For the past what seems like months I have been working on a small
cabinet/nightstand for SWMBO. You know how it goes, " To build YOUR
cabinet, I'll need those raised panel bits and that dovetail jig and that
router and spindle sander,..." LOL

I am a newbie and have been experimenting with several features in this
cabinet; raised panel doors, hand cut-dovetail corners and basis scrollwork
on the legs/feet. I have been using hard maple and maple plywood for the
carcus. For a newbie, I have been quite pleased with my work.

Well before I assemble the cabinet, I decided I should stain the parts. I
wanted to match our Pennsylvania House cherry bedroom furniture which is a
darkish brown color. Reading all about staining maple to look like cherry
here on the rec and the web, I bought aniline dyes; Antique Cherry Red and
Deep something Brown. I mixed up the Cherry Red and tested on some scrap.
Way too red. So I added just a dash of the brown. Like a chemical
reaction, the dye instantly turned a deep dark sh-- brown. I tried it on
scrap and decided that it wasn't too far from the bedroom furniture color
and decided to use it.

And so, I started slapping the stuff on my project pieces. I used a 4 inch
sponge brush to apply it. Well, it has made the biggest mess. Everywhere
the brush lapped shows a dark streak. It is impossible to get the color to
even out. There are several dark botches where the maple/plywood soaked the
dye right up and in other areas the wood hardly took up any dyes. You can
hardly see my beautiful hand cut dovetails. There is a white line on each
plywood piece where the plys butt against each other. The door panels look
like walnut stained yellow pine.

I an so disappointed it this mess. I had a really nice cabinet in the works
that I was proud of and now its a ****ty brown mess. I have no idea of how
to remedy this mess other than paint it white and stick it in my garage.

Gary