Tips #1: Suntan your cherry; make your own buttons

Hi Al, great ideas. I just watched your website video. Coincidentally, I’ve also been using “suntanning” on a few projects. Most recently on the double dovetail box for which I just recently posted an LJ blog. My garage is my shop and sometimes I work in the driveway. The top of this box is cebil and as I was working on it (in my driveway, on my tablesaw) I noticed it changing color after I took a break for lunch…and I liked the color better…so I “suntanned” it after finish sanding, before applying finish. It’s a pretty cool technique. I also noticed this effect on some purpleheart I used in another box project when it turned grey after a fresh cut….the sunlight accelerated restoring the purple color.

Also I’ll have to keep your button process in mind the next time I have a need for movement in the top. Thanks for sharing these ideas.

-- Martin, Kansas

This is a nice tip on the cherry, Al. It takes about a week to get a nice “suntan” but the end result is a warm rich color that can’t be duplicated with stains/dyes that well worth the effort as can be seen in your photos.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I never new that you could “suntan” cherry. Cool. Thanx. I might have to try that on the next project I do in cherry.

-- Steve-o

Whenever I can get back into the shop, my first project is to make a cabinet for a friend. It’s going to be solid cherry that I plan to suntan before applying a finish. I also plan to attach the top with buttons. I’ve not seen that done with cabinets much, but it makes sense to me.

thanks for the post Al.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Martin, Scott,

Thanks! I am glad you have confirmed that you also like the cherry sith a suntan on it.

And for Steve,

It IS worth trying, as it one of the easiest ways of aging cherry in a hurry. All it takes is a few days, a few hours each day, and you will be all set. Try to avoid bird poop, or you will have a clean-up prior to applying the protective finish ;-)

-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com

Betsy,

That is great news – and you are expanding your experience! I just know you will do a terrific job on that new cherry cabinet, and I look forward to your posts about it.

P.S.: I missed your post, as we might have been typing at the same time…

-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com

Interesting post

-- making sawdust....

Thanks for letting me know about this process, I have a cherry project that is third on y to do list.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

very interesting the blog

-- jeanmarc manosque france

Interesting about the suntanning of cherry though I have noticed cherry darkening as I have used it for garden tool handles which obviously spends time outdoors.

I’ve always been using home made buttons for table top attachment. It’s the only technique I was taught 25 years ago when I took woodworking courses for a certificate program in Ottawa, Canada. I think you’ll find this on all quality furniture as it’s the best technique for accommodating solid wood table top movement. I’ve always cut a groove on the inside of the aprons with a router and cut the buttons on the table saw in long strips and then cut them to length. I was taught to put the tongue on the button just a little shorter than the distance from the tabletop to the groove, this way when you tighten the screw on the button, it pulls the tabletop down on to the apron. Sorry, you may have done this but I didn’t wait for the end of the video just because of download size issues on my end.

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com