The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am going
to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
as the mahogany pieces.
There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
On Sep 5, 12:25 pm, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
> The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
> desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am going
> to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
> coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
>
> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
> wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
> as the mahogany pieces.
>
> There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
> can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
> I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
> birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
I vote for gray elm. A dark stain really brings out the beautiful
grain. It takes a stain easily and is much more stable than the more
common red elm. Plus, it's cheap and durable.
On Sep 5, 6:25?pm, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
> The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
> desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am going
> to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
> coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
>
> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
> wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
> as the mahogany pieces.
>
> There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
> can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
> I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
> birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
What about white ash? Pretty cheap and strong and not a soft wood.
FoggyTown
Most of my projects' best features began as mistakes!
On Sep 6, 9:11 am, "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> > "GarageWoodworks" <.@.> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >>> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked
> >>> about the wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just
> >>> want it about as dark as the mahogany pieces.
>
> >> If grain means nothing to her, than I would go with poplar and use
> >> a dark paint NOT stain.
>
> > Use ebony and you can eliminate that step completely.
>
> There goes "cheap". :)
Oak, ebonized by wiping down with a solution of steel wool
steeped in vinegar for several days.
On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:30:40 -0000, darkon <[email protected]> wrote:
>Russ <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> mac davis wrote:
>>> Soft wood but the make water bed frames out of it, so it should
>>> be strong enough..
>>> Takes stain well, the darker the better...
>>> Everyone here over 40 probably had a cheap pine water bed
>>> stained dark walnut once, right?
>>
>> Had?
>
>Yeah, ours is down in the basement taking up room. Can't even give
>it away.
Mine, from a previous life/marriage, is in the guest room with a box spring &
mattress in it..
I did refinish it with rosewood gel stain to match the rest of the "furniture",
though...
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:30:40 -0000, darkon <[email protected]> wrote:
>Yeah, ours is down in the basement taking up room. Can't even give it away.
Use the wood!
I've received 4 or 5 water bed frames over the years and love that 2" thick
pine...
Great shelves, etc...
I've also turned platters from the head and foot boards .. lol
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"GarageWoodworks" <.@.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
>> wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as
>> dark as the mahogany pieces.
>
> If grain means nothing to her, than I would go with poplar and use a dark
> paint NOT stain.
Use ebony and you can eliminate that step completely.
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
> desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am
going
> to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
> coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
>
> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
> wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as
dark
> as the mahogany pieces.
>
> There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if
she
> can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap.
Will
> I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
> birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
Poplar, with General Finishes' "Java" Gel Stain.
Example:
http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/CrftsmanCh18.jpg
That's one coat ... two, was much darker, but you could still see the grain;
three+ you couldn't even tell it was wood, in my tests.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 8/8/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)
In article <[email protected]>, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
>The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
>desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am going
>to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
>coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
>
>Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
>wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
>as the mahogany pieces.
>
>There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
>can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
>I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
>birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
Yellow poplar?
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
Russ <[email protected]> wrote:
> mac davis wrote:
>> Soft wood but the make water bed frames out of it, so it should
>> be strong enough..
>> Takes stain well, the darker the better...
>> Everyone here over 40 probably had a cheap pine water bed
>> stained dark walnut once, right?
>
> Had?
Yeah, ours is down in the basement taking up room. Can't even give
it away.
Toller,
My first thought would be to use Philippine Mahogany. I happen to like the
rather 'blank' grain structure - the 'Work' gets the attention, not the
'Wood'. Also, I like the 'semi-dark' color that appears with just Varnish.
However, a rubdown with 'Bombay Mahogany' will get you even deeper.
If you REALLY want to go 'cheap' . . . try regular Pine. Recently Joanne
wanted me to re-do a window shelf I had put in the kitchen about 20+ years
ago. I had just fitted & 'thrown up' this 8in shelf to cover the existing
narrow sill, so she could set out some plants. Slapped some brown paint on
it, and 'Bob's your uncle'.
Since then, we've done a lot of things to the kitchen, and now * we're *
involved in a pretty good make-over. Anyhow she wanted me to match the chair
rails that I made to match the Maple top of a drawed 'Potato Storage
Cabinet'. Didn't want to go for that much Maple - yet - ' . . . just make it
match, for now . .'. Long story short . . . coats & of 'Antique Maple' stain
wouldn't do it. Sanded it all off & started again . . . with a coat of GEL
Mahogany to start. After that only needed a couple of coats of the Maple. Of
course, to me it looks like 'Red Mahogany' - no where as light as the Maple
top - matches the tone of the 'aged' chair rail - but it looks great and she
likes it !!
It just may be the color / semi-darkness you are looking for.
Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
{PS - recommend Water-Based Poly as an overcoat. Goes on really easy, quick
rinse clean-up, and hard-as-nails result}
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote
> The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. SNIP
> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
> wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as
dark
> as the mahogany pieces.
SNIP
Toller wrote:
>
> There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
> can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
> I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
> birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
I think you should use tinted clear coats and enjoy a dark and
splotch-free item.
