I can't stain it

Cherry will darken over time. Giving it a suntan will speed up the process.

By the way, very nice TV stand.

-- Mark

looks great. are you afraid of fading?

-- making sawdust....

I’m with Mark—- let it sit for a while and it will darken. I wouldn’t stain it either. Tell your mother-in-law that she needs to buy new furniture to match what you made!!!!

It’s a beautiful piece.

-- Betsy - There is no strength where there is no struggle

i agree that if you leave it out there for a while it will darken. the table looks great by the way.

It looks great the way it is. Who says is has to look the same as the other furniture?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Or, or… you can make her all new cherry furniture.

That is a beautiful piece, and I can not fathom why you would want to uglify it into pine.

-- There are three kinds of people... those who can count, and those who can't

Hi Ron,

To answer your question yes you can put poly over the conditioner. In fact this is one of the times when you should ignore what the label says. Wood conditioner is nothing more than diluted varnish ( i.e. poly). The directions call for staining within two hours but this does nothing to stop blotching. You should let the conditioner cure before applying any stain in order to help prevent blotching.

But cherry does not need staining. You cannot get cherry and pine to resemble each other. Cherry is such a gorgeous wood and it will develop its own patina with time. Putting poly on it is a good idea because it provides surface protection and you can build a poly finish. As a suggestion you might want to go with a wiping poly (3:1 poly: mineral spirits if you want to make your own) and wipe several coats on the table. It will turn out beautifully.

I am looking forward to seeing it posted.

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

Thanks for the support! I’ll wipe on poly after the conditioner dries a full day. Maybe I’ll bring it outside for some more sun. If she doesn’t like it, I’ll make a darker one out of walnut or something.

-- Ron, Northern Illinois

Very nice stand. Keep with whatever natural color its going to have. It seems to me we buy and build out of woods like cherry because they have such a great natural color. It would be a shame to ruin that.

~DB

-- Happy Ripping!!!

To add just a note to Scott’s good advice, I recommend Min-wax Wipe-on Poly. It comes in both glossy and satin, I happen to prefer satin for most projects. It goes on VERY easily (and fast), dries quickly and allows you to build to a final finish in no time. I recommend three to five coats.

For future reference, cherry doesn’t stain very well. (Nor does pine, maple, poplar and other woods.) However, you can match almost any finish using aniline dyes. They come in many colors and can be mixed to get what you want. They can be wiped on, brushed (sponge type is best) or sprayed. Apply the dye before finishing and proceed after it is dry.

I have the Minwax wipe-on poly satin ready to go on the table. i also have a maple closet system started. i used the wood conditioner on a sample of the maple followed by stain. It didnt take the stain very well. I’ll have to go with dye on that one.

-- Ron, Northern Illinois

The holy grail for a cherry finish.

I have used the method in the link below, but have never used the Watco oil. I use a mixture of 70/30 boiled linseed oil/mineral spirits. For a number of cherry products I have taken it well over 1000 grit.

Try this on a sample piece and I don’t think you will ever use any other finish on cherry.

Link

-- There is no such thing as scrap wood!, http://www.saltrivergallery.com

Looks great! Just tell you Mother-in-law she needs to have you build all new furniture from Cherry. Ilike Cherry best with a natural finish.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Brian – I did try a little Watco on a sample. I didnt like the look. But after reading your link, I missed the sealing steps, and I think that would make a huge difference. I’ll give a try.

Thos & others – I dont want to tell the mother in law that I’ll build all new furniture. She’ll take me up on the offer. I have a few other projects in progress that I’ll have to finish first.

-- Ron, Northern Illinois

Really nice looking stand – just as it is. I agree with others about a poly finish to protect the surface, but keep it clear.

Thanks, Brian for the link to the oil finish tecnique!

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

that’s a really sweet stand, Ron. I love the way the legs wrap turn the corner.

-- Made lots of sawdust and pounded some nails. Haven't finished anything, though.