In last issue’s editorial, Rob talked about the beauty of cherry wood. This eZine reader agrees about the beauty of the hardwood – even the parts that, sometimes, are in the eye of the beholder. – Editor
“I had my first opportunity to work with cherry when I went to the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. We were given the task of making a small table as a final project and had the access to a fairly wide array of American hardwoods. My table top was just wide enough that I could not avoid having some sapwood on the edges. I discussed this defect with my instructors, who suggested that I glue two pieces together to take out the sapwood. We talked of grain pattern, methods of gluing and other issues when the youngest instructor opined that sapwood was only a defect if I deemed it as such. It was an epiphany for me. I controlled the design element, not hidebound conventions. So, in addition to getting hooked on the beauty of cherry, I learned to accept what others call defects as an opportunity to add interesting design elements.” – Lee Ohmart
Also in the last issue of the eZine, we shared Paul Guncheon’s “DIY Wood Stain” Trick of the Trade. That also got some feedback. – Editor
“Mr. Paul Guncheon’s suggestion to use roof cement cut in mineral spirits or turpentine will give you a beautiful brown stain on the wood.
“If you plan on putting a finish on your project, I suggest you try taking a piece of wood and staining it and then applying the top coat finish of your choice on the wood. The asphaltum will be dissolved by the solvent in the topcoat and will cause one of two problems. Problem one is the topcoat will not dry or dry properly. Problem number two is that the topcoat will not properly stick to the wood and asphaltum and will chip and peel off in the future. Been there; done that. It is not a fatal problem that can’t be fixed. I had to use solvent to take all of the applied finish off and start over.
“If you want to stain wood in an application that will not be topcoated and will not have much wear, it is great because is so inexpensive and uses a piece of a can (roof cement) that will probably eventually thrown away.” – Richard Melton
