Finishing Cherry & Maple Frame and Panel

[David Genrich]

I am about to start working on a Cherry and Maple coffee table this weekend. The side and back will be done in a Frame and Pannel style, with Maple frame and Cherry plywood.

I was thinking about using dye on the Cherry to age it a bit (not sure one the combination yet - I need to get some dye and do some tests).

My main question is - should I apply finish to everything before assembling (with the areas to be glued taped off)? I was thinking this would help ensure even finishing as well as help with any glue squeeze out.

Thanks,
David Genrich

[Larry Fox]

Cherry and maple is one of my favorite combinations - nice choice.

For the cherry ply, you should not have much (if any) sapwood and thus no need to blend it in with a dye so I might be inclined to let mother nature take it course. Risks you run with a dye are blotching and possibly getting it too dark for your taste once it ages. If you really want to give it a bit of age, maybe give it a suntan for a day.

In general, I try and pre-finish whenever I can and do as you say with tape to manage any squeeze out. That said, it might be tough to do with the frame due to the fact that the faces typically need some scraping / sanding to bring them flush. Maybe (likely) you are better at it than I but I have yet to have one glue up acceptably flush to where it did not require some fiddling. However, the panel can likely be pre-finished but you will need to tape it after.

[David Genrich]

I am sure after I have a side Frame & Panel assembled, I will need to sand and scrape it flush. However, could the rails/ stiles be finished (or partially finished), then do the glue up, clean up the joints, then re-apply finish?

Or would it be better, like you said, to finish the panel, assemble it, glue it, clean it up, then finish the frame part? It seems to me this might be the better approach.

Most of my projects have been shop projects, basic boxes, several really nice hardwood stools - but nothing that is fine furniture like I am planning on now (LOML has a whole list of furniture for me to build from plans I found in the various woodworking magazines).

From reading other posts, it seems people look at how to finish the project last. But, the finish is what makes or breaks the whole project, so I am trying to look at the finish going into the whole thing.

Thanks again for help and advise,
David Genrich

[Steve Schoene]

With solid wood panels it's a particularly good idea to stain before assembly. That way when the wood shrinks it doesn't reveal a light colored stripe. But with the plywood panel you don't have that problem.

Before I dyed the cherry I would take the panels out for a day or two and give them a good suntan. You'd be surprised at how much this enriches the color.

[David Genrich]

So, give the cherry panels some time in the sun rather than dying them. Not going to be this weekend. In central Texas, we have rain all weekend. Guess I will just be doing some cutting for now.

For the drawer fronts and the table top, those will be Cherry hardwood. My intial plan was to dye thoses to give them a more redish tone. Does that sound like a good plan?

For the frame, that will all be hard maple, with no plans to dye - just finish with BLO and Arm-R-Seal.

Thanks again,
David Genrich

[Steve Schoene]

Here is another place where the sun can be your friend--assuming you ever get clement weather again. Suntanning the prepared piece, before final finishing can tell you a lot about how differently the plywood veneer and the solid wood will change color over time. Then you can consider dyeing one or the other so they get to approximately similar shades. Matching veneer and solid may be the more challenging task and the quick "read" that sun can give on uncoated wood is a useful tool.

[David Genrich]

I do recall reading that Cherry ply and hardwoods might not match so putting them out in the sun, then deciding on the dye, if any, is a good idea. However, I forgot all about that. Thanks Steve for reminding me of that critical step!

I got the wood this weekend - but wasn't playing close attention when I grabbed the Cherry. I was in the Cherry pile, two boards had some nice figure and color. One was 11" wide so would work good for gluing up the top. I got them home, then noticed those two boards where Mahogany! Dhu!

I should be able to get the Cherry ply and boards in the sun by next weekend.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

David Genrich