shepjk01 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Just remember a sanding sealer seals the wood. You want the stain to soak into the wood and its pores. The best item to use before the stain is pre-stain conditioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eth2 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Shep is right! Here is what I was referring to as a "sealer." http://www.amazon.com/Minwax-41500-Pre-Stain-Wood-Conditioner/dp/B000C02AHY/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1403614979&sr=8-11&keywords=minwax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepjk01 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Another thing to consider is ordering actual cherry 1*6 or 1*3 or what ever size lumber you need directly from the mill. You can ship ups as long as the board is under 8 feet long. I'm pretty lucky as there is a mill only a few miles away. I'm able to go pick out my lumber in every type of wood imaginable and they will also make up my edge glued panels and plane them for me for cheap. They also import exotic woods. You might give them a call and see if they will ship you a few boards. Here is the link to their retail website http://www.wiblesupickhardwoods.com/products/moulding-products/s4s-s2s/ The boards are s2s and s4s which are a little thicker then 3/4 as that's whats used in cabinetry but they plane them to 3/4 for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckAb3 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I'm gettin' to be an old guy and stick pretty much with what I know, but my preference is 1. light sanding, 2. conditioner, 3. stain (oil based if possible), 4.light sanding perhaps and tack cloth and, finally, 5. poly or tung oil finish. FWIW, one of the nicest jobs I did was a nice medium oak stain on a crappy pine fireplace mantel with a tung oil finish. Many moons ago. Minwax is great but they've jumped on the "all in one boat" and I just can't go there if I have a choice! Might give it a shot some day. Best of luck. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 http://www.homedepot...1vZbqpgZ1z11vwe If I can't get the poplar to look "right", I will just order an 8' slice of the cherry board in the above link. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) Staining wood with hard and soft areas is something I could never get right. Now I avoid stain like the plague. I can actually blend in paint better than staining. JJK Edited June 24, 2014 by JJKIZAK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) http://www.homedepot...1vZbqpgZ1z11vwe If I can't get the poplar to look "right", I will just order an 8' slice of the cherry board in the above link. Bill Folks, thanks for all the advice. I just ordered the American cherry board from the above link and will use the same Minwax Wipe-ON Poly Clear Gloss that I used with my Revel B15 cherry veneer. The birch boards that are part of the stands now will be painted black with the natural cherry boards forming the front facade like in below photo. Edited July 5, 2014 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 (edited) Update. They turned out much better with the poplar as the substrate/side panels and the natural cherry board as the front facade. Five coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly Clear Gloss for the cherry and two coats of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Paint+Primer Semi-Gloss Black for the poplar boards. Thanks for all you guys who chimed in to offer advice. Bill Edited July 27, 2014 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Got a bit tired of the sanding between coats so I went out and got one of these to help move things along. $29.97 / each Maybe some more projects in the future. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnr Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Very Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk49 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Nice job Bill, there's always a lot more to the finishing process then one thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Nice job Bill, there's always a lot more to the finishing process then one thinks. Thanks, and tell me about it. I put five coats on my sample piece and still was not satisfied with the sheen. Then I remembered from my Revel B15 re-veneer what brought out the shine that I was not getting with this project. I forgot to use 0000 steel wool after final application and then buffing all surfaces with crumbled masking paper. What a difference. Finished with a little lemon Pledge and it created an almost mirror shine. Very pleased with the results. I may set the cherry boards outside in the UV rays to get a little suntan before I glue them in place. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk49 Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 (edited) That's what makes some of those older cherry furniture pieces so beautiful, years of exposure and many rubbings of furniture oil over the years. I found a quick start for darkening cherry many years ago. It involved filling a bucket/jar half full of fireplace ashes, then filling the jar to the top with water. The ashes settled and the jar sat undisturbed for 3-4 months. At that time you could carefully ladle off the water from the top without disturbing the sediment in the bottom. When you applied the mixture like stain to the cherry it would turn several shades darker. It would of course raise the grain, but after a light sanding it still maintain some of the darker color. I have experimented with a number of "cherry" stains, oil, water and alcohol based and not found one that can produce what mother nature does with time. I'm glad to see results and hear from other woodworkers lots of knowledge to be shared. I haven't tried this in years, guess I should gather some ashes and get the brew going. Tom Edited July 28, 2014 by tk49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Bill those turned out nice, good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxerjake Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Woods such as Birch , Poplar , Maple and Pine can be a handfull without some past experiance ! I've been finishing cabinets for more years then alot of forum member have been alive , so for " Professional " results Alcohol spray stains are the choice of the pro's . Results can be had by other methods with trile and error , but spray staining is the choice for softer wood . Like spraying a candy apple custom automotive finish , Alcohol spray stain acts the same ... each coat keeps getting darker with less and less of the substrait visible through the coating . A sample board of the same material should be used to first determin the amount of coats needed to match the desired depth of colour . After the spray stain stage , a Laquer of 35% sheen will provide your UV protection and allow protection from cleaning solutions . Naturally , a spray booth is going to give the best results unless you like the look of dirt in your finish . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 A couple more photos with RB-75's in place. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Looks good to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk49 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 The contrast between the black and the cherry looks good, with time the cherry will age and develop it's own patina. Nice job, now sit back and enjoy the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TasDom Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 A couple more photos with RB-75's in place. Bill They look great Bill, well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 The contrast between the black and the cherry looks good, with time the cherry will age and develop it's own patina. Nice job, now sit back and enjoy the music. Yeah, I was going to let the cherry face of the stands age rapidly(suntan) but decided I liked the different shades of cherry(75's and stands) and the way they contrast with the black semi-gloss sides. Thanks for the kind words from you all. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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