Here’s the finished quilt rack. In the end, I was a bit rushed trying to get it finished before we left for Iowa so I could deliver it to my mother in person. There are plenty of “signatures” on this piece, and many of them are hidden on the back thanks to good positioning.

The rack itself is plainsawn white oak. The keys are wenge, and I didn’t bother filling the pores since I thought they were part of the character of that wood and so I just gave them one coat of Seal-A-Cell and four coats of Arm-R-Seal (they would have gotten five, but I frankly forgot about them during one wiping application).

It was finished using General Finishes Honey Maple stain followed by American Walnut with no sanding between, so the walnut stain really just penetrated the grain and left the lighter dye to color the majority of the wood. I followed that with one coat of Seal-A-Cell and then wiped on five coats of General Finishes wiping varnish (Arm-R-Seal, I think). Satin finish. I’m pretty pleased with the way the varnish came out, but as I was under time pressure, I did all sides of all pieces at the same time and ended up with some runs and drops that I wasn’t able to get out. And the final coat, for some reason, picked up a lot of dust nibs and even rubbing with a brown paper bag (as Flexner recommends) didn’t get them all out. Most, yes, but not all.

So there it is, my first ever hardwood project. I’m pretty pleased with the results, even imperfect as they are.

Thanks to you all for the great ideas, guidance, and as ever, gentleness.