Linen chest - help needed

[steve-norrell]

I want to build a linen chest for the LOML that is similar to the one shown in the photo. It is roughly 68" high, 36" wide, and 15"deep. I want to use walnut and walnut-faced ply for the sides and front but would like to use a less expensive wood for the back and for the shelves. The walnut will be finished with a walnut stain, followed by either a tung oil or wipe-on poly finish.

My initial thoughts are to use poplar or birch and birch-faced ply (or some other wood) for the shelves and back -- staining them very dark, a color similar to, or darker than, the walnut. This is where I need some suggestions as to the choice of wood.

All suggestion are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Regards, Steve

[atgcpaul]

Are you talking about a dark stain like the kind you'd see in Pottery Barn
furniture?

One process that has worked well for me on poplar is this:

1) Sand project to 220 grit.
2) Dye wood with a wash coat of black, water based aniline dye. You don't
want to end up with something that is jet black. It should be light grey to
grey when dry.
3) Lightly sand off any raised grain with 320 grit or higher but don't remove
dye.
4) I then applied a water-based walnut wood stain from Home Depot
(Varathane?) with a rag. This coat gives the brown color. One coat is
usually enough but sometimes you might need another.
5) After stain is dry, top coat with shellac then water-based lacquer. I think
you can use solvent based poly at this point, too.


I did this on smallish doors and panels that were solid poplar--not plywood
(less than 2'x2'). You might want to use a spray bottle to distribute the
dye first. I used a dye soaked rag but that might be hard to do evenly with
a large panel in your case.

Paul

[Wood_workur]

Wood Magazine has a GREAT finish for walnut. I'll be able to get that to you if you want.

[steve-norrell]

Wood Magazine has a GREAT finish for walnut. I'll be able to get that to you if you want.

Outstanding! I would really appreciate the reference.

As of now, we are leaning in the direction of at least two coats of wipe-on poly, followed by two coats of furniture wax.

I should add that I ended up using the walnut faced plywood for all the panels, gluing sections back-to-back so all faces are walnut. Now I need a good finish.

Regards, Steve

[Wood_workur]

Outstanding! I would really appreciate the reference.

As of now, we are leaning in the direction of at least two coats of wipe-on poly, followed by two coats of furniture wax.

I should add that I ended up using the walnut faced plywood for all the panels, gluing sections back-to-back so all faces are walnut. Now I need a good finish.

Regards, Steve

from what I can remember it was a grain filling finish, might have had a bit of dye in it to bring out the color (I think it was yellow dye) and with oil or varnish as the primary finish.

here we go:issue 168 I think it is. I got that from their web search, I'll ahve to look it up.

[steve-norrell]

Alex:

Thanks for the information.

We have been experimenting with various combinations of wipe-on poly and a Sanding Sealer. The LOML likes the finish from one coat of sanding sealer, followed by two coats of wipe-on poly. I prefer two or three coats of wipe-on poly, without any sanding sealer. Both products are from Minwax and are, of course, lightly sanded (#200) between coats.

The use of sanding sealer produces a markedly more glossy finish, while the wipe-on (two coats) produces and non-glossy finish. Since she is going to do the finishing, the choice is hers.

Incidentally, my prior experience with walnut was limited to gunstock refinishing. We used various pore and grain fillers, some of which were quite colorful.

Thanks again for the information. The project is coming along nicely and I will get some pictures up when it gets closer to being finished.

Regards, Steve

[AusRob]

Hi all,
I'm afraid I don;t understand the need to stain Walnut with walnut.
I use Wattyl Scandinavian oil and wax as a finish. I friction seal the oil as follows.
dry sand the piece using 80,100,150, 240 and 400g, saturate the pice with oil, then wet sand (the oil is the "wet" through from 400 to 1500 or greater grit. Then allow 24 hrs to dry and wax.
This little walnut box was done this way. As was the Blackwood table I posted under "some of my projects" in the projects thread.

Regards,

Rob

[steve-norrell]

Hi all,
I'm afraid I don;t understand the need to stain Walnut with walnut.

Rob:

I used to fill walnut gunstocks to produce a very smooth surface that was relatively impervious to moisture. The use of a colored sealer was to enhance the appearance of the grain. Now a days, I prefer composite stocks.

The sanding sealer and wipe-on finish I mentioned in the previous post does not completely fill the grain and, for furniture, I prefer it that way. If I were building ornamental pieces, such as the very nice boxes in your pictures, I would pay much more attention to either a filler or multiple coats of a surface finish so I could get a much smoother finish.

In any case, I much prefer the look of the natural wood and would use a stain only to enhance the grain.

Thanks for the comments. Regards, Steve

[steve-norrell]

Wood Magazine has a GREAT finish for walnut.

Alex,

I found the article you mentioned and agree that would be an interesting way to finish walnut (or any other wood with significant grain). However, as noted in the previous post, I prefer the open grain for most furniture but would consider using a filler for pieces that needed a smooth, moisture resistant surface, such as ornamental pieces or for table tops.

Regards, Steve