# A new twist on a Cherry finish (well, not really)



## mrbmcg (21 Sep 2004)

Hi folks

I wonder if anybody has experience in trying to reproduce a "faux" cherry finish on another wood?

I am considering using Tulipwood (poplar) which is about £800/m3 and has a similar figure to cherry (except being light with a yellowish tint) instead of the real McCoy with it coming in at a whopping £2000-£2500/m3

Of course it will require a stain (sighs.....) to make it look like cherry with a clear finish on it. I will need it to be slightly darker than newly finished cherry given that it darkens over time and the poplar doesn't

Anybody any "homemade" cherry stains? I can't believe nobody else here has attempted this given the rising price of cherry over the last few years.

The local finishing supplies place suggested starting with Red Mahogany but no matter how I tint it I just can't get it right at all.

Help!

Cheers
Bob


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## Midnight (21 Sep 2004)

Sorry Bob.... I try to stick to using the real McCoy... makes life a whole lot simpler all round.... Shop around... ask for quotes in cubic feet... if this is still for the lazy susan project, you shouldn't need too much...


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## mrbmcg (22 Sep 2004)

Hi Mike

No it's for two new projects, a large bookcase and a wellington chest. It's quite a lot of wood!

The deal is that I get the price down doing this or the project is a no-go unfortunately.

Cheers
Bob


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## Anonymous (23 Sep 2004)

Thought of using veneer? and solid only in parts where necessary, eg where end grain should show? I have used veneer panels very successfully - you can get veneered 2-sides from SL Hardwoods in various thicknesses.


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## mrbmcg (23 Sep 2004)

White House Workshop":1v2awqng said:


> Thought of using veneer? and solid only in parts where necessary, eg where end grain should show? I have used veneer panels very successfully - you can get veneered 2-sides from SL Hardwoods in various thicknesses.



Not an option I'm afraid. His missus wants "real" wood. (Not that they'd really notice the difference I guess) but it's not my style to lie to folk.

Pity though, I have 4 8x4 sheets of cherry veneered MDF waiting for a project to come up.


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## gidon (24 Sep 2004)

Bob

I have a stash of Tulipwood in my shed - I couldn't resist the price either! 

I quite like it, it's pretty light (in weight) but I think it looks interesting - a lot of variation. It also seems to darken a fair bit with age. I actually bought it for some shelving - but may make something proper out of it if I get a chance ...

Have you thought of just giving it an oil finish - ie not trying to create a Cherry look. I think it has enough character to give a natural finish myself but others may disagree. I'm not a big fan of stains.

In case you're not sure what it'll look like with a an oil (Danish) finish 'ere you are:







Sorry - not really an answer to your question but may help!

Cheers

Gidon


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## mrbmcg (25 Sep 2004)

Hmmmm, that doesn't look too bad actually.....

What brand of oil did you use?

Also, the light/dark contrast near the back is that a heartwood/sapwood boundary or does the wood have variations in colour like that?


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## gidon (25 Sep 2004)

Rustins Danish oil - 2 coats at most I think - I like the low lustre.

I think the white at the back is sapwood, but not 100% sure. I'll check the variation of some of my supply in the shed when I get a chance ...

Cheers

Gidon


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## Sgian Dubh (27 Oct 2004)

Bob, one of the best substitutes for cherry is red alder, Alnus rubra, grown a lot in north america's Pacific north west. It's an unusual hardwood (deciduous tree) in that it's one of the few to shed seeds from cones. You might also look for European common or black alder, Alnus glutinosa, which again can pass for cherry with some fiddling. I'd go with Alnus rubra if you can find a source.

Both have vaguely similar colour, and the grain pattern is fairly close-- well,.... close enough to fool most customers with a bit of dye and polish tinting. The grain is a bit more open, but it's still a passable substitute for north American black cherry which is what I assume you're after. European cherry is quite a bit different in appearance.

Anyway check with your suppliers and see if they have red alder at a lower price.

Poplar, aka tulipwood in the UK wouldn't be my first choice for faking up cherry-- not at all cherry like in grain pattern and texture and the only fakery is to redden it up to hell hiding the grain but imparting the colour of aged cherry.

You seem to ask questions that catch my eye for some reason Slainte.


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## Chris Knight (27 Oct 2004)

Bob,

Tulipwood stains pretty well. I made a suite of bedroom furniture in the stuff, stained and polished to look like walnut. If colour is the real issue for you, it would be fine. If it's the cherry grain that attracts you then perhaps Alder as mention would be a better bet. As you say, the price is good on the stuff!

A great forum for finishing questions is Jeff Jewitt's. Here is a Q&A on your subject for example

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/phpBB ... lar+cherry


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## mrbmcg (23 Nov 2004)

Sgian Dubh":2w2wluca said:


> You seem to ask questions that catch my eye for some reason Slainte.


Sorry! 



waterhead37":2w2wluca said:


> A great forum for finishing questions is Jeff Jewitt's. Here is a Q&A on your subject for example



Yep, I agree it's a mine of information.  

Thanks for the help on this guys. Eventually I went with the real thing and veneered boards. I am at the finishing stage just now. I tried Liberon Amber brushing french polish and have to admit I'm not a fan.

I was going to oil it, but after reading on the above forum shyed away from it because most folk reckoned cherry would blotch if oiled and recommended a straight french polish finish. I did a test piece and it looked excellent but on the actual piece guess what? It went blotchy!  

Has anybody else found this with this particular french polish? I notice that the instructions aren't exactly shellac-like. i.e. it says apply and wait 4 hours before recoating? In my experience you can recoat shellac in an hour, less if you thin it a bit. Is this some sort of 'fancy' shellac :? 

Anyway, I stripped it back and a little of the blochiness remains but it isn't too bad.

The finishing process is halted and my finishing room project has been restarted. As soon as I complete the room it's getting a few coats of pre-cat.

Bloody french polish!


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## AndyBoyd (23 Nov 2004)

I've done this before - ran out of cherry and has some tulip wood just the right size.
I used garnet shellac (Jeff Jewitt does this in Fine Woodworking Mag to age Cherry).
You can stop the blotches by wiping in some very thin clear shellac first then putting a coat or 2 of the garnet shellac (depend on the colour you require)
Then finish it off with a couple of coats of clear shellac (normal strength 250g per litre of alcohol)

Works well for me and a dead easy finish to apply - easy to repair

See http://croeso.typepad.com/photos/furnit ... 00709.html the middle rail is tulip wood - all the cherry and the tulip wood was aged using the above process, Jeff Jewitt even recommends wiping in Linseed Oil instead of the first layer of this clear shellac, especially if you have nicely figured wood


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## mrbmcg (24 Nov 2004)

Thanks for the tip Andy. I'll give it a go the next time.

I guessed a sealer coat would help stop the blochiness but I had no idea that the amber polish would blotch in the first place. I assumed that it was simply a surface coating rather than anything that would be absorbed into the wood (wrong I guess). 

Horse bolted, stable door ajar and all that


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