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What to do on dovetails?
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04-26-2018, 06:38 PM
I just completed a chest of drawers made of curly cherry with maple drawers. I plan to finish with Charles Neils blotch control, followed with a water based dye, and then General Finishes High Performance Poly. My question is what do you do with the exposed half-blind dovetails on the drawers - do you just let the exposed cherry age naturally? Any advice would be very much appreciated.
04-26-2018, 08:38 PM
Do you mean on the drawer sides that will not bee seen when the drawer is closed? If thats the case, I usually leave the drawer unfinished and try to keep a neat line of finish to match the thickness of the front. In other words, I carry the finish from the top front edge around the sides.
04-26-2018, 08:41 PM
You can do it either way. I've seen a number of drawers in which the outside sides of the drawers have been finished about half way down their length--as much as they usually get pulled out--and I've also seen a lot of vintage drawers whose sides have no finish whatsoever. If your drawers are really tight, a finish may interfere with movement. And if you go that way, make sure the poly is fully cured before inserting the drawers, or they may get stuck!
If it were me, I wouldn't bother finishing the sides at all. I'd just finish the fronts and let the sides age naturally. Or you could thin the poly down significantly for the sides, which would make it work a little more like an oil finish. It wouldn't build much of a film, but it would bring out the natural color.
Steve S.
------------------------------------------------------ Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour. - T. S. Eliot Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop
04-27-2018, 09:55 AM
(04-26-2018, 06:38 PM)ranger29 Wrote: I just completed a chest of drawers made of curly cherry with maple drawers. I plan to finish with Charles Neils blotch control, followed with a water based dye, and then General Finishes High Performance Poly. My question is what do you do with the exposed half-blind dovetails on the drawers - do you just let the exposed cherry age naturally? Any advice would be very much appreciated. I've seen many old pieces where the drawer end is finished across the dovetails, just to the scribed line on the drawer side. John |
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