Hi Bill,

Bill Waller wrote:
I have just finished construction on my first real piece of "fine" furniture.
It is a small chest of drawers made of solid cherry.

Now begins the part of woodworking that I really do not enjoy: finishing.

My choices a
Shellac: This is what I have the most experience with and do not find to be
extremely problematic.

This is just my opinion, but.....I really like the effect of tung oil
on cherry, allowed to dry completely followed by shellac. I have used
this combination several times and I really like the results. I use
super blond shellac flakes and a number of layers with a light cut. In
fact, I just tung oiled a cabinet made of yellow birch and it really
makes the wood turn from ordinary to nice. I've been using pure tung
oil, which is really viscous, but you can also get tung oil diluted
with mineral spirits. Drying time will vary.....where I live in central
Texas, normally this time of year is dry and hot.....not now but perhaps
later this summer, a three week drying would suffice.

Thanks for any serious advice.
__________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA