Can I do this??

[Bryan Ferguson]

I am building a chest, the panels are QSWO the remainder is cherry. I want the cherry to take a warm look similar to what it would do in 50 years. I am considering using a garnett shellac (Jim Becker has mentioned it on other Cherry finishing threads). I don't want to get any of this on the panels. I plan to just finish them w/ Original Waterlox.

Can I finish the rails and stiles before assembly? I thought of dry assembling so that the area where I will need glue won't get any finish. Is this neccesary? Or will dried shellac not affect a glue bond? Would it be easier to use a gell stain, so that I could better control the application? Can I then apply waterlox over either of these finishes to get a consistent sheen? Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[Sam Shank]

Why not just leave the unfinished cherry in the sun, carefully rotating it for a day or 5? It should accomplish what you're going for. You can leave it in the sun with finish on too.

[Jim Becker]

Using the sun as part of your finishing regimen is not a bad idea, but it's only part of the story. And you really can't do it just for components because you may need to sand after assembly...which will re-lighten the surface.

For cherry, I use a liberal application of BLO followed by shellac. (usually de-waxed garnet for a little tone) If the project makes it convenient, I'll take advantage of a sunny day or two to add some UV to the mix, too. This all tends to darken the cherry somewhat, although it's still light in comparison to what it will be after a few years. Time is the key...

[Steve Schoene]

You can finish the panels before assembly, but as Jim notes, not the frames because they always need some adjustment after assembly. The finish on the panels will protect them from any dye used on the cherry frame.

That said, I would strongly urge you to reconsider trying to stain cherry to accelerate the darkening. Cherry doesn't take 50 years to darken, not even one tenth of that time. But the look of naturally darkened cherry is hard to duplicate, and if you should get it right initially it will be too dark in a couple of years.

[Jim W. White]

Bryan,

Pre-finishing the rails and stiles and panels prior to assembly is the real ticket here regardless of the finishes of choice. It pays to prefinish the panels so that you don't end up with shadows in the finsh as the panels shrink and expand over time and season. The rails and stiles also will benefit as they will be much easier to clean up after glue-up if there is any substantial squeeze-out. The key for the rails & stiles is to dry assemble so the fit is as close and tight as possible and then take them apart and tape of the joint areas with blue tape prior to appying the finish of choice.

my 2 cents, Have fun!

Jim in Idaho