Cutting some Curly Cherry for a Barra 250z. I am excited to see what is uncovered as it gets cut and finished.
Last edited:
Curly Cherry For The Barra 250Z
- Thread starter Loren
- Start date
Cherry is my favorite wood. When using cherry to get that 100 year patina I would spray it with an oven cleaner, beats staining it. It will be interesting to see the final stock.
Upvote 0
Side are finish cut. machining the inletting next. I may leave it natural, or maybe use aqua fortis on it.
Upvote 0
I hope he is CNCing it. I use a Festool Domino and I need to do the inletting first to have good reference surfaces.
Whatever finish you use (and I hope not oven cleaner although I will admit I've never tried it) remember that cherry darkens with sunlight. But if you use an exterior polyurethane or varnish it will block the UV and it will not darken. I have one P35 stock I finished with water borne poly which did not claim UV blocking properties but it has stayed light. My other cheery stock is finished with Osmo polyx. I have used the Osmo on several bedroom sets and my kitchen table and chairs. It will darken the cherry and will not block sunlight from further darkening it. It does not leave a glossy surface like poly, it is much more like an oil finish. A little pricey but very easy to apply. It is also pretty easy to repair. Like an oil finish, Polyx will enhance the grain.
Whatever finish you use (and I hope not oven cleaner although I will admit I've never tried it) remember that cherry darkens with sunlight. But if you use an exterior polyurethane or varnish it will block the UV and it will not darken. I have one P35 stock I finished with water borne poly which did not claim UV blocking properties but it has stayed light. My other cheery stock is finished with Osmo polyx. I have used the Osmo on several bedroom sets and my kitchen table and chairs. It will darken the cherry and will not block sunlight from further darkening it. It does not leave a glossy surface like poly, it is much more like an oil finish. A little pricey but very easy to apply. It is also pretty easy to repair. Like an oil finish, Polyx will enhance the grain.
Upvote 0
What does the oven cleaner do to the wood. I presume it gives that deep amber like a linseed oil finish exposed to light for years. My concern would be alkali residues making the metal corrode.
Upvote 0
In my experience corrosion hasn't been a problem, after treating the wood with oven cleaner I'd thoroughly oil it. Although I've never used it on a stock. I'd fit the hardware, remove the hardware, treat, oil and reassemble. Another trick I used was to fume oak with ammonia, instant 100 year old patina. A cautionary note, use a piece of scarp to run a test on it.
Upvote 0
Seems the primary component of oven cleaner is sodium hydroxide (Lye) which reacts with tannins in oak or walnut which chemically stains it dark. Cherry is much much lower in tannins. Not something I will be trying on this stock. It would be caustic to metal if not rinsed very well and could be harsh on the wood fiber too. Be careful with it.
Upvote 0
Very nice work. I like aqua fortis the best of all the coloring methods I’ve used in the past. I’ve never used it on cherry though. I will be following to see what you decide on.
Also, nice work on making the machine to do this with.
Dave
Also, nice work on making the machine to do this with.
Dave
Upvote 0