cherry Limbert coffee table

[Bill Carey]

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.
_MG_7544.jpg _MG_7554.jpg

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.

[Mark Rainey]

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

[Charlie Jones]

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

[glenn bradley]

Nice Bill, very nice.

[roger wiegand]

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.

[Lee Schierer]

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

[Bill Carey]

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

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.

[Clark Hussey]

Beautiful piece, well executed

[Phil Mueller]

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.

[Lee Schierer]

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.

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.

[Bill Carey]

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.

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