Inside Finish ??

[Bob Winkler]

I'm looking for suggestions as to whether it's necessary to apply a finish on the inside (unseen) surfaces of a jewelry box I'm building. It's the NYW cherry box with 3 drawers. The outside will be my poly/BLO mix. Should I use the same mix inside, or something else, or nothing at all? In the past, I opted for a shellac finish inside to seal the wood. But lately, I heard that this is unnecessary.

Comments?

Bob

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bob....I'm sure others will disagree with me but I'd do something to seal the inside. In the long run, I'm of the belief that untreated wood on the inside would allow for moisture to be absorbed (however minute) and could lead to cracking/splitting. JMHO. I treat my projects inside and out when I can.

[Dave Shaffer]

Bob, I guess there are 2 schools on that. I personally dont finish the inside of my projects. I have never had a problem. But my work has not had a 100 year time test either. I have seen a lot of very old furnature that was not finished on the inside and havent seen a problem. On the other hand, maybe it is better to be safe than sorry. I am sure it wont hurt.


One thing to keep in mind if you do finish the inside is it takes a long time for all the vapors from a finish to be gone. Though a finish may dry and cure in a weeks time, vapors are still released into the air. You dont notice it on an outside finish because it is a slow process and it gets diluted in the air. But if it is closed up in a box or drawer, it builds up. You can open that box or drawer 3 months later and still smell it. I wouldnt want to give someone a jewelry box and have them be upset because it "stinks".

[Mike Tempel]

I too built the NYW jewelry case some time back and decided to flock the inside of the drawers with the mini flocker and suede tex fibers. I know it sounds kinda cheesy but I can tell you that it turned out much better than I expected and will use the same technique and product again. It is very nice and after over three years of daily use by my wife it is still holding up nicely. I sectioned off the inside of the drawers and added some removable trays at her request - all flocked with the suede tex and that little cardboard tube they sell to apply the fibers. It is really simple and almost fool proof. Heck, I am living proof of that.

[Jim Becker]

I don't suggest the oil finish for the inside due to off-gassing "forever", but the exposed parts will look nicer with a simple coat of shellac. (I prefer garnet on cherry) That's what I did on my version of the same project.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

I usually don't finish the inside of projects either, but if I were to choose to do that, I think Jim is on the right track with shellac. With all this talk about the NYW Cherry Jewelry chest, I think I will get that plan and build a couple of them, or maybe 3. One for the LOML, one for LOML-ette and of course, when my Mom sees it, she is gonna want one too. It is not like I have a shortage of Cherry now, with the big score last weekend! That looks like a fun project, and the design is really nice. Better get going...........Christmas will be here before we know it! (I am STILL trying to figger out where September went?!?)