after. Suggestions?

Is there a way to pop the grain on cherry?

Thanks in advance for your advice! ! !

Brian :)

I used BLO as suggested by several here on Sawmill Creek and finished it off with lacquer. If you do a search of the Project Finishing forum you'll find all sorts of possibilities. I found that most people suggested BLO finished with shellac, but their was no definitive answer to which "color" shellac to use. I went with lacquer because I've never used shellac and didn't have time necesary to experiment with it. I also liked my test sample (strongly recommend no matter what finish you decide on) with that combination. Yes, I know that I should do some experimenting with shellac and do have some for that purpose. The table I made showing this finish can be found at http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=624852#post624852.

[Todd Burch]

Er, Brian... that's not a small table! That's a full sized table. And if you are starting with 6/4 wood, that's a heavy full sized table.

Decide if you want to see sapwood. If you do, leave it in. If you don't, cut it out, or, change your finish schedule.

BLO works great. I thin it 50% with MS. Two sloppy wet coats, let it sit, wipe off excess, let dry overnight, spray with pre-cat lacquer. That's what I do. The BLO will give it a great color and emphasize the character in the grain. Fill any voids. I use black epoxy. Use whatever (but not wood filler - unless you are going for that cheap look).

I would not waste my time suntanning the boards. They'll get dark enough soon enough. Even without sun, the BLO will darken the cherry over time.
Of course, since the leaves will be a closet, they won't darken at the same rate, so tell your client that now.

Got a design drawn up yet? Let's see it!

Todd

[Paul Gatti]

I have a lot of experience working with cherry. Me and my father built all my kitchen cabinets out cherry.

As others have mentioned, the sap areas will not darken over time. I either cut out or hide as many of those as possible.

I would not "sun tan" the wood. As a matter of fact, once I mill my lumber, I keep it all covered under dark plastic when I'm not working with it so it will not darken. There is nothing more frustrating than making nice hand-planed door panels only to leave one stacked on the other for a week and come back and find a tan line on the bottom panel. This might not be as much of an issue for some, but since my father's shop gets a lot of natural light, I need to be careful. The key here is to keep all your pieces a uniform color until you are ready for finish. For me, that means covering the wood at the end of each day.

As for finish.... Tung Oil is with out a doubt is my favorite finish for Cherry. I have made cherry dining tables that hold up very well finished with nothing but tung oil. The beauty of using tung oil is that it's a renewable finish. If the finish starts to wear, simply apply another coat. The finish will darken over time, but that is one of the things I like about it. I think the finish looks better over time.

BTW... I avoid using minwax tung oil. My preferred brand of tung oil is McCloskey. (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/browseproducts/McCloskey-Tung-Oil-Finish--Quart.html)

[Jeremy Chisholm]

I second the tung oil suggestion...all the cherry furniture I've built for our home (about half a dozen big pieces now) is finished with tung oil, and not only is it very easy to renew, I find it really complements the cherry well. As far as durability goes, the cherry shaker trestle table my father built 21 years ago that saw thrice daily service for a family of 9 looks better now than it did then...he just wipes on another coat every year.

BTW- as far as pure oil vs. "tung oil finish" goes, I use pure oil, and just cut the first couple coats with mineral spirits. My two primary reasons are 1) no UV blockers, so the cherry darkens faster, and 2) no harsh chemicals (I wouldn't drink the stuff, but the pure oil is non-toxic). It works great for household furniture. However, if your furniture is going to be used outside, maybe conisder a finish that includes UV blockers (I think McCloskey's does), or even spar varnish (traditional (non-poly) spar varnish is mostly tung oil, with UV blockers and special hardeners added).

[Brian Hale]

Good stuff guys, Thanks!

I put some BLO on a scrap piece and it does pop the grain nicely so a little more testing is in order. Do i need to seal the BLO with shellac before the lacquer? The wipe-on poly might also be a good choice for durability, although the table won't see a lot of use.

Todd, this will be the smallest table i've built. The last one was 118 x 52. ;)

CA in the gumpockets sounds like a good idea!

The design is very basic, which helps because i need to have it done before Christmas. It's a pedastal table with equalizer slides and 2 leaves which will be stored between the slides. Still need to decide on the edge treatment for the top as i want it to appear thinner than it really is.

Brian :)

[Todd Burch]

Do i need to seal the BLO with shellac before the lacquer?

Nope. On the day you flood BLO/MS all over it, keep it wet with two coats and wipe it dry good before you close shop for the night. The next day take your time getting to the shop, and spray, spray, spray! No sealer required.

Todd