Wood finish suggestions

[adg]

I'm getting ready to make a custom Crack cabinet out of some Canarywood, and I was wondering if anyone had any finish suggestions. I don't think I want to stain the wood in a way that would change the color, but I would be open to something that would enhance the woodgrain.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

[Deluk]

That's a nice piece of wood, and your layout makes good use of the grain pattern. Danish oil would suit it well I think.

[Thoburn]

I'm getting ready to make a custom Crack cabinet out of some Canarywood, and I was wondering if anyone had any finish suggestions. I don't think I want to stain the wood in a way that would change the color, but I would be open to something that would enhance the woodgrain.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Try some boiled linseed oil on a scrap piece and see what you think. I've used it on Circassian walnut and African ribbon mahogany and liked the results. Put it on in several coats using a small piece of rag. Dispose of the rag carefully as there have been reports of spontaneous combustion from a bunch of rags left in a heap. I lay them out flat outside and when completely dry throw them away.

[Lee Hankins]

I use Tried and True Varnish Oil on all of my Bottlehead and other projects.  Tried and True has three different types of oil finish, all are Non-Toxic, No Petroleum Distillates, No Petroleum Derivatives and No Heavy Metal Driers.  Completely Natural, best Oil finish on the market, IMHO. 

[galyons]

I use Tried and True Varnish Oil on all of my Bottlehead and other projects.  Tried and True has three different types of oil finish, all are Non-Toxic, No Petroleum Distillates, No Petroleum Derivatives and No Heavy Metal Driers.  Completely Natural, best Oil finish on the market, IMHO.

+1 on Tried and True Varnish Oil!!!  Have used it with the BH stock alder, cherry, maple and a Mexican walnut.  All were gorgeous, IMO!  Currently my Paramount's and Eros are in cherry and the Smash in stock alder.  Very simple to apply.  A little elbow grease and VERY little product produces a semi gloss hand rubbed finish that lets the beauty of the wood shine through! 

Formulated to be safe and non toxic, (I use it on pasta and bread boards).   But follow the directions, less is better!! If you glop it on it doesn't dry well.

Cheers,
Geary

[adg]

Thanks for all of the recommendations.

I'm going to pick up a pint of the T&T Varnish Oil.

[Dnorris]

Tried and True is a good choice. Watco Danish Oil gives good results as well. It comes in a natural tone that wouldn't change your wood color. You also might consider using some of the more dramatic grain on the front, such as, taking two mirror image pieces from the wood you're showing as side panels and gluing  them together with the joint in the middle of the front panel. That would show off the best grain where people would see it the most. Since you have plenty of wood to work with you may also want to cut the panels with some feet to raise the Crack off of the shelf/table.

[Lee Hankins]

Watco Danish Oil is not a natural product, need to read the MSDS.

[Natural Sound]

Tried and True +1.

Just a thought. If you ever plan on going with bigger caps you might want to cut the base a little taller.

[Dnorris]

Lee, I agree, but I meant the natural tone as a color choice as the OP said he didn't want to change the color of the wood.

[Lee Hankins]

All oils will cause a change in the color of the wood, just like water will make the the wood darker and bring out the grain.  Certain spray top coats are better than an oil finish in that they cause less color change on the original wood.  The hardness of the wood also effects how dark the wood will become.  I usually sand to 4000 grit on softer wood, this makes the wood have closer grain (harder surface less penetration) and does not make the wood as dark.

One should always test the color and grain of the wood by wetting the surface with water.  You may find out that you do not like the color of the wood for your project after wetting the surface.

[Deluk]

Luckily the OP will have several pieces of spare wood to experiment with. I'm considering trying for a rosewood effect to match my Luxman L30 case. Different colour here but pic shows the variation that is possible by using different application methods. Pic is from the net.

[Dnorris]

Adg, please post pictures when you are done with the canarywood base, as it will be interesting to see your results.

[adg]

I made a couple more mockups. I'm hoping to take the wood to get planed and mitered in the next few days. I'll probably make the cabinet a little taller than the stock one, but I don't want to make it too tall. I don't know if I'll cut feet into the wood, or add some little blocks inset into the corners of the finished cabinet to hold/hide the feet.

Dale, is the last mockup what you meant by cutting the mirrored sides?

[Dnorris]

Adg, yes that is what I had in mind as a possibility. You seem to be good with graphics so try it with different areas to see what match-ups you might like. Sometimes they make visual sense, sometimes they don't match up so well. Also, flip the board over to see how the other side might match up. Your original mock up looked good, so go with what YOU like best, as you get to appreciate it every day! With such a nice piece of canarywood, I don't think you can go wrong. Looking forward to seeing how it comes out.