mmwood_1

I've never really grasped this concept. Cherry is such a beautiful wood, with rich color, from the time it gets its finish, throughout its darkening process. It's beautiful at every stage. What is the point of using cherry if you're just going to stain it? Stained wood always seems to have a cheap look about it, to me. I guess I just don't get it.

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mark

http://markmeyerwoodworking.com

woodworks

I for two am looking for responses to this question. I feel the same way. You spend time working with such beautiful wood just to stain it a different color. Some woods look good with stain, but not cherry. It has too much beauty in the grain. And as mmwood said, it's stages of turning are nice to see.

TexasTimbers

Some say to-may-toe some say to-maw-toe. We just had a discussion about stain somewhere. I think the consensus view was that stain is undesirable to most woodworkers (that responded to the thread).
I don't care for stain either (some say ee-ther some say eye-ther) but it's a preference thing.

As I said in my reply on that subject I am convinced a large number of weekend warriors use stain because it is engrained into their thinking that well, that's just what you do to a piece before you put a finish coat on it. You have to stain it! They niether (some say nee-ther some say nigh-ther) stop to consider what *they* want, nor ask themselves "why am I putting stain on this beautiful wood if it is already beautiful?"

There are some instances where stain is appropriate, like if the artist likes it, or if he/she must match it to an existing enviroment. Or the customer requests it. But if a customer requests it, it never hurts to ask them if they have ever seen the speices in question with an oil finish or clearcoat sans (some say sans, some say without) the altering additive.

My point of saying "some say yada and some say . . . " is that it all boils down to preference. Some say preference and some say choice.

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Flame Box Elder

JCCLARK

Why stain cherry? Because you want a dark finish.
It's that simple, some people want a dark finish like
walnut but a smooth wood like cherry.
Whatever they prefer is ok to me.
I stock only oak and cherry, between those two I
can match whatever a customer wants with different stains.
Here's cherry with a walnut stain.
I think it looks pretty good, (it's personal taste.)
But it definetly wouldn't match the existing decor
if it weren't stained and left natural.

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Jim

jerry

The pieces look wonderful, but I still do not stain cherry,but I also never use polyurethane varnish on furniture.Thats just me.

Regards

Jerry

Marko

I think the pic above says it all.....these pieces were done in good taste and with respect to the wood the finish appears to have enhanced it.There are some stains out there that are so full of pigment that it actually hides grain and figure pattern.I personally don't like stains like that.I like a stain (and usually mix my own)that can change the color slightly while enhancing the grain and/or figure of the wood.I am not a big fan of staining! Just happen to have some experience with different pigments.....

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www.logstolumber.org

JCCLARK

I understand, you have my full respect.
I too think cherry is beautiful just the way it is.
I don't use poly either, but then, with woodworking,
there's so many different ways of doing something,
I think that's what keeps it interesting and different enough
from one craftsman to another.
It would be boreing if all our projects looked alike

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Jim

Knot Home

The point of using cherry is that it's a fairly dense, stable, durable, attractive hardwood. The point of staining it is to change its color. It's kind of a loaded question, really, like why cut down a cherry tree, when they make a such nice shady spot?

Roy

TexasTimbers

Nice point KH.

It's like everyone wants to get to heaven, but no one wants to die.

I have no idea why I think that may have any relevance in this discussion.

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Flame Box Elder

skymaster

Knot; the reason you cut down a cherry tree is so you can stain it

Knot Home

I thought you cut them down to get famous for not lying about it.

It takes stain great by the way. I put two coats of Minwax Cherry stain on a TV stand I just completed and I'm worried my girls are going to bump me off so they can inherit the thing sooner.

mmwood_1

Actually, Roy, I couldn't sleep last night and was feeling a bit ornery. Read a post about someone staining cherry, and thought, I know people have their own ways of seeing things and LOTS of woodworkers throughout time have stained LOTS of beautiful woods. But I was curious about a couple of things...what reasons people would give for staining cherry, and how much heat such a question might summon up. Loaded, indeed.

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mark

http://markmeyerwoodworking.com

dpmcreations

Regrettably not everyone likes natural Wood.. I myself love it natural or with a slight coloring just to accent the natural Tones, intonations, and beauty of the wood and/or project... But not all people are like that and many, I have got a bunch of customers like that prefer to see some color or alot of color.. Point Shown below in the picture that I am posting in this response.. The cabinet is solid Oak.. Lovingly crafted with a Jacobean finish as per the customers request.. Once Urethened, the lightly stained piece was gorgeous, the grains and patterns were accentuated and brought out... But the customer wanted it different... So I took the doors off and as you can see had to refinish them in a Chocolate style finish whereas the grain is not very visible..

We may like natural, but people make their own choices... I not only did the cabinet but the entire powder room remodel... LOL...

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Duane

knotscott

A birth defect?! I suppose some don't realize it'll darken, or some just prefer it dark, or maybe they wanted walnut but got a deal on cherry....who knows? Our kitchen cabinets are cherry....stained very dark and done before we moved in. After installing those cabinets, they built an addition off the kitchen so it doesn't have a direct window any longer. It's so dark that we've contemplated painting the cabinets for several years....it's a tough call but it's also a very dark kitchen.

woodworks

"It's kind of a loaded question, really, like why cut down a cherry tree, when they make a such nice shady spot?"

Well,

woodworks

"It's kind of a loaded question, really, like why cut down a cherry tree, when they make a such nice shady spot?"

OOPS!
As I was about to say before I goofed and posted the above...
You cut down a cherry tree so the darn birds stop eating the cherry's and crapping all over your car / house / motorcycle etc etc.

woodworks

JCCLARK;
Nice work.

aclose

DPM, how do you use that commode without falling off the wall?
when i first saw that pict it took me a minute to figure out what it was. i haven't had my coffee yet. very nice work.

woodworks

You can see it's bolted down. What my question would be is how do you keep the water in? Or maybe 'how do you stay on it?'.

mmwood_1

What a bunch of clowns we have here!

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mark

http://markmeyerwoodworking.com