Unfinished Cherry

[Mahogany_Rush]

Wow long time since I visited here. I have been working on restoring a 69 mustang and woodworking had to sit in the corner for a while.
My first project since the car was completed was a set of Cherry soji screens for my friends Japaneese wife's tea ceramonies. I was hesitant at first because i know how very very picky she is on her cultural items. Well I was finished with them except for the tung oil finish I thought would look nice and adding the hinges. I took them over for them to see what I came up with and to let them pick out the hinges. She loved it the way it was and does not want anything on the wood. I know they are hers and I can always re-sand them and protect them later, but is there anything she should be aware of with raw cherry. It is my first Cherry project and I really don't know how the wood will fare unprotected. We live in the desert with very wild swings of humidity. Mostly 5% to 10% in the summer to the upper 60% in the winter. We also use evaporative coolers in the summer that will bump the humidity up a bit. So should I just give her what she wants or argue for a sealant of some kind. She kept saying I will leave it up to the expert but shot down any reccomendations of anything but natural bare wood.
thanks
jim

[dbhost]

Not exactly related to the cherry project, but where's the pics of the 'stang?

[footprintsinconc]

we cant tell unless we see some pictures

[poolhound]

I would be wary of leaving it totally unprotected, plus the fact that the real color of the wood doesnt show until you add some form of finish.

It will be much more suseptable to changes in moisture and bugs etc.

Whats the rationale for this? How about at least some natural wax?

[Uncle Hook]

Unfinished cherry should fare ok without a finish if it's kept indoors. However, without a finish the wood pores are likely to collect and show some grime. Over time, a person's fingerprints will gradually oil the wood. The wood will begin to look spotty where it has been touched, but the wood will not be damaged unless it is exposed to water or some other harmful element.

I would be inclined to finish a sample board with a few different finishes that could be compared to the bare wood. A clear shellac finish will offer protection without altering the color of the wood.

Cherry wood is prone to splotching which can be kept in check by applying a wash coat with a rag, before oil or varnish is applied. A wash coat seals the pores and prevents uneven absorption of an oily finish (and or a stain). A washcoat can be created using an equal mix of Zinser's Sealcoat (a de-waxed shellac) an alcohol. Minwax Wood Conditioner or a 50% diluted coat of a wipe on varnish can also be used as a washcoat. Contrary to the instructions on the can, a washcoat of Minwax Wood Conditioner will not seal the pores and prevent sploching unless it is allowed to dry. Once the washcoat dries, you can lightly sand with 220 paper and then apply the finish of your choice.

Cherry is photo reactive and with or without a finish the heartwood will darken over time.

Check out this link for other thoughts.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=53307

[ironhat]

Show her a waxed and an oiled sample as well as a piece of scrap that has been laying around for a year so that she realizes that it is going to age to a different color. There is also the probablility of oily hand prints marking the wood. Explain that the wax and oil can be re-done every couple of years but it really should be protected. JAT

[Mahogany_Rush]

I'll see if I can get some pics of the mustang posted. The only one I have with me is when I took it in for an alignment after I got it out of the garage for the first time. I have added some chrome after this pic. I'll have to get the screens from her before I can get pics of them, I wasn't going to leave them over at their house but she wanted to show a couple of friends.
Her rational behind the natural wood was that it was meant to be a summer use screen. Her winter screen is black lacquer. The natural wood to her is light and fresh and meant to distract from the heat outside. I didn't see any other of her traditional furniture in plain wood other than a lamp that was made out of pine. Everything else was very dark, either lacqured or naturally dark. There was a cerimonial table that was black and her husband said she wanted me to make one of those for her. I think she may want more projects than I have time for. The screens were done because he was a friend and I told him to buy the wood and I would see what I could come up with. This table was made of pine and had many very small joints going on. Not some of the intricate old japanese joinery I have seen ( spent 2.5 years in japan while in the Navy) but just tiny and very tight.

[Mahogany_Rush]

Yep I told her about the oils on her fingers and dust and a spill from her tea pot. I took over a piece of scrap with the tung oil on it and told her over the years it would darken up anyway. I explained about the unevenness in which the wood would soak up the humidity and what could happen. I even had her wipe some of the wood with a damp cloth to show her what a terrific grain and depth the wood had but she wouldn't budge. My friend just said that she was happy with it and thats that. I just said I'll do some research for some clearer finisnes but he said she wants wood, should have just bought some pine and save him some money I guess but he picked out the wood.

[poolhound]

Well you cant say you didnt warn them...

I guess they know what they want and as they say "the customer is always right!"

[Mahogany_Rush]

I think I'll try some BLO on a piece of scrap and if she doesn't like that then bare wood she gets. She keeps all her ceremony stuff wrapped up and put away. It is a very meticulous process and very precise. So this would probably last a very long time for here anyway.

[dbhost]

I'll see if I can get some pics of the mustang posted. The only one I have with me is when I took it in for an alignment after I got it out of the garage for the first time. I have added some chrome after this pic. I'll have to get the screens from her before I can get pics of them

Holy flashback Batman! That is THE year, model, color, and wheels of the car I learned to drive in! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THAT PIC!

That just threw me back a lot of years...

[Mahogany_Rush]

A mustang of that year just has to have a set of Cragar S/S's or its just a grocery getter. Of course my engine work would get you there pretty fast. Here is what I started with. There were many times when i would think." If this was wood i could make that and save some money and it would look nicer". Notice my wooden suspension. At one point I had to turn the body around So I bored a hole the size of my bottle jack piston in a beam like you see and found out where the center of gravity was. I jacked it up and walked it around by myself. I had my son hold it still during the raising and lowering. It may sound goofy but if I hadn't have ever started woodworking a lot of the things I was able to do wouldn't have been done had I not been able to think through a problem like I was working on a piece of wood.

[jackellis]

My wife kept her first car, a '68 Camaro, for many years until I convinced her both of us and the car would be better off if it went to a good home.

Much different from today's vehicles.

[radhak]

Wow! you created Cindrella out of a scullery maid! Amazing work!

It may sound goofy but if I hadn't have ever started woodworking a lot of the things I was able to do wouldn't have been done had I not been able to think through a problem like I was working on a piece of wood.

Ain't that right! I seen that effect too - makes you sorta think thru the problem on-hand to the solution that can be!

I am no expert on finishing or on cherry, but couldn't you spray clear lacquer to protect but still leave it looking bare wood?

[leehljp]

Back to your cherry. I would definitely try and convince her to allow at least a few coats of wax rubbed into it. Then tell her that it should be waxed at least twice a year. The shoji screen frames here are too small to be finished and waxed on a regular basis. That would drive me crazy.

I have a cherry table that I made and have made several pieces of cherry furniture that my girls now have. One (a book case) was unfinished because at the time, (25 years ago) LOML wanted the natural look. It didn't take but a couple of years (indoors) for it to start looking dingy and the coloring was uneven. The Cherry had been air dried for about 10 years and planed 4 sides just before making the case. It has since been re-sanded and finished with poly.