Anybody made any furniture out of (sweet) chestnut?

[MikeG.]

I'm contemplating making a large dining table and 10 chairs from chestnut rather than my usual oak. The thing is, I want quite a dark finish on it as the look is Jacobean. Chestnut has the advantage of being a deal cheaper than oak, but the disadvantage of being an unknown quantity to me. I don't want to invest in half a tree only to find that I can't get the look I am after. Waddyaknow?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Try the vinegar and wire wool treatment on some scrap if you want a very dark finish.

 

[MikeG.]

I don't want very dark. Just dark. And I don't have any chestnut to experiment on, unfortunately.

 

[custard]

How urgent is it Mike? I'm absolutely chocker at the moment , but if you can give me two or three weeks I can post you some Sweet Chestnut scrap for finishing experiments.

As a rule of thumb, apart from medullary rays then anything you can do with Oak you can also do with Sweet Chestnut.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I've made some furniture out of chestnut. The last was a couple of decades ago, maybe more, but as I recall it's a good deal lighter than oak with rather similarly coarse but milder grain characteristics, along with similar colouring but, of course, without the prominent medullary rays you'll find in oaks. The last piece I made, a cabinet, was coloured with walnut (Van **** brown) dye, but as an alternative it could have been stained. Like oak, contact with iron and water will cause black staining. It can also be fumed much like oak and ferrous sulphate turns it blue/ grey because it too is high on tannins.

If you've got access to decent sized boards that have been seasoned properly you shouldn't have significant problems in my opinion. You'll end with something that looks rather similar to oak, but without quite the strength, density or hardness, and the lack of quarter sawn figuring, which isn't (and wasn't) a problem to me. The wood is was it is and has its own characteristics. Slainte.

 

[MikeG.]

How urgent is it Mike? I'm absolutely chocker at the moment , but if you can give me two or three weeks I can post you some Sweet Chestnut scrap for finishing experiments.

As a rule of thumb, apart from medullary rays then anything you can do with Oak you can also do with Sweet Chestnut.

Not in the least urgent, custard. It's not a project I'm likely to start for at least 5 or 6 months. Just thinking, you know.....

That's very kind of you.

 

[MikeG.]

I've made some furniture out of chestnut. The last was a couple of decades ago, maybe more, but as I recall it's a good deal lighter than oak with rather similarly coarse but milder grain characteristics, along with similar colouring but, of course, without the prominent medullary rays you'll find in oaks. The last piece I made, a cabinet, was coloured with walnut (Van **** brown) dye, but as an alternative it could have been stained. Like oak, contact with iron and water will cause black staining. It can also be fumed much like oak and ferrous sulphate turns it blue/ grey because it too is high on tannins.

If you've got access to decent sized boards that have been seasoned properly you shouldn't have significant problems in my opinion. You'll end with something that looks rather similar to oak, but without quite the strength, density or hardness, and the lack of quarter sawn figuring, which isn't (and wasn't) a problem to me. The wood is was it is and has its own characteristics. Slainte.

Thanks Richard. Fuming.....now that's an idea.

 

[AndyT]

I made this quite recently

adirondack-style-chair-in-sweet-chestnut-t113356.html

It was my first time using chestnut, which I found really pleasant to work with. I didn't need to stain it but could have a go on some scraps or send some to you if you like.

 

[MikeG.]

That's kind of you Andy. Do you have any stains or dyes to darken it up a bit?Here's a rough idea of the sort of look I am after. If you fancied having a little play and then posting a photo or two, that would be great, but if you haven't the time, don't worry.

I'm just reading your Adirondeck chair thread now. That's a nicely done WIP.

 

[johnnyb]

Hi that type of finish sort of distressed and coloured with orangey undertones is normally done in the spray booth. Using morrells lightfast dyes and products called stipple and at the maybe a product called patina.
Really you need to use a catalysed lacquer. Stipple is a great product made from gold size and black pigment. Paint on then wipe partially off allow to dry then wipe the middle of panels out with plastic wire wool.
Patina is dry sprayed on after the lacquer has catalysed. This give a dark powdery matt effect. It's a skilful job to make it look just so.

 

[AndyT]

Mike, I've got some Van **** crystals and also some walnut stain (from Custard!) so will have a go and post some pics in the next day or two.

 

[MikeG.]

Hi that type of finish sort of distressed and coloured with orangey undertones is normally done in the spray booth. Using morrells lightfast dyes and products called stipple and at the maybe a product called patina.
Really you need to use a catalysed lacquer. Stipple is a great product made from gold size and black pigment. Paint on then wipe partially off allow to dry then wipe the middle of panels out with plastic wire wool.
Patina is dry sprayed on after the lacquer has catalysed. This give a dark powdery matt effect. It's a skilful job to make it look just so.

I think you may have just volunteered to finish my dining suite for me. Thanks :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Jacob]

Nice article here http://www.englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk ... /chestnut/
There's a saying (if I've got it right) that if you are not sure whether an old piece of wood is ash, oak or elm then it's probably chestnut.

 

[AndyT]

Here you are Mike. I hope this is some use. All the pictures are under the same lighting conditions (daylight fluorescents, Auto white balance).

Some scraps of chestnut, machine planed on this side but with no further finishing:

and in close up

I applied some of each of these three, fairly liberally with a cotton bud, then wiping off any excess with some kitchen towel so as to try and get an even level of application. From left to right, a fairly strong solution of vandyke crystals, a strongish solution of potassium permanganate, and some Rylands water based walnut stain, 1 teaspoon of powder to 1/2 pint of water.

I hope this is some use - to my eyes it seems to take all of the stains quite readily and evenly. And (no surprise!) the finish looks best on the top piece, which is the smoothest.

I'm sure I'm not the only one hoping to follow along for a mega-build thread!

 

[MikeG.]

Brilliant Andy, much appreciated. I like the look of the Walnut water-based stain. I was thinking of using a water-based lacquer, though, so I'll have to ponder that for a while.

And yes, of course, there will be a blow-by-blow WIP thread. I'll start with a softwood mock-up of the chair, and do some practise "thumbnail" carving before I get anywhere near the hardwood. I like the idea of chestnut, rather than oak, but that's not a decision yet.