I'm building a chest for my oldest girl's 10th birthday...24 days and counting. :blink:
The chest will be 2x2x2ft. The sides and top/bottom all have to be a golden-color, but edged in black (walnut). I have oak, hemlock, poplar, and ash at my disposal.
I went down and started cutting and planing pieces to get ready. I started with hemlock because 1) we have a LOT of it, 2) there was a single large piece that could furnish most of the chest.
Halfway through planing the pieces, though, I began to have concerns. I like the hemlock because it is so easy to work with. But of course, that's because it's soft. As I ran my thumbnail across the freshly planed piece of wood, I began to wonder how long this wood would hold up.
I was planning on using shellac to finish it, and I know that will give it a tougher surface. But I'm wondering if I should forget the hemlock and use oak or ash instead. It'll take more machining on the outset, and more glued up boards since I don't have much that is very wide....but it'll certainly be durable.
Any recommendations based on past experience?
The chest will be 2x2x2ft. The sides and top/bottom all have to be a golden-color, but edged in black (walnut). I have oak, hemlock, poplar, and ash at my disposal.
I went down and started cutting and planing pieces to get ready. I started with hemlock because 1) we have a LOT of it, 2) there was a single large piece that could furnish most of the chest.
Halfway through planing the pieces, though, I began to have concerns. I like the hemlock because it is so easy to work with. But of course, that's because it's soft. As I ran my thumbnail across the freshly planed piece of wood, I began to wonder how long this wood would hold up.
I was planning on using shellac to finish it, and I know that will give it a tougher surface. But I'm wondering if I should forget the hemlock and use oak or ash instead. It'll take more machining on the outset, and more glued up boards since I don't have much that is very wide....but it'll certainly be durable.
Any recommendations based on past experience?