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
[...].
grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
> as the mahogany pieces.There doesn't seem to be any point to spending
> money on more mahogany if she can't tell the difference. [...]
Aren't there far eastern species which resemble mahog but aren't?
Otherwise you may as well paint it, faux bois - used to be very fashionable.
Tim w
"mac davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:30:40 -0000, darkon <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Yeah, ours is down in the basement taking up room. Can't even give it
>>away.
>
> Use the wood!
>
> I've received 4 or 5 water bed frames over the years and love that 2"
> thick
> pine...
> Great shelves, etc...
>
> I've also turned platters from the head and foot boards .. lol
>
>
> mac
>
> Please remove splinters before emailing
a friend of mine went to yard sales where one can usually, at the end of the
day, get water beds for free, and bought a bunch of them. he built a shed
out of them after planing them down to get rid of the stain and finish.
regards,
charlie
http://glassartists.org/chaniarts
On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:25:45 GMT, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
>The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
>desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am going
>to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
>coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
>
>Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
>wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
>as the mahogany pieces.
>
>There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
>can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
>I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
>birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
>
Dunno your area... On the west coast, about the cheapest is pine..
Soft wood but the make water bed frames out of it, so it should be strong
enough..
Takes stain well, the darker the better...
Everyone here over 40 probably had a cheap pine water bed stained dark walnut
once, right?
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:02:19 GMT, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>Your tinted clear coat is sounding attractive. How do I go about that?
The simple way is to add Trans-Tint dyes to sprayed shellac (Seal
Coat). Sneak up on the color, and clear coat with your preferred
product.
If you're comfortable with lacquer, swap Solar-Lux for TT, and add it
to sprayed lacquer. Again, sneak up on the desired color.
---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------
On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:25:45 GMT, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
>The wood furniture in our living room is all dark. A very old mahogany
>desk, a very old cherry table, and a dark piano of unknown wood. (I am going
>to guess mahogany with a tinted laquer) Two years ago I made a mahogany
>coffee table and stained it to match the desk.
>
>Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about the
>wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it about as dark
>as the mahogany pieces.
>
>There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if she
>can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap. Will
>I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple? Maybe
>birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha think?
>
I'd go with poplar. It's cheap, strong and will take dark stain really
well.
--
"We need to make a sacrifice to the gods, find me a young virgin... oh, and bring something to kill"
Tim Douglass
http://www.DouglassClan.com
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "GarageWoodworks" <.@.> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked
>>> about the wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just
>>> want it about as dark as the mahogany pieces.
>>
>> If grain means nothing to her, than I would go with poplar and use
>> a dark paint NOT stain.
>
> Use ebony and you can eliminate that step completely.
There goes "cheap". :)
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
Toller <[email protected]> wrote:
> Now my wife wants a couch; wood frame with cushions. We talked about
> the wood. Apparently grain means nothing to her; she just want it
> about as dark as the mahogany pieces.
I feel your pain. :) My wife is the same way. I'll bet some of these
phrases are familiar:
Umm, that's not dark enough.
Can't you make it any darker?
Will another coat make it darker?
> There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany
> if she can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is
> cheap. Will I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch
> like maple? Maybe birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting
> grain. Whatcha think?
As others have mentioned--poplar. At least around where I am, poplar
is fairly inexpensive per board foot.
Also, what you may find helpful to getting things dark without
driving yourself nuts in the process--spray it. Until I recently got
an inexpensive HVLP rig[1], I just could not make anything dark enough to
appease the princess of darkness. :) I've since used this HVLP system
to spray a couple of different types of finishes and was able to get
things satisfactory for SWMBO. The first thing I did with it that
worked well was using Zinsser SealCoat wax-free shellac. Initially I sprayed
it on plain, and then for subsequent coats I added some dye to the
shellac to get the proper coloring. For another project, I sprayed
some Minwax Polyshades Bombay Mahogany on a chair that turned out
nice. In both cases, spraying both the shellac and stain/polyurethane
I was able to get decent results and sufficient darkness. What's also
been interesting for me, is that I've had no luck at all using either
of the aforementioned products in either a wiping or brushing fashion.
But when I spray them, I get results that I like.
[1]: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91772
--
If you want to reply via email, change the obvious words to numbers and
remove ".invalid".
"B A R R Y" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Toller wrote:
>>
>> There doesn't seem to be any point to spending money on more mahogany if
>> she can't tell the difference. I though maybe beech because it is cheap.
>> Will I have any problem getting it dark, or does it spotch like maple?
>> Maybe birch? A bit more expensive, but more interesting grain. Whatcha
>> think?
>
>
> I think you should use tinted clear coats and enjoy a dark and
> splotch-free item.
I settled on sycamore because it has interesting grain; I thought some of
that would come through the dark finish.
It is all cut and ready to assemble, so I was trying out some finishes.
Sycamore slotches more than any wood I have ever used; way more.
Your tinted clear coat is sounding attractive. How do I go about that?
I have some dark red and dark brown powered dye made to be added to water.
Could it be added to water based varnish?