Stain wood or leave natural

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Generally speaking in woodworking, is it preferable to leave wood it's natural color when finishing or is it perfectly acceptable to stain / dye it?

I have a piece of cherry and I have already put it in the sun for a bit to darken its colors (thanks for the tips on that guys). It is pretty dark now and I'm wondering if I should leave it or stain it cherry color to prounounce the "cherry"?

thanks.
 
My preference is to leave cherry alone and let it develop it's own color. I suntan it to get it started and apply oil while it's in the sun.
 
My first preferance is to leave natural. I usualy give it a coat of BLO or Tung oil to pop the grain then use a clear finish. That said if you are trying to make a piece blend in with other pieces then I would dye/stain it. Since I make my living doing finishing I have the customer tell me what color they want and do whats needed to achieve that. Glad the sun tan helped on the cherry.
 
Colorants can add greatly to a wood's appearance. Just watch Jeff Jewitt, Peter Gedrys or any of the other folks who do this so well. I have started being more selective on material and opting for light oils, clear shellac or lacquer to allow the natural wood look to be prominent in my own work. Stains and dyes definitely get used here and there but generally by request, not my preference.
 
Being somewhat of a purest, I don't color or stain any of my work. Keep in mind that I am a turner. As I understand it, sometimes flat work is stained or colored to match existing pieces or to give the customer what they want.

Bruce
 
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Generally speaking in woodworking, is it preferable to leave wood it's natural color when finishing or is it perfectly acceptable to stain / dye it?

All you're going to get are opinions, Dawson. I don't think there is a rule here.

Generally speaking, I find it preferable to ask my wife what she wants...:rofl:

I like leaving wood natural, but I also do experiment with colours a bit.

And even people who say they leave it "natural" will still do things like put a coat of shellac on maple to 'warm it up' or BLO to 'pop the grain' or they like oil-based poly because it gives an 'amber tone'.... so is that all really "natural", or is it just a much more mild/subtle form of stain? :huh:

Do what you like and have fun.
Unless it's for work, in which case do what the customer wants!
 
All you're going to get are opinions, Dawson. I don't think there is a rule here.

Generally speaking, I find it preferable to ask my wife what she wants...:rofl:

I like leaving wood natural, but I also do experiment with colours a bit.

And even people who say they leave it "natural" will still do things like put a coat of shellac on maple to 'warm it up' or BLO to 'pop the grain' or they like oil-based poly because it gives an 'amber tone'.... so is that all really "natural", or is it just a much more mild/subtle form of stain? :huh:

Do what you like and have fun.
Unless it's for work, in which case do what the customer wants!

sorry art, i wasnt tryuin to mislead the guy. i said i sometimes use shellac but i do not use stain.. so i think i was being honest and voicing some colour use as well.....):D:thumb:
 
Generally speaking in woodworking, is it preferable to leave wood it's natural color when finishing or is it perfectly acceptable to stain / dye it?...

It really depends on several things...the wood, the individual piece made with it, the room it's going into (along with the other things in that room), and most importantly, what the customer wants. And if there's no customer, then it's whatever you want. (And of course if you're married, you'll be wanting what the wife wants.) :p
 
Personally I would finish it as natural to the way God intended to wood to look, but sometimes there is a need for a certain Color.
 
What Vaughn said.

But cherry should not be stained...shame, shame. It's too beautiful when it ages. The most that should be done is give it an amber hue with some pto, then let nature take its course. Sunlight causes that, so put it in the sun...just be careful that it doesn't dry too quickly and cause defects (splitting, checking, etc.). If you want to put cherry stain on something build it out of maple, poplar or birch. My $.02.

Cheers
 
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