cherry Limbert coffee table

In a thread in the finishing forum (here) I asked about finishing cherry and getting rid of a couple of stripes on the top after leaving it clamped in cauls for a week or 2. And got a lot of good advice. Well, here's the finished product.
Attachment 437855 Attachment 437856

After much testing and finally getting the Boss' approval, I ended up using - ready for this? - Watco Red Mahogany Oil. I know, I know. But it's what she liked and the table was a special request after she saw it in one of my books. I must have done 50 or 60 test pieces. All kinds of combinations involving shellac (blond, orange, and out of the can), WOP, stains, GF products, TransTint, etc etc. It took 3 times as long to finish it as it did to make it. And I did more planing and sanding on the sample pieces than the entire table. But it's finally out of the shop. And MOST importantly - she loves it. Mission accomplished.

And I immediately started a couple of Morris chairs in QSWO. Back home again.

Distinctive coffee table Bill...ovals, curves, and linear elements all come together. And my favorite, cherry.

That’s really gorgeous. Sometimes we have to work to please others, especially if it is the “Boss”.

Nice Bill, very nice.

That's a handsome table!

One of the reasons I love working with cherry is that I never feel compelled to try to stain or otherwise color it. Clear finish of almost any kind and done; it's beautiful.

It turned out really nice. So what did you do to get rid of the stripes from the clamps?

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Originally Posted by Lee Schierer

It turned out really nice. So what did you do to get rid of the stripes from the clamps?

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I sanded it and removed a majority of it, then I let it sit upstairs in the office for a couple of weeks and the faint remainders of the stripes faded. By the time the marathon search for a finish was done, it was imperceptible, and I went ahead with the finishing and it turned ok. I think I just got lucky, kinda like the blind squirrel.

Beautiful piece, well executed

Looks great, Bill. I know what you mean on taking more time to finish than build. I’m working on a pine table and I think I’m up to sample 15.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bill Carey

I sanded it and removed a majority of it, then I let it sit upstairs in the office for a couple of weeks and the faint remainders of the stripes faded. By the time the marathon search for a finish was done, it was imperceptible, and I went ahead with the finishing and it turned ok. I think I just got lucky, kinda like the blind squirrel.

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I'm glad it worked out for you. With Cherry time is the key factor along with exposure to light. I have some75+ year old cherry that is dark all the way through, though it didn't start out that way. It also has 15-20 annual growth rings to the inch.

Just be sure you don't leave anything sitting permanently in one spot on your table for a while or another "shadow" may develop.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lee Schierer

I'm glad it worked out for you. With Cherry time is the key factor along with exposure to light. I have some75+ year old cherry that is dark all the way through, though it didn't start out that way. It also has 15-20 annual growth rings to the inch.

Just be sure you don't leave anything sitting permanently in one spot on your table for a while or another "shadow" may develop.

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good point Lee - I'll remind the Boss and put her in charge of moving stuff around. That way maybe I can be blameless.