On 14 Jan 2005 07:18:53 -0800, "
wrote:

I've just finished making a coffee table out of cherry. The top has
some excellent grain and I want to show it off as much as possible.
The bad news is my wife had me s-s-s-s-stain it. "American Cherry ".
(Actually, it looks real nice, but there's something about staining
this wood that just ain't right). Anyway, having lost that battle with
the Mrs., now comes the moment of truth of putting a top coat on it.
The requirements (also from the Mrs.) a

-show off the grain
-keep as much of a satin sheen as possible

Any suggestions for the final finish?

Flame resistant suit is now deployed for having the audacity to stain
this beautiful wood. But, this was a fight I wasn't going to win.
Finishing formula:

Strip it, sand it down, put a coat of oil on it and show it to SWMBO.
If she doesn't like it, replace SWMBO.
TWS