Cedar boxes

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46
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Mobile, AL
New guy here, building quite a few small cedar boxes for Christmas. Looking for some advice on the type of finish I should use, I want to bring out the different colors of the cedar but unsure if I want a satin or gloss. Thought about using natural Danish oil, but I don't know enough about it.


Thanks, Bill
 
Hi Bill
Welcome to the family of Woodworking.
I just finish of 4 Cedar chests with ... Formby's Tung oil Finish low gloss. Just a suggestion.
Gayl
 

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Formby's Tung Oil Finish is a very thin wiping varnish made with alkd resin and soya oil(not a drop of tung oil). It isn't a bad finish. I just don't like the Madison Ave propaganda.

Regards

Jerry
 
ahhh ?:huh: i have seen where cedar didnt like some wipe on poly very well.. it left it a sticky mess for awhile, the resins in the cedar can cause trouble..i ended up sanding and wipping it down with some mineral spirts to get it off then can back with shellac first, then the final finish.. may have been just my bad luck dont know?/:dunno:
 
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ahhh ?:huh: i have seen where cedar didnt like some wipe on poly very well.. it left it a sticky mess for awhile, the resins in the cedar can cause trouble..i ended up sanding and wipping it down with some mineral spirts to get it off then can back with shellac first, then the final finish.. may have been just my bad luck dont know?/:dunno:

If yer talking about aromatic red cedar, yer right. It can cause problems. Stuff I make from cedar I don't finish, just leave alone. I used to sell cedar but I don't really like working with it.
 
Bought some golden pecan stain for another project and tried it on some scrap cedar followed by one coat of shellac. Believe it or not it doesn't look half bad. Gonna try to find something with just a hint of red in it. I'll post pics as soon as they're finished.
 
Applied the first coat of Danish oil this past weekend (no stain). WOW do they look good. Going to add another thin coat in a couple days then cut the tops and add hinges. Should I seal the oil?, or can I leave them as is.

I knew there's a reason why I listen to those who know more than me. :thumb:
 
Bill if you are talking a product like "Watco Danish Oil" just wipe off the excess, and let it dry, then maybe rub it down with some synthetic steel wool for a softer finish, if you want a gloss finish, then you would need to put a top coat on it.

Cheers!
 
That's exactly what I used Stuart, and the color is so rich now I don't want to ruin it. I just didn't know if oil finishes needed to be sealed or not with Poly or Shellac or something like that.
 
Nope, it does not need anything else, it is a hardening oil.

If you want a higher luster, you can polish it, if you want a softer finish, the synthetic steel wool stuff is good for that, just get a high grit one, like a #1200 or higher.

Cheers!
 
Watco Danish Oil is a very thin(mostly MS) linseed oil,ms and varnish mixture. The small amount of protection is from the varnish component. Boxes,as a rule, do not require a lot of protection.

Regards

Jerry
 
When useing oil I sand the wood to around 600 for the second coat. This will leaves a almost polished finish. If you want you can seal it with poly, if it is going to see a lot of abuse.
 
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