Thanks, professorpaul, for teh information regarding possible
"overcleaning" as well as the finish you used. That helps alot.
professorpaul wrote:
I refinished a solid cedar chest about 50 years ago for my wife that
her father had made. I was concerned about "overcleaning," so simply
used steel wool and some mineral spirits to clean off "dead" finish to
get a dull finish. I then refinished with about 3 thin coats of
urethane varnish. Still looks great. The issue is NOT to take much
other than the "dead" finish off, and not to harm the veneer.