| The piece I worked on was a Sheraton-sryle, | | | | interior and a linen exterior, but other finishers prefer |
| two-drawer work table, typical of early 19th-Century | | | | polishing cloths-perhaps because good-quality linen is |
| American furniture building. Knowing how to apply the | | | | hard to find. The technique is called French polishing, |
| appropriate finish takes a good appreciation of | | | | but the term can be misleading. There are several |
| furniture style. You have to approximate the original as | | | | ways to apply a French polish, some using pumice and |
| closely as possible-in color as well as in topcoat | | | | oil to fill the pores of the wood completely, providing a |
| composition. The best way to get onto the right track | | | | mirror-like finish. That is not always appropriate for all |
| is to study furniture styles as thoroughly as you can. | | | | American pieces. |
| Talk to people experienced with period | | | | I trace my interest in fine furniture back to my |
| pieces-museum curators, serious collectors and | | | | childhood and my parents who were collectors |
| restoration or conservation craftsmen. They are | | | | themselves. As an adult I spent two summers workins |
| usually very willing to share technical information. Also | | | | with a boat builder. and much later studied with George |
| try to see as many original examples as possible.Visit | | | | Frank in China. When I iarted collecting fine furniture, I |
| the Woodworking Plans Website pages for more | | | | couldn't afford the pieces I liked, so I learned to build |
| woodworking articles. | | | | replicas instead. |
| For this piece, I selected natural and chemical dyes to | | | | I believe that cabinetmakers should consider |
| make the color appropriate to its history. The table is | | | | themselves as caretakers of a sort. building something |
| made of cherry with a figured veneer applied to the | | | | that will be passed down from generation to |
| drawer fronts. Two different combinations were used: | | | | generation. You need to develop what I call |
| logwood extract (a natural dye) and potassium | | | | a"craftethic." You have to love what you do, not for |
| dichromate (a chemical mordant) on the veneer; and | | | | the result or for a wage, but simply for the sake of |
| lye and walnut crystals on the cherry. | | | | finding the finest way of doing each step. Learn more |
| For the topcoat, I padded a 3-pound-cut orange shellac | | | | about woodworking craft finish please go to |
| on the wood. I like using a pad made up of a wool | | | | woodworkingplans.tv website. |