Where did I go wrong?

[Boilermaker]

So after many months of sitting in the garage, I finally decided to put the finish on my cherry occasional table I made in a Woodcraft class. I sanded the table starting at a 120 grit, moving to 150, and then 220. I applied 5 coats of Danish Oil with about 30 minutes in between each coat, per the manufacturers recommendation on the can. The end result is a table that is VERY blotchy and in some places the wood almost looks black. Does anyone with experience working with cherry have any suggestions? Should I have done more sanding with an even higher grit?

 

[toolferone]

Scott, first cherry can be blotchy, second I think with the danish oil you put on a coat wait 30 min then wipe off all the extra and let it dry overnight. Then repeat. I also rub out between coats with a 0000 steel wool or synthetic equivalent. As far as the blotchy problem, I think you will need to let it dry well and sand it down and start over with a seal coat of shelllac first then the danish oil.

 

[Nativespec]

From my experience, I would not attempt to stain cherry. Cherry has a lot of variation and the best thing to do is to match it up before building a project. I have learned not to agonize over the flaws and mistakes in my projects (most people do not notice them) and to move on to the next project-this has been a struggle for me, but it is for the best. I learn from making mistakes and get better with practice over time. If you want a uniform cherry, go with brazillian.

Thanks,

David

 

[adowden]

Scott,

I have never used Danish oil on cherry, but I have stained it. I had alot of trouble a while back staining hard maple cabinets, and found out that gel stains work better on blotchy woods like cherry and maple. I really liked the Zar stain that I used. It is thick like furniture polish, and it worked really well for me.

Amy

 

[jeff...]

I'm not saying a word :-D

 

[NCPete]

I'm not saying a word :-D

Jeff, that was five, perhaps even six, depending on how the contraction is counted:slap::slap::slap:

 

[JimmyC]

I've stained cherry, using gel stains, with some success.

Jimmy

 

[zimman20]

I have learned not to agonize over the flaws and mistakes in my projects (most people do not notice them) and to move on to the next project-this has been a struggle for me, but it is for the best. I learn from making mistakes and get better with practice over time.

Thanks,

David

Good advice. :icon_thum