Finish methods for Cherry

[Philip Ralph]

I have a Cherry tabletop that I have purchased that I would like to turn into a segmented bowl. What finishing techniques do you suggest to achieve a nice natural looking finish that will also hold up to some use? I was looking at possibly using MAX CLR resin or Walnut Oil. I'd rather not use the resin, but I also don't want to be having to oil and wax the bowl after using it every time.

 

[Bill Boehme]

What kind of use are you thinking about? A segmented bowl would work fine if isn't subjected to getting wet very often. It wouldn't work very well for your Wheaties, but would be fine for popcorn. Most of the segmented bowls and vases that I've seen have a film finish ... varnish or lacquer ... I'm just guessing that an oil finish might have an negative effect on the glue joints.

Walnut oil is one of my favorite finishes. Let it cure for three or four weeks before getting it wet. Periodically refresh the oiled finish and apply a light coat of wax. All the bowls that I make are only good for sitting on a shelf and gathering dust, so what I say about food bowls is just what I have read.

 

[Richard Coers]

I prefer two coats of Minwax quick dry poly satin. The first coat gets a hard sanding with 320, the second gets a light sanding with 320 foam backed paper and a buff with Mirka Abralon 500 on a 3" random orbit sander. Leaves a slight sheen and a hard coat. But very close to the wood. It has a great feel and wears forever. Easy to wipe off. Quick dry poly used to be thicker and I used wipe on poly then. Seems like they added more solvent now, so I just use it out of the can with a brush.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

The best way to finish cherry overall is Garnett Shellac as sealer and then film finish.Now for turnings a different story as to "best" . I like Watco Danish Oil on turned cherry. It is easily repairable and durable. Also gets a fairly good shine with a Beale buff. Note two coats may be enough but 3 sometimes work better. Note the shellac and film will work on turnings. By the way the shellac evens out the color of cherry which can be all over the place but will not make white sapwood red (completely) just partly.

 

[Philip Ralph]

That opens up the discussion of "food safe"....I know it is everyone's favorite topic. Is shellac and Minwax's poly food safe once it cures? I tend to think it would be, but ONLY after it fully cures. My uses for the bowl would be light, but I also have a fairly large piece left over that I am thinking about building a little counter-top island on wheels for the wife which would definitely come into contact with food.

 

[Mike Brazeau]

I like to use heated Boiled Linseed Oil on cherry. A technique I learned from furniture maker, Thomas Moser and also an old reference on various heated oils in FWW. Adds to the rich cherry color. On decorative bowls for occasional use for snacks etc I wax after it cures and just wipe out after with a slightly damp cloth. Like Gerald also use Danish Oil. Have overcoated with Minwax Wipe On Poly on furniture and General Salad Bowl Finish which has a PolyU component. Have zero experience in segmented as I just do not go there.

 

[Philip Ralph]

@Bill Boehme what brand of walnut oil do you prefer? Where do you suggest purchasing it?

 

[Bill Boehme]

@Bill Boehme what brand of walnut oil do you prefer? Where do you suggest purchasing it?

La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil is what I have used for years. It can be found in the salad oil section of better grocery stores or purchased online. I have done side by side comparison test between it and Mahoney's Walnut Oil and don't see any difference. They have the same color, the same viscosity, the same aroma, both are 100% pure roasted walnut oil, and take the same amount of time to dry. The La Tourangelle Walnut Oil can also be used to make a tasty walnut-raspberry balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing. I haven't gotten around to making a salad dressing with the Mahoney's Walnut Oil.

I buy La Tourangelle Walnut Oil at the Tom Thumb supermarket near me and Mahoney's Walnut Oil at a Rockler Hardware store near me.

 

[Breck Whitworth]

Phillip, a technique I use on certain types of cherry bowls is to sand to 600 grit then seal with polymerised tung oil sealer from Lee valley and veritas. It dries over night, then I buff it to a beautiful semi gloss shine.I use nothing else it gives cherry a beautiful hand rubbed shine and look. ( I buff with tripoli then white diamond but never the carnauba wax because of the finger prints and water spots that seem to always occur when using carnauba waxed bowls.) If it is to be handled a lot I might put a light coat of renaissance wax on it then buff.