Finishing time! I've found the best finish to bring out the natural deep color of Cherry is the following:

- 2 liberal applications of boiled linseed oil applied with 320 grit sandpaper. I Brush on a very heavy coat of oil, sand it in, wait 20 minutes, then wipe of the slurry against that grain. This fills the pores and creates a smooth surface

- 3 wiped-on coats of 1lb cut amber dewaxed shellac. This can be applied right over the BLO without waiting for it to cure. The amber color really brings out the beauty in the cherry

- 10 very light coats of wiped on blonde shellac. Too much amber is a bad thing. To build a protective enough finish with the amber alone leaves the cherry a little too amber, so I switch to a clear shellac for my finial finish. If I needed more protection, I would use a polyurethane here.

- Paste wax applied with 0000 steel wool. This evens out the finish and takes away a lot of the gloss for a subtle looking finish. Because I used the clear shellac over the amber, there is no risk of removing my color coat with the steel wool.



I used the clear wax (mineral oil and carnauba wax) mix for the table legs since it is clear and will impart no further tone