Staining Just the Tips of Box Joints?

[Brody Goodwine]

I'm making some new white poplar box joint drawers for my kitchen and really like the overall look. My only issue is that the sapwood is so light in color that there is really no contrast in the box joints.

Does anyone stain just the tips/endgrain of their wood when making box joints? I'm considering a mild cherry stain which wouldn't be too high of contrast, just enough to show the joinery. I understand many use contrasting woods, but I prefer the drawer interiors to be uniformly poplar. Tips?

[Tom Hintz]

I think that this is a good example of trying it on scrap first! I have used poplar a bunch of times and depending on the finish, the end grain pins do get darker than the long grain enough to show the contrast. Trying to stain just the end grain and do that consistently sounds like a bunch of trouble to me. I've never had box joints that fit perfectly without some sanding which would mean applying the stain after finish sanding. that just has to complicate things, or so it seems to me right now.

[Brody Goodwine]

Tom, my box joints are always dead on and never need sanding. Okay, that's what I wish was true. I think you're right that staining a glued joint would likely be a pain and likely bleed too much.

What finishes helped add contrast to the end grain? After trying several I think I'm going to just leave it natural and add a clear film finish of some sort.

[Scott Holmes]

Most finishes will darken the end grain enough to let it show the difference and highlight your box joint. Try wiping the joint with mineral spirits and see if the contrast is enough for your liking.

[John Coloccia]

I suspect that if you stain after sanding and assembly, and then lightly resand the area, you'll end up with stain on the end grain, and you'll be able to completely remove it from the sides. Definitely a try on scrap technique

[Joe Hillmann]

You could try heating the ends to darken them. Get a cast iron pan nice and hot and press the end grain against it. You just want to darken it rather than burn it so it may take some practice. And it should go in deep enough that you can do a light sanding and not remove all the color.